Not Laughing with You

Sucker-footed Bat

Scientists have discovered this new species of bat that has flat adhesive organs, or suckers, attached to its thumbs and hind feet which allow it to climb and adhere to broad-leaf plants. It belongs to a family of bats endemic to Madagascar.

Yeti Crab

This creature, dubbed the "yeti crab," is so unusual that a whole new family of animal had to be created to classify it. Its official name is Kiwa hirsuta, and even after a year of study scientists say there's still much about it they don't understand.

The animal has strongly reduced eyes that lack pigment, and is thought to be blind.

The 'hairy' pincers contain filamentous bacteria, which the creature may use to detoxify poisonous minerals from the water emitted by the deep-sea vents where it lives near Easter Island. Alternatively, it may feed on the bacteria, although it is thought to be a general carnivore. Its diet also consists of green algae and small shrimp.

Emperor Tamarin

The Emperor Tamarin is a primate supposedly named for its similarity with the German emperor Wilhelm II. The name started as a joke, but stuck and became the official scientific name. Can you believe that?! This primate inhabits tropical rain forests, living deep in the forest and in open tree-covered areas.

Aye-aye

If you're wondering why you haven't seen an aye-aye in your neighborhood, this nightmarish creature is hopelessly endangered. Found in the forests of Madagascar, aye-ayes feed at night, mainly on insects, fruit, seeds, bamboo, fungi, and the pulp of sugarcane. They are the size of a large cat and have long, bushy tails, a shaggy brown or black coat, and big ears. The female rests with her single offspring in a ball-shaped nest of leaves and twigs built high in a tree all day. Their rodent-like incisors are perfect for gnawing.

Tarsier

Oxford says Yarsiers are any of several species of nocturnal primates of Indonesia. They are small, squat animals with large eyes, long tails and long monkey-like hands and feet. Oh, now I want one!

Proboscis Monkey

The most obvious unusual characteristic of the proboscis monkey is the huge fleshy nose sported by adult males. How the nose evolved is something of a mystery. It’s not linked to their sense of smell. It’s more a matter of ornamental value, a physical attribute” that apparently make the males more attractive to females. Found nowhere else on earth, Borneo's proboscis monkeys are being squeezed out by habitat loss.

Angora Rabbit

You've probably heard of the Angora Rabbit. Well, this is what they look like in the wild. You can see why these mop-like little beasts are treasured for their long wool, which may be removed by shearing or plucking. You could probably make a sweater and a good pair of socks before she would notice anything was missing.

There are many individual breeds of Angora rabbits including French, German, Giant, English, Satin, Chinese, Swiss, Finnish, to name a few.

Hagfish

Also known by the less inflamatory "slime eel", this primitive, jawless fish is found in every ocean. Hagfishes are scaleless, soft-skinned creatures with paired thick barbels on the end of the snout and they have more badges for knot-tying than any Boy Scout I know!

Star-nosed Mole

The Star-nosed Mole is a small North American mole found in eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States (even Maine!). It lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and molluscs. It is a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, this animal digs shallow surface tunnels for foraging.

The pink thing allows it to smell underwater for purposes of identifying food. They rapidly exhale bubbles which come in contact with small objects and are then sucked back in. They do this between 5 and 10 times per second. Awesome!

And perhaps my favorite. . .

Blobfish

This thing lives on the bottom-most muck of the darkest sea-bottom. This full-figured cutie may be harmless, but he's tough. The pressure at the depths where blobfish are found is dozens of times higher than at sea-level. The density of its flesh is slightly less than water, allowing it to float just above the sea floor without exerting any effort. Their relative lack of muscles is not a disadvantage though, as they spend most of the day just swallowing edible matter that floats by in front of them. You've got to respect that!