Weirdest Animals on Earth? Some Candidates

There are undoubtably some very strange critters out there-- the star-nosed mole, above, for instance. A couple of fun to browse lists are here and here. And while you're at it, check out this slide show of very strange animals, which includes Miracle Mike the Headless Chicken. Seriously, he even has his own website.

None of these, however, compare to the Naked Hot-Headed Ice Borer. This animal is a mole that lives in the ice in Antarctica and uses a heated appendage on its head to bore under the ice, upon which might be standing an unsuspecting penguin. These critters are horrific. Read about them here. They can devour the penguin in minutes after it becomes mired in slush.

There is one catch, though. They don't exist. That's right-- the Naked Hot-Headed Ice Borer is a prank. Just goes to show you can't believe everything you read.

Once Thought Extinct, Giant Spider Found Again

Once thought to be extinct, the first Nephila komaci spider was first found in an old museum collection in South Africa in 2000. A few years later, another specimen was found at a museum in Austria. No other specimens were found until two females and one male were found in the Tembe Elephant Park in Africa. The discovery is the first new Nephila species since 1879.

This is the largest of all known orb-weaving spiders; you know, the ones that make the big round webs. The spider's total size, including legs, can be as large as a CD, with its body an inch and a half long. Check out the article at ecoworldly. They are also called Golden Silk Orb Weavers, because their silk, from which they weave their webs, is golden in color.

Truly Scary: Robert the Doll

Warning: Do not watch this if you are afraid of the dark, or anything else, for that matter.

Book: The Natural History of Unicorns

Are you a fan of unicorns? If so, a trip to the library to check out "The Natural History of Unicorns," by Dr. Chris Lavers. Here's a small excerpt from the website of Harper Collins.

For over two thousand years, unicorns have inspired, enchanted, and eluded humanity. The beast appears in Old Testament texts and Greek and Roman natural histories; Christians adopted it as a symbol of Christ, the Middle Ages as a symbol of courtly love. There was a brisk trade in unicorn parts n miieval and Renaissance times, and travelers regularly reported sightings into the modern era. But by the early twentieth century the real-life contenders for the beast had been ruled out, and scientists concluded that the unicorn never existed. It turns out they were a bit hasty.

Where did the unicorn come from, and how was it accepted as a part of the animal kingdom for so long? Chris Lavers argues that although the unicorn of our imagination isn't real, traces of its character can be found in existing species....

Case in point: the deer, shown above, which was born at a nature preserve in Prato, Italy, last year. Here's an excerpt from the above linked article at msnbc:

"This is fantasy becoming reality," Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, told The Associated Press. "The unicorn has always been a mythological animal."

The 1-year-old Roe Deer — nicknamed "Unicorn" — was born in captivity in the research center's park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Tozzi said.

He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns.

Calling it the first time he has seen such a case, Tozzi said such anomalies among deer may have inspired the myth of the unicorn.

The unicorn, a horse-like creature with magical healing powers, has appeared in legends and stories throughout history, from ancient and medieval texts to the adventures of Harry Potter.

"This shows that even in past times, there could have been animals with this anomaly," he said by telephone. "It's not like they dreamed it up."

We can't wait til news of this reaches Walla Walla. Lulu will be so excited.