You know when you see a photo so strange, it makes you cringe all over, but yet you simultaneously can’t look away? Well, that’s exactly how I feel when I see photos of weird animal mutations, or especially strange animal species. They just feel uncanny, uncomfortable…unusual.
And because everyone’s been talking about the rabbits with tentacles lately — more on that in a sec — I figured, hey, may as well compile a whole post full of freaky animal photos. If you’re in need of a distraction, I’m your gal today, because these photos are so shocking, they’ll definitely take your mind away from everything else.
So here we go! Prepare to be a bit disturbed.
1.
Here is the “Frankenstein rabbit,” or rabbit with tentacles, as spotted in Colorado. The reason for the mutation is they’re infected with the “mostly harmless” Shope papillomavirus.
2.
Here is a walking fish from Mexico. They’re actually aquatic salamander, not fish, and their technical name is “axolotl.”
3.
Here is a leafy seadragon, found on the coasts of Australia. They belong to the same family as the seahorse, but they’re experts at camouflage, unlike seahorses.
4.
Here is a star-nosed mole. They’re semi-aquatic, so they’re part-land, part-water animals, and they’re found in parts of North America. People have called their nose “the nose that sees” because of how powerful it is.
5.
Here is a close-up of a two-headed snake. This one is really rare, and it’s the cause of a birth defect, when an embryo doesn’t totally split.
6.
Here is a blue dragon sea slug, also called a blue glaucus or glaucus atlanticus. They live throughout the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, and float on their backs. Most interestingly, though, they look almost iridescent.
7.
Here is a skinny pig; it’s like a guinea pig, but with almost no hair. These guys exist due to a genetic mutation, and they’ve only been around for less than 50 years.
8.
Here is a glass frog from Columbia and Central America. They’re also called transluscent frogs, because you can see their internal organs through their skin.
9.
Here is a long-horned orb-weaver spider. Yes, that’s a real name, but it’s also called the macracantha. Either way, it’s pretty freakin’ terrifying.
10.
Here is a — get ready for this one — warty frogfish. Yes, warty…just look at that skin! These ones are found in the Indo-Pacific region.
11.
Here is a close-up of a fennec fox. They’re nocturnal animals from North Africa, and they use their unusually large ears to combat the heat.
12.
Here is a Chinese mitten crab, or Shanghai hairy crab, named for its hairy claws. They’re native to the Yellow Sea, but it’s also the “only freshwater crab found in North America.”
13.
Here is a raccoon dog from eastern Asia. Believe it or not, these are technically part of the dog family, and they’re mostly nocturnal.
14.
Here is a frizzled hen, most often characterized by its wild hair. People think they originated in Asia, along with the frizzled chickens.
15.
Here is a four-eyed fish; it’s technically called an anablep. Their eyes are essentially split in half, so they can see above and below the surface of the water at once. Why? To hunt prey, of course.
16.
Here is a sea cucumber — a real animal, if you can believe it. They’re essentially found all over the world, and are frequently compared to starfish and sea urchins.
17.
Here is a gulper eel, slash pelican eel. It’s not often spotted by humans, hence why this photo is a digital illustration. But the scariest thing about them is their mouth, which can swallow MASSIVE prey — like, way bigger than their size.
Wasn’t that fun? Now, animal lovers, tell me: What’s a rare animal species or mutation that’s honestly kinda terrifying to look at? Tell me in the comments below, or in this anonymous form!
