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!

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:

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!

An Eccentric Eel

Check out this crazy cool transparent eel! Called a Leptocephalus, meaning “small head,” it’s almost invisible!

Peacock Spider!

No, it’s not a spider with feathers, but it IS a spider with lots of color and personality. And just as peacocks put on a show when mating, so do these spiders – by displaying a flap-like extension of their stomach, raising their third set of legs, and doing a little dance. Men will stop at nothing to impress ladies, huh?! Watch this cool video below to see these guys in action!

Giant Anteater!

The giant anteater is always sticking its nose into something! – but mainly anthills and termite mounds. This weird-lookin creature’s long snout helps the animal smell prey and suck it up. Watch this video, below, to see the giant anteater in action! And then flip to “Strange Wonders,” card #34!

Real-Life Vampires!

The largest bat in the new world, the vampire bat needs blood to satisfy its appetite. Birds, rodents, and even other bats will do. Read up on these bats (and way to avoid them!) by turning to our “Nightmares of Nature” cards, and watching the below video:

King of the Lizards

If you only watch one video on our entire website, watch this one, below, on the Regal Horned Lizard – you’ll see why soon. This lizard of lizards truly personifies what it means to be weird and wild – and I would add, gross! Read more about these amazing lizards on card #29, “Nightmares of Nature.”

Toe-Biter

Noooo, we’re not talking about your baby brother. This toe-biter – also known as the Giant Water Bug – hides underwater, among plants and rocks, and awaits a target. Once the toe-biter spots a tasty-looking dinner (which can be just about anything that moves, including creatures much larger than themselves, like frogs and fish), it pierces its victim’s flesh and injects an enzyme that dissolves the victim’s insides! Watch the toe-biter in action below, or turn to card ‘Tiny Terror” card #7 to read more!

Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite!

Heard this nursery rhyme before and thought it was cute, but just for kids? Think again! These blood suckers are very real, and if your home gets infested, can cause very real damage. Watch this video to learn more about these gross insects, or turn to Tiny Terror’s card #67. Scratch, scratch!