Blue-Footed Boobies

While there are plenty of boobies (seabirds from the genus Sula) in the world, these blue-footed boobies live off the coasts of Central and South America, and, most famously, on the Galapagos Islands. Like other boobies, blue-foots nest on land, and hunt for fish during the day. The coolest thing about them? Their FEET! They’re an electric blue, a la Elvis’ blue suede shoes. When temperatures drop, the boobies use their giant blue feet just like your mom might use her arms, wrapping them around their young to keep them warm. How would you like your parents to do that to you next time you’re cold?

Watch the video below to learn more (y un poco de español también)!

It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a … Flying Rhino!

Check out this story we just found on World Wildlife Fund …

Rhinos in South Africa are being slaughtered by poachers; their horns sold for profit — sad. But there’s a silver lining in this grim story: after finding yet another dead rhino, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) decided to take action.

With other animal-rescue organizations, WWF helped to set up a protected area for the rhinos. But there was a problem – how to move all the rhinos from their poacher-infested land to their new home? What would you do?

Because they were too heavy to be put on trucks, WWF decided to drug and and airlift the rhinos to their new safe space by tying up their feet and danging them from planes. Pretty crazy, huh? Can you imagine what it would have looked like to see?

Hopefully, rhinos don’t motion sickness…

Forget Loch Ness; We’ve Got Caddy

You’ve probably heard of the Loch Ness monster over on the other side of the pond (in northern Scotland, to be exact), but have you heard of “Caddy”?

Caddy, whose scientific name is, “Cadborosaurus willsi” is a our very own all-American sea serpent, reported to be living on the Pacific Coast of North America. In the past two hundred years, there have been over 300 sightings of this slinky creature, ranging from indigenous peoples of Alaska to current-day fisherman. From what we can tell by looking at pictures, Caddy looks kind of like a giant snake that ate a camel, and the camel got stuck in it’s stomach; it’s all kinds of long and skinny, with a lumpy middle (kind of like my aunt Susan), and flippers to boot.

A few years back, Discovery TV showed some footage of this guy – watch and let us know – real, or fake? Give us your opinion!

Why Did the Three-Toed Sloth Cross the Road?

Well, actually, we have no idea, but we wish they wouldn’t! They might get hit by a car – these creatures are slow enough to make your grannie look like an marathon runner! These guys normally live high in the treetops of warm-climate countries, coming down to the ground only about once a week; otherwise, the tree protects them from most of their predators. So really, they haven’t evolved with a need to move faster. Want to know another interesting fact about them? The three-toed sloth is so slow that algae grows on its fur! Eww! The greenish color on their fur, though, actually provides them with a camouflage: because they don’t move quickly and are tinted green, they look like a cluster of leaves.

The sloth in the video below must have gotten lost, then! Watch it and tell us why you think he’s crossing the road!

The Saga of the Leafy Seadragon

The leafy seadragon could be, and is easily, mistaken for a piece of floating sea weed, hence its name. Its camouflage abilities surpass even that of the mighty chameleon – but believe it or not, this creature’s fins are almost completely transparent, which is what helps create the appearance of sea weed.  You want to know what’s even cooler, in my opinion? The males give birth! Want to see this fascinating deep-sea Australian creature yourself? Watch the video below!

No, It’s Not Dobby from Harry Potter…

We’re on a primate kick here at WWC, so here’s our second unusual primate of the week! Although this little guy kind of looks like Dobby, the aye-aye is actually a lemur (which is a type of primate). Check them out – what do you notice that makes them stand out?

The aye-aye hails from Madagascar and has several features that elevate it to Weird n’ Wild Creatures status: first of all, it’s a nocturnal (meaning it stays up all night), which is pretty cool. Secondly, it has this amazing way of finding food: it knocks on trees until it locates an insect nest; then, it uses its creepily long middle finger like a frog would use its tongue, extending it’s appendage into the nest before shish kabobing all the insects, then slowly savoring them … yum … raw beetles …And believe it or not, it’s one of only two animals on the planet known to eat like this (the other a species of possum).

Cool, huh? We leave you with one last picture we love of this guy, just in case you didn’t get a close enough look at him in the first picture:

Love for Lorises

True confession: We here at Weird and Wild Creatures are totally, madly, can’t-stop-watching-these-videos in love with the slow loris.

But what is the slow loris, you might ask? Well, let us introduce you to the world’s cutest animal, a creature too cute for it’s own safety, because if I had one of these guys I would snuggle it senseless. The slow loris is a primate from South and Southeast Asia, and if you were to ever put a bunch of primates together in a room, you’d recognize slow lorises for their enormous eyes. Buuuut don’t let their melt-your-heart adorableness trick you – slow lorises aren’t all fuzz and big blinking innocent eyes; if provoked, they have a toxic bite, rare for a primate. And now wait, they are about to get even cooler: the toxin in their mouth is produced by licking a gland in their arm, which when mixed with saliva activates it. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could lick your armpit and that would make, say, fireballs shoot from your mouth? Or laser beams?

Alright so – drumroll please – below is a video of the slow loris, our unofficial mascot – check it out for yourself and get your “aww” ready:

Optical Illusion

The coolest video we have ever seen, hands down. We’re not going to reveal any more – just watch!

Shark Attack!

It’s summer, and that means hot and humid days. What to do when your face is melting? Go to the beach, of course …  but be careful if you’re swimming around North Carolina!

Just earlier this month, a 10-year-old girl was playing with her body board off the shores of a North Carolina beach when something tugged at her ankles and she was pulled underwater. Even though she was only in 3-4 feet of water, a shark had just attacked her.

Luckily, her mother was able to pull her out and the girl survived with minimal injuries. It was scary, but not fatal. So why do sharks attack, if they aren’t trying to necessarily eat? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains that, “sharks do not normally hunt humans, but if they do attack, it is usually a case of mistaken identity,” as they are conditioned to be attracted – and attack – motion in water. So have no fear swimming in the ocean this summer – you’ll be okay!

Interested in learning more about sharks and why they attack? Check sharks out in Weird n Wild Creatures. Interested in reading more about the North Carolinian attack? Check it out here.

Squirm Alert: The Star Nosed Mole

Here’s a question for you: would you swap your little button nose for a fleshy, pink, squirmy, 22 tentacled-nose – if it allowed you to sniff waaaayy better than everyone else?

You may or may not say yes to wanting a sea urchin-like mass growing out of your head, no matter the benefits, but evoluation has said “yes” to the Star Nosed Mole – and given it a nose unlike any other in the animal kingdom.

The Star-Nosed Mole, found in eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States, is a small North American mole covered in water-repellent fur, large scaled feet, a long thick tail, and a circle of 22 mobile, pink, fleshy tentacles at the end of its snout, all of which are super-sensitive to touch. The nose may not be pretty, but it allows this species to identify food by touch, such as worms, insects and crustaceans, and hunt more than fourteen times more effectively than any other mole.

Curious about this little guy? Us too! Watch the below video we found for you to learn more!