Dose of STEM: The Oddities of the Animal World
The lion, the tiger, the panda. We’re all familiar with these cute, adorable animals. (Or at least their cuddly cubs.)
Whenever a wildlife organisation raises funds to protect endangered species, these animals often front such campaigns. Why? Because they are very familiar to the general public, and are much more attractive than other endangered animals. These animals are called charismatic megafauna: they are big, attractive animals everybody loves. (The marine version includes dolphins, penguins and otters.)
However, the problem with such animals is that they’re in the spotlight so much, the public often are left unaware of other lesser-known creatures who need help too. Though they may be smaller, uglier and strange (to the point of disgusting), they all play an important role in our ecosystem, and they deserve our assistance as much as cute pandas do. Here are some other endangered animals that you need to know:
The Blobfish
The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is a pink marine creature that lives in the deep waters around Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. It gets its name from the fact that if it is taken out of the water, it becomes a gooey blob. (Yes, blobfish is its official name.)
Eww! You may exclaim, but the blobfish only appears to be a “blob” on land; it looks much slimmer in the sea. However, its normal look isn't very spectacular either. That’s probably why it was voted the world’s ugliest animal by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society in 2013, and is now the mascot of the society itself.
Don’t be mean, though: the blobfish is an important organism in the ecosystem: It eats the small animals on the ocean floor, such as crabs, mollusks and sea pens, and helps keep the seabed clean. It also consumes a lot of bacteria which may be harmful to other creatures.
Unfortunately, the poor blobfish is endangered because of fishing in the seas where it lives. It gets caught in fishnets and dies when it reaches the surface of the water.
The Proboscis Monkey
Like us, the proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) is a primate. Unlike us, it has webbed feet, a fat belly and a ridiculously long nose. A native of the rainforests of Borneo, it is one of the largest Asian monkeys that eat leaves, seeds, fruits and insects. It was a nominee for world’s ugliest animal and made the top six, eventually losing to the blobfish.
Why the long nose? Believe it or not, male proboscis monkeys grow these large, balloony noses to attract mates, much like male peacocks grow their glamorous feathers to attract females. (I prefer feathers, though.) They use their noses to amplify mating calls to females.
Living in a rainforest equals much swimming in rivers and streams. That could be why the proboscis monkey could possibly be the best monkey swimmer. With their webbed hands and feet, they can out-swim crocodiles that hunt them down for lunch.
If you ever want to prepare the proboscis monkey a meal, don’t give them the yellow bananas in your kitchen. Proboscis monkeys can only eat unripe fruit because the sugar in ripe fruits can cause fatal bloating in their stomachs.
This endangered animal is being threatened by deforestation in the forests it lives in.
The Kakapo
The kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) isn’t endangered; it's critically endangered. There are only about 100 of them left, mostly because of its low birth rates. This New Zealand creature is said to be the weirdest parrot in the world: it is the only nocturnal and flightless parrot in the world. It waddles to get around. Its strange face also gives it the name “owl parrot”.
Stunningly green, the kakapo has pretty huge wings for a flightless bird, considering it doesn’t need them. Its flightless cousin, the kiwi, doesn’t have much of a wing at all. The kakapo puts them to good use, using them to tumble out of trees.
Its talons and beak are more useful, for it is a professional climber who makes its way into the canopy for berries. Sometimes, though, it skips climbing and just jumps straight down from trees, often injuring itself in the process.
The Axolotl
The axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a strange salamander with dorsal fins and feathery external gills poking out the back of its head. It almost looks fluffy. They are only found in the lakes of Xochimilco near Mexico City. Usually, they are black or brown, but the captive ones you usually see are white or albino. Its name coming from an Aztec god, the axolotl is sadly critically endangered because of pollution and commercial demand. (Roasted axolotl is a delicacy in Mexico.)
This amphibian lives on mollusks, worms, insect larvae, crustaceans and fish. And it has a creepy superpower — it can grow back its own body parts. That’s right! It can regenerate its limbs, spinal cord, heart and other organs. Scientists are trying to do research to find out more, so they can find a way to regenerate human limbs.
These Animals Need Your Help
So many animals in the world need the help of us humans because they are rapidly decreasing in number — and some get more help than others. Cuter and more cuddly animals like pandas and dolphins are popular mascots of animal conservation campaigns, leading most of us to forget about animals like those above. Thus, we need to spread awareness about the challenges these ugly and endangered face, and help out conservation efforts by volunteering and donating.
And that’s a wrap! Which of these four animals is your favorite ugly animal — or do you have your own favorite? Comment down below!
For more on ugly animals:
(Photos taken from bbc.com, borneoadventure.com, wired.com, and futurism.com)
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