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 ofMother 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 somedog memesinstead.Here atBored Pandawe 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.This post may includeaffiliate links.

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 ofMother 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 somedog memesinstead.

Here atBored Pandawe 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.

This post may includeaffiliate links.

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

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

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

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.

Euphorbia Balsamifera Emerging From The Underworld

Found In My Dad’s Shower In Puerto Vallarta

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.

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.

Nature Is Creepy

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

Welp, I’m Gonna Die. Do I Call The Army Or What?

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.

The New York Postreports 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.

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

Underground Nest Of Garter Snakes At A Friend’s House

Spider Who Tried To Nest In My Ear

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 asBuronius 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 theBuronius manfredschmidisimply represents a more ancestral version of great apes.

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 asBuronius 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 theBuronius manfredschmidisimply represents a more ancestral version of great apes.

This Absolute Unit Of An Insect (Malayan Jungle Nymph)

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.

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

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

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.

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

Of All The Mutations That Could Happen

My Tarantula Had Babies

While some ofMother Nature’s creationsare 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.“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’.”

While some ofMother Nature’s creationsare 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.

“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’.”

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

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

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

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 onBored Pandanext, such asthese horrific thingsMother Nature has produced orthese thingssome people would call scary as hell. Happy scrolling!

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

This Evil-Looking Mushroom Thing In My Yard

These Folks Having A Rave On My Porch

A Wild Tokay Gecko Eating Someone’s Pet Tarantula

Seen In Costa Rica

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

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

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

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

Insects Nest That Looks Like A Skull

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

Inside A Common Starling’s Mouth

Found On A Dog Walk

Inside The Hive Of The Stingless Honey Bee Plebeia Sp

Well, That Is Some Fungus

Blue Heron About To Eat An Alligator

Went To Go Brush My Teeth Last Night, And

Spider In Our Pantry

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

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

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.

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

This Creature Is Growing In My Backyard

That Is Wild

There’s Nothing Unusual About A Catfish With Teeth

32 Tentacle Octopus Found In South Korea

Mormon Crickets At My Local Hospital

I Found This Guy Getting Tossed In The Surf In Kauai

The Amount Of Flies Trapped In This Window Glass

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

See Also on Bored Panda

Found Some Creepy Teeth

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This Butterfly Orchid Flower With A Face On It

Dead Man’s Fingers. Xylaria Polymorpha

A Tick Biting Another Tick

Bees On A Plane

How Did A Bat End Up In My Toilet? Gone For 12 Days, House Is Secure And A Dead Bat Is In My Toilet When I Come Home. So Weird And Confusing

Knocked Off A Hanging Remote In The Dark. It Landed On A Scorpion

Wasps Have Made A Nest On My (Closed) Bedroom Window

This Picture My Mom Sent Me Of A Spider In Her House

This Spider I Found In My Basement Cellar. According To Google, This Is Caused By A Type Of Fungus Called Cordyceps That Ends The Lives Of Bugs. I Am Considering Burning My House Down

Two Robber Flies Mating While One Snacks On A Bee

Found This Thing Attached To The Wall, It Doesn’t React Too Much

Hawk vs. Starling: No Contest

A Bee With Pollen Mites

If pushed over, it pops right back up. There were lots of them, but this was the biggest I saw.

Found While Fishing At A Local Lake. I Poked It With My Fishing Rod, And The Top Was Kind Of Hard. The Part Under The Water Was Softer, And My Rod Went Through It Pretty Easily

Found This Lady Outside My Door

Not Sure What This Is, Probably A House Spider?

Evil-Looking Thing

I Found It In My Garden, It’s Like A Snake Lizard

I Removed 62 Ticks From Our Two Dogs After Two Days Of Hiking. A Lot Of Small Ones Were Behind Those Fat Ones, Couldn’t Capture Them All In A Photo

Spider Babies Outside Our Window

I Found This On The Trail In Northern India. Thought It Was Cool

Plugging An Extension Cord Into An Outdoor Box. Flipped Open The Lid To Discover This

One Interesting Find In A Forest Near My House - Devil’s Fingers Or Clathrus Archeri

This Robber Snatched That Poor Guy Out Of The Air About 2 Ft From My Face

Cordyceps That I Just Found In The Rainforests Of Cairns

I Have Never Seen Something Like This

What Is This Thing?

My Sister Found This On Saint Barts Island In The Caribbean

I Don’t Like This At All

Brown Widow Preparing Its Dinner

What On Earth Is This

My Headphones Suddenly Stopped Working. It Was Full Of Ants

Bought A Deodorant With A Spider In It

What Is This Thing?

Found Dead Flies Making A Circle Near My Window. I Don’t Use Traps, Bug Sprays, Or Anything Similar. What Could Be Causing This?

What Might This Be? Is It A Fishing Lure? It’s Huge (South Florida)

The “Hair” Under This Rock Is Actually A Mass Of Spiders

There Is A Wasp That Lays Its Eggs Under The Skin Of A Specific Caterpillar. When The Eggs Hatch, The Larvae Eat The Caterpillar Alive

This Tree In The Middle Of The Woods That Looks Like A Monster Crawling Out Of The Earth

What Is Stuck In My Ceiling? It Looks Like There’s Two Of Them, And They’re Alive And Moving

Washing My Hands While Still Half Asleep After Using The Bathroom In The Morning, I Turned And Saw This At Exactly Eye Level Less Than A Foot From My Face

Please Help Me. I Think It’s The Devil

This Hollow Tree Stump I Found In The Forest Today Has Wooden Spikes In It

I don’t think its mouth could actually reach to bite anything. Still, not ideal.

Found The Biggest Tick I’ve Ever Seen In My Bra After Working Outdoors Yesterday. I Assume It Didn’t Bite Me Because It Was So Engorged It Could Barely Walk

House Spider Falls Victim To Superior Arachnid

Natural Barnacles That Look Like Teeth

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Miglė

Giedrė Vaičiulaitytė

Animals