Pucker up!

Red-lipped Batfish

Ogcocephalus darwini

Maybe it's Maybelline?

Today's interesting creature comes to us sporting Maybelline's new Color Sensational Lip color in Red Revival 645! But seriously, no photoshop has been used on this fish, it actually has red lips. (Hence the "red-lipped") That's all natural beauty right there! Scientists can't really figure out what why this fish has such bright red lips, but they speculate that they use them to attract mates. Other than then the fact that they exist, not much is known about these guys. They live 100+ feed deep in the ocean around the Galapagos Islands.

The second half of the name seems like a misnomer to me. It was given the name because apparently, someone thought it looked like a bat. I find that a bit insulting to bats. Bats are br00tal and cool. This guy looks like he's wearing lipstick and is a totally different freak all on its own  beautiful in its own way. The reason why this little fella's body is so strange is because it has taken being a bottom dwelling fish to a whole other level. They love the bottom so much, they decided they would rather walk around awkwardly with their leg-like fins instead of swim like a normal fish! 

I know what you're thinking: "Wow, these guys have really funny noses!" BUT FISH DO NOT HAVE NOSES, YOU SILLY GOOSE! So what is that strange nose-looking device on its face for? It called an illicium and works like a fishing rod lure. Its like the one that angler fish has in Finding Nemo, except it doesn't glow. He waves it around until an unlucky little fish goes up to it thinking it just found something to eat but ends up getting eaten instead.

Heres a video of one of these guys in action!

Welcome!

Anyone who knows me would know that most days I can be found wandering around outdoors, flipping over rocks or poking dead things with a stick (only to find that they're still alive and run away screaming). Needless to say, I love all things in nature; plants, animals, bugs, and whatnot. So I figured, why not dedicate my blog to showing off some of the cool creatures we happen to share this planet with. Again, if you know anything about me, you know I won't be posting about any generic animals like pandas, tigers, dogs, and whatever. I feel the the internet is already saturated with enough videos of cats playing pianos and such, so I would rather shift my focus to animals that don't get much attention due to... their unconventional looks, I guess you could say. 

With that being said, I would like to kick of this series of the strangest creatures mother nature has to offer with one of my favorites...

Surinam Toad

Pipa pipa

Aren't I TOAD-ally adorable?

This interesting little fella can be found chilling at the bottom of muddy slow-flowing bodies of water in South America. Unlike other toads, these guys don't sit on their front limbs. Instead, they spend their days lying flat as a pancake. These guys like to munch out on small fish and invertebrates. They don't have tongues, so I guess they're not very picky. When it eats, it uses its front limbs to scoop its food into its mouth. 

 

Cute couple <3

Now, what really makes these guys unique is the the way they reproduce! (As if being weird looking wasn't enough of a burden.) It's kinda cute at first, the male will wrap his little toad arms around the female and try to determine if she's DTF. If she's not, she'll just wiggle until he gets off. But if he gets a green light, they'll go at it for up to 12 hours! Because let me tell you, fertilizing these guys' eggs is hard work! First, the female lays a few eggs and lets them fall onto the male's cute little tummy. Then, he'll put them on her back, where they get stuck, and fertilizes them. They'll do this until they have fertilized 60-100 eggs. Once they're done, the female's back will begin to swell and suck in the eggs where she will incubate them. That's right, THE BABY TOADS GROW IN HER BACK! THEN FOUR MONTHS LATER, THEY'LL BLAST OFF INTO THE WORLD... and you thought having a pimple was bad. 

Of course, the only way to truly experience this marvelous reproductive phenomenon is to see it for yourself, so here's a lovely video. Be warned! This video is not for the faint of heart.

  

Amazing...

I have obviously left you wanting more...