High Voltage

The electric eel, which isn't a true eel (thanks, Rasmus), is almost all tail. He likes murky waters in South America, and is able to locate and communicate with others of his kind via their electric fields. He can get as big as 9 feet and weigh as much as 60 lbs. That's a lot of not-really-an-eel fish.

A single electric discharge of his can reach 600 volts - roughly 5 times the voltage coming out of your average American electrical outlet. It is powerful enough to disable a horse! I'm not sure why a horse and electric eel would be hanging out, but there it is.

I'm surprised this fish hasn't inspired some sort of super hero or X-Men character. Come on comic book makers!

Thanks for the link, Rasmus.

Photo courtesy: BWJones

Mohawk of Love

I think the creators of Star Trek caught sight of chapin's bat early on, and it has inspired many an alien since then. That mohawk is used in the courtship process. Nothing gets a female chapin's bat in a flutter like a well-tufted male. I guess anything that distracts from the ferengi ears is a good thing.

Photo courtesy: Mrs. Rutkowski's Class

Abominations in Paradise

Below is the photo of a truly hairless cat. This kitten is a kohona sphynx, one of only a few cats that bear the hairless genetic trait that has only been found on Hawaii. See folks, even paradise can produce abominations.

Thanks for the link, Phlimm.

Photo courtesy: Belfry Sphynx

Enough Already

Enough already, people. ENOUGH! I know cute animals are all the rage right now, but come on already. A quick glance at this photo reveals a trio of adorable baby hedgehogs, right? Look closer, though. That's right, lean in. These three are really nothing more than hairless balls-of-rat covered in spikes - and that's cute? Now, if you don't mind, I need to get going. I want to show this picture to my wife; she loves photos of cute baby animals.

As an aside, I didn't know that a baby hedgehog looked so much like a shar pei puppy.

Thanks for the photo, Melita.

Don't Seem to Mind

Camels won't win any beauty contests, and they don't seem to mind. This one seems to have gone out of his way to show off his looks. He's eating with his mouth full, sporting a mohawk, and is basking in the sun, for all the world to see. This could almost be a dramatic photo, except for ... well, it's a camel.

Photo courtesy: Erik.

Camping Is Right Out

The wolf spider is one reason why I'll be avoiding Australia for the time being. I don't think I would ever be the same if I stumbled across this lady spider staring at me from her hole in the ground. It certainly makes camping under the open skies an impossibility for me. I know they are unusually dutiful parents (well, the mom at least), and that their bite isn't dangerous, but that doesn't help at all. They're big spiders, and those two front eyes look like they know too much.

Photo courtesy: Stavros Markopoulos

Like Some People I Know

The wolf-eel (which isn't a true eel), is like some people I know. Their size and menacing appearance give them a bad rap. But if you take the time to know them, they can be quite friendly. In fact, if you were diving off the Oregon coast and could bring yourself to hold a sea cucumber (seen being eaten below), then a wolf-eel might just slither out of its hidey-hole and eat it straight from your hands. But that would involve an encounter with two oceanic uglies, which is more than doctors recommend.

Thanks for the photo, Jared. Also, thanks to Rasmus for identifying an ealier photo of one of these. They are my new favorite not-really-an-eel fish.

Photo courtesy: Chris Wilson

From Egg to Ugly

I can't believe I haven't stumbled across this critter before. Behold the splendor of the surinam toad. Like many frogs and toads, it seems these amphibians make for a favored pets among those who don't make distinctions based upon appearance.























Photos courtesy: Aqua Land Pets Plus

They are active hunters, preferring live fish to any other food (the poor goldfish sticking out of this one's mouth is proof). But they are most famous for how the female cares for her eggs.



















Photo courtesy: Honolulu Zoo

After the male fertilizes the 60 or so eggs, he distributes them on the female's back. They are then absorbed into the skin on her back (see above), and by ten days later, each egg has its own little home in the honeycomb-like back the mother has grown. When they emerge in 10 - 12 weeks, they are fully metamorphosed into frogs.

Usually the only cute phase of a toad involves it being a little tadpole. The surinam toad doesn't mess around with that, though. It goes straight from egg to ugly.

Thanks for the links, Leo.