Weird animals: 17 of the most bizarre animals on Earth
From an amphibian that looks like a penis, to the newly discovered baby ghost shark, here are some of the weirdest and most wonderful animals from around the world. Ghost shark
Weird animals, baby ghost shark. Image by Brit Finucci
The ghost shark has a retractable penis-like appendage on its head © Dr Brit Finucci
When this newly hatched baby ghost shark was found by scientists off the coast of New Zealand’s South Island, in February 2022, it quickly went viral for its bizarre looks. More formally known as chimaeras, these elusive creatures are rarely sighted and very little is known about them. Even less are known about their young, and they were only discovered for the first time in 2002.
These deep-sea denizens reside at depths of between 400 and 6,600 feet (122 – 2,011m) where water temperatures are near freezing. Their dead eyes and large wing-like fins, a characteristic better suited to flying, gives rise to their ghoulish name.
Despite the name, ghost sharks are not actually part of the shark family, rather they are a species of fish and have a skeleton made from cartilage, instead of bone. Having a low-density skeleton, like cartilage, is crucial for life at depth, as it won’t collapse under increased pressure. That said, they do lay egg capsules (also known as mermaid purses) on the seafloor – just like sharks do. The egg capsule protects the embryo as it develops, where they feed off a yolk, until they are ready to hatch.
“You can tell this ghost shark recently hatched because it has a full belly of egg yolk. It’s quite astonishing. Most deep-water ghost sharks are known adult specimens; neonates [newly born] are infrequently reported so we know very little about them,” says NIWA Fisheries Scientist Dr Brit Finucci, who was part of the team that made the discovery.
With a retractable penis-like appendage on its head, scientists are keen to learn more about these elusive fish, and get a sense of population numbers, as so little is known about them.
Weird animals, baby ghost shark. Image by Brit Finucci
The ghost shark has a retractable penis-like appendage on its head © Dr Brit Finucci
When this newly hatched baby ghost shark was found by scientists off the coast of New Zealand’s South Island, in February 2022, it quickly went viral for its bizarre looks. More formally known as chimaeras, these elusive creatures are rarely sighted and very little is known about them. Even less are known about their young, and they were only discovered for the first time in 2002.
These deep-sea denizens reside at depths of between 400 and 6,600 feet (122 – 2,011m) where water temperatures are near freezing. Their dead eyes and large wing-like fins, a characteristic better suited to flying, gives rise to their ghoulish name.
Despite the name, ghost sharks are not actually part of the shark family, rather they are a species of fish and have a skeleton made from cartilage, instead of bone. Having a low-density skeleton, like cartilage, is crucial for life at depth, as it won’t collapse under increased pressure. That said, they do lay egg capsules (also known as mermaid purses) on the seafloor – just like sharks do. The egg capsule protects the embryo as it develops, where they feed off a yolk, until they are ready to hatch.
“You can tell this ghost shark recently hatched because it has a full belly of egg yolk. It’s quite astonishing. Most deep-water ghost sharks are known adult specimens; neonates [newly born] are infrequently reported so we know very little about them,” says NIWA Fisheries Scientist Dr Brit Finucci, who was part of the team that made the discovery.
With a retractable penis-like appendage on its head, scientists are keen to learn more about these elusive fish, and get a sense of population numbers, as so little is known about them.
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23 August 2023
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