Haunt My Dreams

I have been remiss in my duties. It has been far too long since I have brought you yet another image of a sphynx cat. I don't have much to say about this photo. The eyes, the oily hairlessness, and the sweater say it all.

I'm going to go curl up in a corner now, suck my thumb, think of a happy place, and hope that this cat won't haunt my dreams.

Multi-purpose

I can't believe I haven't posted on this guy yet. He's like the king of scorpions. No, even better: he is the emperor of scorpions. These arthropods are actually a lot more bark than bite. They look tough, but their sting is far from the nastiest of its relatives.

They make good pets - look at one underneath a black light. Not only that, but thanks to Fear Factor and the Scorpion Queen, we know that you can do a lot with them. I love animals that are so multi-purpose.

Photo courtesy: www.mark-ju.net

Luscious Lips

Rasmus sent me a link to this beauty. The aptly named rosy lipped batfish is a native of the Cocos island, off the Costa Rican coastline. This little lady has taken a page out of the anglerfish's handbook, and uses an appendage to lure edible fish in close. As if those luscious lips weren't enough of an attractant ...

Photo courtesy: Science Blogs.

Ambushed

The ambush bug is a masterful hunter, camouflaged among the flowers to lie in wait for unsuspecting prey (moths, wasps, bees, etc.). Here are two of them mating. Who ambushed who in this union? It had to have been the male, since the is the uglier one, the one on top. It's a rough world out there, folks.

Thanks for the photo, Sean.

One More Reason

Just in case you wanted one more reason to skip scuba diving off the Northern Califoria coastline this weekend, here you go. True, the odds of you being attacked by a great white shark are minimal, but do you want to be the anomaly? Do you want to beat the statistics? No you don't. Skip the outdoors altogether. Stay inside, bask your pasty skin in the glare of your monitor, and eat reheated KFC instead.

Photo courtesy: web.hcsps.sa.edu.au

Dental Hygiene

Normal hippos are ugly enough, but there is something disturbing about these little guys. I don't see how they can even show their faces in public. Compared to their Nile-based cousins, these pygmies only get to be at most 550 lbs and 5 feet in length! How shameful.

This one (in London) is at least taking some steps to clean up its image.

Photo courtesy: Yahoo!

Snake Surgery

When you have an enormous Burmese python that has eaten an electric blanket, you can't just let it die can you? Of course not! We may never know what compelled this snake, in Ketchum, Idaho, to eat an electric blanket, cables and control and all, but it doesn't matter.

That's got to be an expensive vet bill, though. Do all pythons sleep with electric blankets?

Photo courtesy: Yahoo!

Chaca Chaca

Rasmus, our preeminent biologist, directed me to this prize. Catfish are never attractive. But the chaca chaca deserves a place on the winners' podium for ugliest catfish.

A word to the wise: these denizens from the Orient (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, etc.) make for dangerous aquarium fish. They are capable of excreting a substance that can drop the tank's pH dramatically - and kill the other occupants in the process. See, looks can kill.

Sorry, Gosh!

It seems that some people took exception with my Tarsier post, claiming that they are cute rather than ugly. Fine. Sorry! Didn't mean to offend.

Shall I return to an animal that is unequivocally ugly? Can we all agree that this warthog is to be abominated? Are there any complaints here?

Thanks for the shot, Kim.

Being Run Down

The afghan hound is known for her sleek lines and speed. Are they also known for being maniacal? I know they are used in hunting. I fear for the poor beast being run down by this ...

Itty Bitty Primate

Xenmate requested that I post on the tarsier. Fair enough, challenge accepted. Behold one of the smallest primates in the world. Adults come in at less than 6 inches and under 6 ounces. Truly tiny. Those huge eyes and long fingers make them good insect hunters (the world needs more of those, that's for sure).

As always seems to be the case with third-world animals, the tarsier is in danger of extiction, due to loss of habitat and being caught for pets.


















Photo courtesy: Lakbay Pilipinas

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The flat head. The warped smile. The snorkel nose. The leafy, dangly things. Thank you matamata turtle.















Photo courtesy: www.sweb.cz

Half & Half

This crustacean made it in the news thanks to its rare coloring. According to the Mount Desert Oceanarium in Maine (the lobster was caught near Bar Harbor, Maine, and donated by the catcher), the odds of finding a lobster with this coloring are 1 in 50 million to 100 million.

Lobsters have two strikes against them when it comes to survival: they are ugly and they are tasty. More of them should try for this two-tone coloring and then get themselves into the nearest cage. Survival is guaranteed then.

Photo courtesy: Yahoo!

Too Easy

Sometimes this blog is too easy. How many times can I return to the deep sea, only to emerge with some of the ugliest animals to be found? Every time, that's how many.

Here is the perennial deep sea anglerfish. If these fish were larger and found in coastal waters, something tells me that surfing and beach-going would wane in popularity.

Photo courtesy: www.pbs.org

Bromeliad Slayer

It isn't fair to call maggots, grubs, and larvae babies, though they technically are, aren't they? Can I classify this bromeliad weevil as an ugly baby? Probably not. But this grub is a pest, so that counts for something.

Thanks for the photo, Sean.

There They Are A-Standing in a Row ...

I love the marabou stork. Vearl has given us several good photos of these ubiquitous carrion birds, but this one of them lined up takes the cake for me. I'm glad you went on safari, Vearl. The world is an ugly place, and we need to be aware of that.

Toe Nail Head

The cassowary is a native of New Guinea and portions of Australia. They are in the same category of large flightless birds as our esteemed ostrich and emu.

Aside from their blue coloration and frugivoriousness (they eat fruit primarily), they are famous for the horn on the top of their heads. This one looks like a rotten toe nail. Nice.

Photo courtesy: www.ryanphotographic.com.

Why All the Hate?

Here is the lesser known Galapagos land iguana (lesser in part because the marine iguana has hogged all of the attention). Not even Darwin cared much for them:

"...they are ugly animals, of a yellowish orange beneath, and of a brownish-red colour above: from their low facial angle they have a singularly stupid appearance."

True, they are ugly enough, but why all the hate people? It's just a lizard after all.

Thanks for the photo, Franz.

Sabre Tooth - Need Help

I'm having a hard time finding any information on the sabre tooth fish. Any ichthiologists out there care to lend a hand?

All I have to go by is that this fish is fangy, ugly, and always welcome here.

Photo taken from www.extremescience.com.

Predacious Planarian

Ugh. This planarian (a freshwater flat worm) is feasting on a moth fly. Can you imagine a worse fate than this, to be hunted down and devoured by a worm? I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Not even a moth fly.

Thanks for the photo, Sean.

Below the Water Tower

In a tiny town called Tomales I stumbled across a crazy scene. Tucked away in the bottom floor of the old water tower, we found a man and his room full of tarantulas, scorpions, and snakes. It was as though we had stumbled into Harry Potter's world. All of his creatures were suitable candidates for Ugly Overload, but I was particularly impressed by his whip scorpion.

This pseudo scorpion was harmless, but the man was able to get it to spray its vinegar-like defense. It smelled like I had walked up to a salad bar.



Here he is presenting an emperor scorpion for us. He says he has never been stung or bitten by any of his creatures.

So, if you ever find yourself heading down Highway 1 in California, just west of Petaluma, and its a Sunday (he is only in his shop then), drop by (go to the park next to the general store, and you'll see the water tower on the southwest corner. He literally has hundreds of arachnids and serpents for sale, trade, and display. He is very friendly and is eager to share his hobby.

My Own Purposes

It's always a good day when I can take one of Cute Overload's photos and twist them to my own purposes. Sometimes cute gets too cute and ventures into ugly. Welcome to Ugly Overload, baby llama.

Thanks for the head's up, Joe.

Penitence?

It's high time we invited the warthog back to Ugly Overload. These animals are always welcome here. Vearl took this photo while on safari in Africa. These guys kneel so they can better root through the turf for food. Or maybe he's feeling penitent, given his looks. Who knows what's going on in these porcine brains.

I DARE YOU!

I suffer from arachnophobia. I post images of spiders as a means of therapy. But few things are worse than crane flies, aka mosquito hawks or mosquito eaters. They are essentially flying spiders - flying daddy-long-legs. Spiders shouldn't be so mobile. Also, look at those beady eyes!

I know that they are actually insects, but it's all in the appearance, it's all in the long legs. Friends and family try to console me each Spring as they begin to infest the neighborhood, "But they're harmless! They eat mosquitos - that's a good thing." Well, I'm not convinced of either. Has anyone actually ever seen one eating a mosquito? Well, have you? I dare any of you to tell me one redeeming quality of the abominations!

Thanks for the photo, Kim.

Ambush Croc

Just being a crocodile is ugly enough. But what about this crocodile fish? These fish are thankfully quite smaller than their reptilian namesake (being only 6") but they are ambush hunters. They bury themselves in reef muck and then attack any prey that wanders too close. I'm beginning to think that maybe we have stumbled across another ugly stick here: if you are an ambush hunter, you are most likely to be ugly. I'm going to have to investigate that ...

Photo courtesy: hometown.aol.com

What Are the Penguins up to?

The large and intimidating bull elephant seal is hard to miss. But did you notice all the penguins lined up around him in the background? What are they up to? Are they here to pay homage to the huge beast? Are they hear to gawk at its ugliness? Are they preparing an attack on the neighborhood bully? Have they already placed him on their sacrificial altar? So many questions.

Photo courtesy: aad.gov.au

Glistening Grubs

These look like they belong in a Tim Burton movie. I can hear their singing now ...

Any entomologists care to ID them for me?

Thanks for the photos, Photo Freak.

Fourth of July Bird

For the 4th of July it's only appropriate to show off an All-American bird. This turkey is even wearing the old U.S.A. red, white, & blue. How patriotic is that?

Thanks for the photo, Mark.

Disguise

Eek. Oh no. Run for your life. It's a tree snake, and he's out to get you.

FOOLS! Don't you know an Easter Tiger Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar when you see one? Ever heard of camouflage? Did you really mistake a bloated, stuff-sack grub for a sleek, speedy reptilian hunter? I'm dealing with amateurs here!

Thanks for the proper ID and for the photo, Kim.

Tongue-licious

Err. Uh. Ya. Picture says it all. Just a reminder, though, lots of people eat cow tongues and faces. Think on that.

Photo courtesy: www.clarity.net

Modeling Mantis

Few insects really know how to play it up for the camera. Not so with this praying mantis. Photo Freak wasn't kidding when he said that this lady posed for the camera. We have a model in the making. She is sleek, slender, and has large eyes. What more can you ask for?

Cover Girl and Guess get in line!