Discovery The Tasselled Wobbegong the top spot for fun animal names. Native to shallow reefs off the coasts of Australia and Papua New Guinea, this member of the carpet shark family lay motionless along the ocean floor with excellent camouflage and ambush passing prey. via. Although not very large for a shark (it is about … Read more
Sparklemuffin isn’t just one of those fun animal names. It is also the name of a peacock spider, so named for their unusual courtship rituals. The male’s brightly colored abdomen and third legs, which wave back and forth in an eerie dance, help them attract a suitable mate. In 2015, a graduate student from the … Read more
Siamdive Native to the frigid seas of the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, 30 known species of the lumpsucker fish family are quite as strange-looking as their names suggest. The scientific name of Cyclopteridae comes from two Greek words: kykios, meaning round, and pteryx, meaning wing or fin. This is related to the fish’s modified … Read more
Sailing Matilda The Fried Egg Jellyfish looks exactly like an egg yolk floating on top of water, while the purple appendage and white nib running out the back look a bit like a tassel at the neck. Although these appendages are very effective at trapping and eating small plankton, the sting is so mild that … Read more
Ben G Thomas The satanic leaf-tailed gecko looks like something dreamed up in a video game or a movie. Native to the rainforests of the large African island of Madagascar, this species possesses an unusually mottled brown or yellow body and flattened tail (complete with spines and veins) that provide natural camouflage from predators against … Read more
LOCAL 12 The Screaming Hairy Armadillo is named for both its distinctive hairy body and the sound it makes when enemies get close. Thick fur emerges from between the bony plates with stacked scales to protect the head and body. When threatened, it will let out a pitiful cry and then curl up into a … Read more
Planet Doc Express Documentaries Native to the tropical forests of Madagascar, the aye-aye is the world’s largest nocturnal primate. This strange-looking lemur, with its large round eyes, narrow snout, giant ears and ruffled fur, is capable of hunting by tapping on tree bark. When it finds a gap, it will gnaw a hole in the … Read more