With many parts of the world still left to be discovered, it’s no surprise that there’s also a few bizarre creatures that you won’t believe are real, like the barreleye fish and jewel caterpillar above. Continue reading to see them all.
5. Leaf-Tailed Gecko
Uroplatus is a genus of geckos commonly referred to as Flat or Leaf-tailed Geckos. All the comprising species are endemic to Madagascar or nearby islands, such as Nosy Be, where they are found in primary and secondary forests. The Uroplatus are nocturnal and arboreal. The larger leaf-tailed geckos spend most of the daylight hours hanging vertically on tree trunks, head down, resting,while the smaller leaf tailed geckos spend more time in ficus bushes imitating twigs and leaves.
4. Leafy Sea Dragon
The leafy seadragon is a marine fish and is found along the southern and western coasts of Australia. The name is derived from the appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body. These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. The leafy seadragon propels itself by means of a pectoral fin on the ridge of its neck and a dorsal fin on its back closer to the tail end. These small fins are almost completely transparent and difficult to see as they undulate minutely to move the creature sedately through the water, completing the illusion of floating seaweed.
3. Hemeroplanes Caterpillar
The caterpillar is green, camouflaged against its host plant Fischeria panamensis. However, when disturbed, the caterpillar hangs from the vine with his prolegs and puffs up its head and thorax. The underside of its body is brown, and it has a pair of false eyes on the thorax, making it look like a small snake. It will move back and forth and strike at predators.
2. Barreleye Fish
Barreleyes, also known as spook fish, are small deep-sea argentiniform fish comprising the family Opisthoproctidae. Found in tropical-to-temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. These fish are named for their barrel-shaped, tubular eyes which are generally directed upwards to detect the silhouettes of available prey; however, according to Robison and Reisenbichler these fish are capable of directing their eyes forward as well.
1. Jewel Caterpillar (Acraga Coa)
Some suggest that the translucent jewel caterpillar is a member of the Dalceridae moth fmaily known as Acraga coa. Even more surprising, the caterpillar you see above eventually transforms into a fuzzy orange moth. According to Dr. Scott Miller of the Smithsonian Institution, it is indeed the species Acraga coa and researchers have identified around 84 different species of Dalceridae moths, whose larvae are sometimes called ‘slug caterpillars’ because of their gooey texture.
