Freaky Animals

I came across a couple of articles today that discussed some rather odd animals; one a naturally occuring species, the other a genetic freak. I figured I would combine both articles into one thread to share with you all.

The first article: When Nature Is Freakier Than Sci-Fi

Among the species discussed in the article, I found this one quite scary:

fishermen off the northern coast of France have found a large parasitic isopod (a relative of the louse) that has evolved a rather hideous method for survival in its host: It gets into the fish’s mouth and then devours its tongue. It then attaches itself at the back of the fish’s throat where it presumably feeds of whatever the fish normally eats. The really bizarre part is that the fish doesn’t seem to suffer any ill effects other than the loss of its tongue.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/81eeb2c68790.jpg[/atsimg]

www.wired.com...

The second article (the animal and it's story) is just down right freaky (genetic mutation).

Dean Qiongxiu, 66, said she discovered the reptile clinging to the wall of her bedroom with its talons in the middle of the night.

"I woke up and heard a strange scratching sound. I turned on the light and saw this monster working its way along the wall using his claw," said Mrs Duan of Suining, southwest China.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/540f4c766feb.jpg[/atsimg]

www.telegraph.co.uk...

The snake was using the claw to climb across the wall

Anyway, I just wanted to share these. And, feel free to add your own.

Enjoy!

[edit on 15-9-2009 by Aggie Man]

Hehe, I've known about the tongue beastie for a while, and found it kinda weird - seems like the fishie doesn't mind too much though.....

the snake......lordy, that weirded me out alot when I read about it at work - I don't know why, it just seems....almost sinister. Good call for an evolution throwback - seems that snakes have lost the need for legs but the design is dormant in their genetic make-up.

Edit: typo

[edit on 15/9/09 by XHellcatX]

[edit on 15/9/09 by XHellcatX]

Woahh! They're pretty weird.
But it is typical for the mutated snake to be beaten to death, isn't it? That's a shame really.
It's weird to think of a two-headed snake's heads attacking each other is really strange too... It's like something off Harry Potter!

I do believe that I would lose my mind if I saw a SNAKE crawling along a wall. I would jump out of a window in our second story bedroom before I had to go anywhere near that thing.

Here is a link to a slide show of other animal oddities, including the snake w/leg:

dsc.discovery.com...

Enjoy!

Is it definately a snake? What kind of snake is it? Could it be possible that it is actually a deformed lizard?