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There are arguably as many beautiful creatures in the world as there are creepy ones. But since they’re not as pleasant to look at, the latter might not appear on your news feed as often as puppies or kittens do.

Well, today we want to shed light on the underdogs, the eyesores, the fascinating yet at the same time disgusting creations of Mother Nature. If you think you’re brave enough to see them, scroll down to find an entire list of some of the most bizarre-looking creatures out there. But if you are squeamish about spiders, weird aquatic beings, and reptiles, among other similar things, you might want to check out some dog memes instead.

Here at Bored Panda we were curious to learn more about all sorts of weird-looking beings, so we got in touch with the evolutionary biologist and Professor at the Department of Biology at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Dr. Robert Montgomerie, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. If you’re curious, too, scroll down to see what the professor had to say about them.

#1

Dead Man's Fingers Fungus. So Excited To Have Spotted This On A Recent Trail Hike (Location: Ontario, Canada)

Dead Man's Fingers Fungus. So Excited To Have Spotted This On A Recent Trail Hike (Location: Ontario, Canada)

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#2

Tupelo Trees In A Dried-Up Swamp. Really Pretty But Kind Of Creepy (George L. Smith State Park)

Tupelo Trees In A Dried-Up Swamp. Really Pretty But Kind Of Creepy (George L. Smith State Park)

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#3

Aplysia Vaccaria Is A Species Of Slug Native To California And Mexico That Can Grow Up To 1 Meter In Length And Weigh 30 Pounds

Aplysia Vaccaria Is A Species Of Slug Native To California And Mexico That Can Grow Up To 1 Meter In Length And Weigh 30 Pounds

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If you’re reading this, it means that you already saw at least a few bizarre-looking beings. (Feeling alright so far?) And if you’re wondering why in the world they look the way that they do, you’re not alone; we were curious, too, so we got in touch with Prof. Robert Montgomerie, hoping to get an answer.

The professor explained that in general, the ‘appearance’ of plants and animals is shaped by natural and sexual selection, as well as simple genetic drift. “These various influences are always constrained to some extent by an organism's past history and selection can only work with the variation that is available to it.”

#4

Euphorbia Balsamifera Emerging From The Underworld

Euphorbia Balsamifera Emerging From The Underworld

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#5

Found In My Dad’s Shower In Puerto Vallarta

Found In My Dad’s Shower In Puerto Vallarta

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We were also wondering if the arguably weirder-looking beings usually live in more isolated areas—deeper in the ocean, for instance, or somewhere in a remote location in the jungle—as it doesn’t seem that people stumble upon something this awe-inspiring too often.

“To me there are lots of weird-looking plants and animals in my own backyard. I expect that we think that things look weird if we do not see them often, or ever. I thought that a lot of birds and mammals in Australia looked weird before I actually went there for several months; I expect that Australians did not find them to be weird-looking at all,” Dr. Montgomerie shared.

#7

Found This Coming Out Of My Sink That Had Not Been Used In A Week. It Had The Tensile Strength Of Fine Hair 

Found This Coming Out Of My Sink That Had Not Been Used In A Week. It Had The Tensile Strength Of Fine Hair 

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The professor is probably right saying that certain species don’t look odd at all, when you familiarize yourself with them. But the thing is, there seems to be quite a few creatures we might not know that well, or at all, for that matter.

Take the beauty found in northern Oregon, US, for instance: just a couple of weeks ago, on June 3rd, 2024, some passersby on the beach stumbled upon a ginormous 7.3-foot-long creature washed ashore. What was first considered an ocean sunfish, or Mola mola, was later found to be a newly discovered species, known as the Mola tecta or the hoodwinker sunfish.

The New York Post reports that with the help of photographs, measurements, and tissue samples, it was researcher Marianne Nyegaard who identified the marine animal. She also suggested that it may be the largest specimen of the kind ever sampled.

#9

This Wasp I Caught Flying Around My House Has An Ant Head Latched Onto Its Back Leg

This Wasp I Caught Flying Around My House Has An Ant Head Latched Onto Its Back Leg

THATMAYH3MGUY Report

#10

Underground Nest Of Garter Snakes At A Friend's House

Underground Nest Of Garter Snakes At A Friend's House

Professional_Eye_480 Report

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Speak easy buttercup
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Garter snakes are fun to play with! Use to catch them as a kid. Now I rather not but it's more for the fact that I don't want to hurt them or disrupt their lives tbh! But they are harmless little critters! Plus they help keep other pests under control!

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#11

Spider Who Tried To Nest In My Ear

Spider Who Tried To Nest In My Ear

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Just a few days after the hoodwinker sunfish was found in Oregon, the news about another discovery regarding a different kind of unusual creature broke – remains of a fossil of the smallest known great ape were found in Germany, dating to roughly 11m years ago.

Known as Buronius manfredschmidi, the ape was estimated to have weighed just 10kg and was likely the size of a human toddler, which makes it far smaller than other hominids. According to Prof. Madelaine Böhme, a palaeontologist at the University of Tübingen leading the research, it’s unclear why the species was as small as it was, The Guardian reports. But one version is that its size allowed it to occupy a different ecological niche from its larger counterparts, while another suggests that the Buronius manfredschmidi simply represents a more ancestral version of great apes.

#12

This Absolute Unit Of An Insect (Malayan Jungle Nymph)

This Absolute Unit Of An Insect (Malayan Jungle Nymph)

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#13

Woke Up To See This In My Kitchen, I Live In The Middle Of The Mountains Like 500 Km From The Nearest Beach

Woke Up To See This In My Kitchen, I Live In The Middle Of The Mountains Like 500 Km From The Nearest Beach

My wife screamed as if she saw a ghost at 5 AM in the morning, turns out she went to get some water and saw this huge crab crawling in the kitchen. It's just insane.

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#14

A Swarm Of Honeybees Looking For A New Home Decided That My Mother's Jeans Looked Comfortable. We Contacted A Local Beekeeper, And He Just Came By And Shook Them Into His Box

A Swarm Of Honeybees Looking For A New Home Decided That My Mother's Jeans Looked Comfortable. We Contacted A Local Beekeeper, And He Just Came By And Shook Them Into His Box

BenGreaper Report

Discussing other odd-looking creatures, Prof. Montgomerie shared that the ones he thought looked rather weird when he saw them for the first time were the anglerfish (Linophryne arborifera), shoebills (Balaeniceps rex—a bird), glass frogs, goblin sharks, and naked mole rats. “I expect that they would no longer seem weird if I studied them for a while,” he added.

#15

Found Under My Friend’s Flower Pot, AKA The Gates Of Hell

Found Under My Friend’s Flower Pot, AKA The Gates Of Hell

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#16

Of All The Mutations That Could Happen

Of All The Mutations That Could Happen

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While some of Mother Nature’s creations are clearly more visually appealing than others, they are the way that they are for a reason, and they’re arguably all necessary in the animal kingdom.

We discussed the importance of every being—no matter how adorable or creepy-looking—with Dr. Montgomerie, who pointed out that it is a rather philosophical question that might depend on who’s answering it and how one defines what is important.

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“From a biodiversity perspective, every species is important both for maintaining the ‘natural’ order and for the possible, as yet unknown, benefits to mankind,” he pointed out. “If your only interests are in human welfare, there are probably lots of species that contribute nothing to most people. Again, that’s a philosophical point of view as I feel that my own well-being is aligned with the preservation of all species and is diminished every time one of them goes extinct. I expect that that is far from the majority view. I agree with Thoreau who said 160 years ago ‘in wildness is the preservation of the world’.”

#18

This Is Idiacanthus Antrostomus, Also Known As The Pacific Blackdragon, A Type Of Dragon Fish

This Is Idiacanthus Antrostomus, Also Known As The Pacific Blackdragon, A Type Of Dragon Fish

connorgallagherproductions Report

#19

Saw A Ton Of Vultures On A House Today. I'm Not Sure What This Implies. Google Says Either A Gas Leak Or A Body

Saw A Ton Of Vultures On A House Today. I'm Not Sure What This Implies. Google Says Either A Gas Leak Or A Body

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#20

A Tree That Has Grown Around And Inside A Piece Of Spine

A Tree That Has Grown Around And Inside A Piece Of Spine

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If you found this list adorable, for some reason (or curiosity-inducing, at least), rather than off-putting, you might want to check out some similar lists on Bored Panda next, such as these horrific things Mother Nature has produced or these things some people would call scary as hell. Happy scrolling!

#21

These Are All Brown Recluse. A Man Said He Had A Lot Of Glue Traps That Looked Just Like This In His Home

These Are All Brown Recluse. A Man Said He Had A Lot Of Glue Traps That Looked Just Like This In His Home

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#24

A Wild Tokay Gecko Eating Someone's Pet Tarantula

A Wild Tokay Gecko Eating Someone's Pet Tarantula

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Mark
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

do not mess with Tokay Geckos! They are humungous but dumb, and will attack. If that doesn't work, they splat to the ground and sprint around. Speaking from experience

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#25

Seen In Costa Rica

Seen In Costa Rica

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Dumb teenager
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is this that cordicepts fungus that takes over insects muscles and makes them climb trees while thier still alive?

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#26

Absolute Unit Of A Jerusalem Cricket, Which Is Neither From Jerusalem Nor A Cricket

Absolute Unit Of A Jerusalem Cricket, Which Is Neither From Jerusalem Nor A Cricket

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#27

Something You Don’t Want To See While Driving… A Hundred Baby Spiders Crawling Up Your Leg

Something You Don’t Want To See While Driving… A Hundred Baby Spiders Crawling Up Your Leg

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#28

So Some Bees Decided To Make A Hive In Between The Window And The Shutters

So Some Bees Decided To Make A Hive In Between The Window And The Shutters

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#29

There Is Something Attractive And Repulsive About Crabs.⁣ Mother Nature Tried

There Is Something Attractive And Repulsive About Crabs.⁣ Mother Nature Tried

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Jennik
Community Member
4 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Donald Trump before he puts his human mask on?

Mark
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mother Nature tried several times in fact! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinisation#:~:text=Carcinisation%20(American%20English%3A%20carcinization),Nature%20to%20evolve%20a%20crab%22.

Anthorn
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

aw, that poor thing had so many barnacles on it! For those who don't know, barnacles are NOT harmless.

Northern Breeze
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

snow crab... it will lose its barnacles when it moults and gets a new shell

Riley Quinn
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Those are some kind of growth because a crab's teeth are in their gut. https://www.newsweek.com/crab-human-teeth-terrified-internet-explained-1726262

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#31

A Giant Swarm Of Maggots Eating A Dear Carcass On The Nature Trail Behind My House

A Giant Swarm Of Maggots Eating A Dear Carcass On The Nature Trail Behind My House

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Manana Man
Community Member
4 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nature's cleaning crew. They're slow (and disgusting) but thorough.

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#32

Inside A Common Starling's Mouth

Inside A Common Starling's Mouth

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OneWithRatsAndKefir
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What concerns me is the angle of the eyes. I would have thought that from this perspective, they’d be a little further back up the head… now I feel bad for insects that this is the last face they see.

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#33

Found On A Dog Walk

Found On A Dog Walk

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Blue Morpho Butterfly
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

forest ear mushrooms, I believe. They (well the ones near me at least) can be made into a delicious soup!

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#34

Inside The Hive Of The Stingless Honey Bee Plebeia Sp

Inside The Hive Of The Stingless Honey Bee Plebeia Sp

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#35

Well, That Is Some Fungus

Well, That Is Some Fungus

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Spidercat
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why did the mushroom always get invited to the parties? Because he's a fun guy!... I'll get my coat.

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#36

Blue Heron About To Eat An Alligator

Blue Heron About To Eat An Alligator

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#37

Went To Go Brush My Teeth Last Night, And

Went To Go Brush My Teeth Last Night, And

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#39

A Bunch Of Ducks Followed Me Yesterday Night. They Stopped And Stared Whenever I Turned Around

A Bunch Of Ducks Followed Me Yesterday Night. They Stopped And Stared Whenever I Turned Around

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#40

This Nest Of Caribbean Reef Lobsters That I Came Upon During A Night Dive

This Nest Of Caribbean Reef Lobsters That I Came Upon During A Night Dive

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#41

I'm Pretty Sure I Came Across The Scene Of A Crime This Afternoon

I'm Pretty Sure I Came Across The Scene Of A Crime This Afternoon

The smaller spider looks like a widow to me. At first, I thought it was a black widow, but it has more of a brown color, and I don't recognize the red stripe. Plus, its web is in an exposed location above a window on the outside of our house. What is it?

The bigger one (the victim, I think) is curled up, not moving, and partially wrapped in webbing. I thought it might be a tarantula, but I'm not sure. It has really fuzzy legs and body.

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#42

This Creature Is Growing In My Backyard

This Creature Is Growing In My Backyard

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#44

There's Nothing Unusual About A Catfish With Teeth

There's Nothing Unusual About A Catfish With Teeth

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#45

32 Tentacle Octopus Found In South Korea

32 Tentacle Octopus Found In South Korea

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#46

Mormon Crickets At My Local Hospital

Mormon Crickets At My Local Hospital

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#47

I Found This Guy Getting Tossed In The Surf In Kauai

I Found This Guy Getting Tossed In The Surf In Kauai

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#49

Flies Devouring A Gecko Still Stuck To A Pole (Okinawa, Japan)

Flies Devouring A Gecko Still Stuck To A Pole (Okinawa, Japan)

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#50

Found Some Creepy Teeth

Found Some Creepy Teeth

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Note: this post originally had 96 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.