Author: Jonathan Wojcik

Though related to nearly brainless slugs, snails and mussels, Cephalopods such as octopuses (the correct plural, wise guys) and squids are some of the most sophisticated animals known to man, possessed of impressive intelligence, a versatile anatomy and adaptations proving we don’t need to leave the Earth to see something alien. The following are just…

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As we speak, frogs and toads (interchangeable terms for various members of the order Anura) are experiencing massive population declines all around the world, with a majority of species on the road to extinction thanks to the deadly Chytrid fungus (spread world-wide by our own activities), habitat loss, climate shifts and more. While more common,…

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While many living things live their lives in organized groups, some take socialism to strange extremes; some link their bodies together to essentially build one large body, others may produce young physically adapted to fill specific roles. 10. Corals Related to jellyfish and anemones in the phylum Cnidaria, a coral colony typically consists of several…

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With approximately ten gazillion alien creatures packed into the Star Wars universe, you can count on there being one to creep out almost anybody. Some of the most memorable creatures in the original films could have easily carried their own horror stories, adding excitement and danger to these beloved classics with their inventively threatening designs…

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Many animals unfortunately suffer from a rather negative image in human culture, regarded by us as frightening, disgusting or just plain lowly. Nature, however, has no “vermin” or “pests” – all things have their place in the natural order of things, and in most cases, the benefits of an organism far outweigh its (accidental) inconveniences.…

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The limbless cousins to the lizards are some of the most maligned animals on Earth, though most species are entirely harmless to man and all are a valuable part of nature’s balance. Even without arms and legs, they can come in a remarkable assortment of forms adapted to a surprising variety of environments. 10. Erpeton…

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The top 10 lizards brought to you buy a guy who knows about all sorts of things – creepy, crawly, and otherwise. 10. Phrynocephalus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPMBCi6N6M4 Also called the Toadhead Agama, these small desert-dwelling lizards exhibit several odd behaviors. They communicate to one another by curling and uncurling their tails, vibrate their bodies to bury themselves…

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Spiders are among the most diverse, widespread and successful predators in the animal kingdom, due in part to the versatile powers at their disposal; their feet can scale any surface, their fangs pack corrosive venom and they secrete a highly adhesive substance more powerful than steel. You might think there isn’t much else a spider…

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The consumption of blood is scientifically known as haematophagy, and an organism that feeds partially or exclusively on blood is haematophagous. As non-parasitic omnivores, it’s easy for us humans to vilify this seemingly alien lifestyle, but consider the fact that many other creatures, including ourselves, are constantly forced to kill to survive. The animals you’re…

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Ants are among the most plentiful and formidable creatures on the planet Earth, able to use their vast numbers and collective problem solving skills to defend their nests from even the largest attackers, but nothing in nature is without its enemies, and with their staggering numbers, ants have racked up quite the list of ant-agonists…

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Mother Nature is filled with formidable killing machines. Voracious flesh-eaters such as the thresher shark, the harpy eagle, the death stalker scorpion…and how about that rosy snail? Or the oyster mushroom? Some animals kill with teeth, claws and muscle…others kill with little more than mucus and patience. 10.  Planarian If you’ve taken college biology, you…

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Life finds a way to survive virtually everywhere on our planet – including on itself. Almost every bird and mammal on the planet has its own unique species of louse: reptiles are home to scale-chewing mites, tiny crustaceans cling to the fins of fish, and even many bugs can have bugs of their own. Some…

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From films like “Night of the Creeps” and “Slither” to video games such as “Resident Evil 4” and “Halo,” sci-fi horror is crawling with parasitic lifeforms who hijack their host bodies, creating zombie slaves to spread themselves even farther. Little do many people realize, this phenomenon is a scientific reality, and happening all around us…

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