My Favorite Unusual Creatures

I've recently read an interesting nonfiction book: Unusual Creatures, A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth's Strangest Animals, by Michael Hearst. As mentioned in the title, it is a book bursting with information on some of the weirdest creatures on the planet. For example, did you know that there is a smiling salamander called axolotl (don't ask me how to pronounce that) that is pink, has feathery external gills, and is a dog paddle champion? I bet you didn't. If you would like to know some of the stranger animals and my favorite unusual creatures (besides the axolotl, since I already told you about it) and facts, keep on reading.

Favorites:
Blobfish: A blobular fish made of no muscle who floats at depths up to 2500 feet in the ocean and is facing extinction due to fishing trawlers in Australia.
Cantor's Giant Soft-Shelled Turtle: A turtle that happens to have a rubbery shell, long claws, and one of the fastest strikes of any animal (and I thought turtles were slow!). Also facing extinction.
Flying Snake: A snake that can fly, no kidding. Well, it's more like launching themselves into the air from a tree, but still. It can glide up to 300 feet! And don't worry, it probably won't land on your head if you happen to be in southeast Asia.
Glass Frog: A see through frog. You can see it's heart and everything. Found in cloud forests (cloudy forests up in the mountain) in South America.
Hagfish: I don't like this creature. It's disgusting. But it's interesting, so I put it on my favorites list. A hagfish looks like a giant eel with a knot around it's middle and some spikes and a hole for it's head. It produces slime to get rid of predators (I have no idea what would want to eat a hagfish. Ugh.), and the hagfish gets rid of it's own slime by passing the knot down it's body. It has 4 hearts, a skull and no spine, blind, can change from male to female and vice versa depending on the season, and the slime is full of tiny fibers. Ew.
Jesus Christ Lizard: This one is my absolute favorite. It's a lizard that can  run on water! The adult can travel over 15 feet of water, and the younger can go 60 feet. Baby Jesus Christ Lizards are born with the ability to run on water. It is found in Central America. Search 'Jesus Christ Lizard' in Youtube to see a video of the lizard running (by National Geographic)
Mimic Octopus: Only discovered in 1998, this octopus is the master of charades. It can change into almost anything. Some examples are: flounder, sole fish, lionfish, crabs, shrimp, stingrays, and sea snakes. And like all octopuses, it can change the color and texture of its skin. Found on the coast of Indonesia and Malaysia.


Random, Interesting, Facts:

• There's a Pink Fairy Armadillo
• There are blue footed birds out there (the Blue-Footed Booby)
• Salvador Dali had a pet Giant Anteater, which he occasionally took for walks in Paris
• Honey Badgers are not likely to go extinct, since they will eat anything and everything
• The horn on a narwhal is actually a really long, spiral tooth
• The leafy sea dragon is a carnivore
• A wombat creates cubed, um, poop.
• 3 toed sloths' fastest speed is 0.15 miles per hour. So, it takes almost 30 min. for the sloth to run the bases of a major league baseball diamond

That's it! I hoped you enjoyed these facts. To read about more interesting creatures and find more awesome fun facts, check out Unusual Creatures by Michael Hearst, available at the (Pewaukee) Public Library.