Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth's Strangest Animals

By Michael Hearst, Arjen Noordeman, Christie Wright and Jelmer Noordeman

“Personal in tone, chatty, and intriguing in subject matter—a sort of ‘Guinness Book of Animal Oddities’ . . . A fun-for-all informative compendium.” —School Library Journal
 
With humor and flair, Michael Hearst introduces the reader to a wealth of extraordinary life-forms. Which animal can be found at the top of Mount Everest, 10,000 feet under the sea, and in your backyard? Which animal poops cubes? Which animal can disguise itself as a giant crab? These fascinating facts and hundreds more await curious minds, amateur zoologists, and anyone who has ever laughed at a funny-looking animal.
 
“A quirky toast to the fascinating, impressively well-adapted freaks among us.” —Discover Magazine
 
“Hugely entertaining and just as informative, this guide to ‘unusual creatures’ proves that truth can be stranger than fiction . . . Hearst often has great fun at his subjects’ expense (‘blobfish: not as cute as the aye-aye,’ reads a caption next to the forlorn-looking psychrolutes marcidus) while delivering fascinating insights into what makes each of these animals extraordinary.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
“Hearst’s appreciation for the quirkiness of nature shines through, and is reinforced in a concluding note admonishing readers to be kind to the earth.” —The Horn Book Magazine
 
“Hearst’s enthusiasm for his subject . . . comes through on every page. A terrific conversation starter.” —Scientific American
 
“Hearst brings us 50 examples of Mother Nature in all her strange pageantry . . . Not cute curios, but the seriously weird, which for some—hopefully many—will make the animals that much more appealing.” —Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 14, 2012
• ISBN: 9781452119854

Michael Hearst

Michael Hearst is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and writer. He is the author of Unusual Creatures: A Mostly Accurate Account of Some of Earth's Strangest Animals and is the founding member of the band One Ring Zero. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Book preview

AXOLOTL

SCIENTIFIC NAME: AMBYSTOMA MEXICANUM

KINGDOM Animalia

PHYLUM Chordata

CLASS Amphibia

ORDER Caudata

FAMILY Ambystomatidae

GENUS Ambystoma

SPECIES A. mexicanum

image5

Distribution: Central Mexico (Mexico City).

A is for axolotl. With external gills and wide smile, this salamander has been found in Central Mexico, specifically in two lakes: Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco. Sadly, Lake Chalco was drained over time to avoid flooding, and has been mostly paved over by streets, and Lake Xochimilco is much, much smaller than it ever used to be. Because of this, as well as pollution and the introduction of nonnative fish like tilapia and carp, which eat axolotls, this amphibian is now on the endangered-species list. Axolotls reach adulthood at 18 to 24 months, and can then live for another 10 to 15 years. Like other salamanders, the axolotl has the amazing ability to regenerate entire body parts. In some cases, axolotls have been known to regenerate a damaged limb and then grow an extra one!

REGENERATION

Scientists are still investigating what enables the axolotl to regenerate body parts, including a leg, tail, eye, or even its heart! Although practical applications of this in human beings are still a long way off, researchers believe that what they learn from the axolotl might someday help humans to better heal from injuries—or, perhaps, help us to grow a tail.

image6

Fig. 1: AMPUTATE ⇒ BUD ⇒ DIFFERENTIATE ⇒ REGENERATE!

The name axolotl comes from the Aztec language. The most common translation is “water dog.”

Fig. 2 Axolotl:

The name axolotl comes from the Aztec language. The most common translation is water dog.

AYE-AYE

SCIENTIFIC NAME: DAUBENTONIA MADAGASCARIENSIS

KINGDOM Animalia

PHYLUM Chordata

CLASS Mammalia

ORDER Primates

FAMILY Daubentoniidae

GENUS Daubentonia

SPECIES D.madagascariensis

image8

Distribution: Madagascar.

This nocturnal primate is native to Madagascar. Its special features include rodent-like teeth and a long, thin middle finger. It uses the finger to tap on trees in search of hollow sounds. When it finds one, it gnaws a hole in the wood and then inserts its elongated finger to pull out the insect larvae.

A Brief and Happy Story

Evidence has recently shown that aye-ayes may not be as threatened as previously believed, thanks to conservationists like the Duke Lemur Center (where you can visit aye-ayes, and also purchase a stuffed-animal aye-aye to snuggle with in bed!).

image9

Fig. 3 Aye-aye tapping on a tree to find food.

A Brief and Sad Story

Unfortunately, some native people of Madagascar believe that the aye-aye is an evil omen—a superstitious symbol of death—and will go out of their way to kill this poor creature.

Did you know?

Outside of Madagascar, the aye-aye is a rare sight. However, if you travel to the Denver Zoo, the San Francisco Zoo, or the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, North Carolina (as I did), you are likely to find this amazing creature.

Aye-ayes are the only primates known to use echolocation to find prey. They locate food by tapping on trees and carefully listening to the sound of the echo.

Fig. 4 Aye-aye:

Aye-ayes are the only primates known to use echolocation to find prey. They locate food by tapping on trees and carefully listening to the sound of the echo.

BAR-HEADED GOOSE

SCIENTIFIC NAME: ANSER INDICUS

KINGDOM Animalia

PHYLUM Chordata

CLASS Aves

ORDER Anseriformes

FAMILY Anatidae

GENUS Anser

SPECIES A. indicus

image11

Distribution: Central Asia and southern Asia, as far south as India.

The bar-headed goose is found, in groups of thousands, in central Asia, where it migrates long distances every year from one climate to another, just like many other birds. The difference, however, with this unusual creature, is that it makes its journey over the Himalayas, which rise to 29,029 feet! At this altitude, winds soar up to 200 miles per hour, and the air is so thin that helicopters cannot fly (though you probably would not want to fly a helicopter in 200-mile-per-hour winds, anyway). The temperature is also cold enough to freeze skin instantly. So how (and why) does the bar-headed goose do this? It does it to avoid the summer monsoons of India. (It also makes the return trip in the fall to avoid the wintry storms of Tibet.) The fastest, most direct route just happens to be over the Himalayan Mountains. Fortunately for the bar-headed goose, it has a number of special features to help with this challenging journey. It has a larger wing size relative to its weight than most birds. This goose also has more capillaries and more efficient red blood cells than other birds, which means that it can get oxygen to its muscles’ cells much more quickly. And perhaps my favorite tidbit of information: the bar-headed goose can breathe incredibly fast without getting dizzy or passing out, which certainly comes in handy when there’s not a whole lot of oxygen. And if all that’s not impressive enough, a recent study was conducted to see exactly how long it takes the bar-headed goose to make this incredible migration. It appears that the goose flew its Himalayan portion of the trip in a single

Reviews for Unusual Creatures

[debnance_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Creatures so odd that no one can really believe they exist. I could share some of these details but that would ruin the fun. Read it. You will like it.

[deweyever · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This reference guide to unusual animals takes a dictionary approach, listing a variety of animals from A-Y, including information, sketches, maps and a lot of humor. I thought that the choice to use drawings instead of photographs for a nonfiction book about especially unique animals would be problematic, but it turned out that I loved the lifelike drawings and was just as fascinated or grossed-out as I would have been by photographs!

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating and fun collection of profiles of 50 of the oddest critters that inhabit Planet Earth. Hearst injects some great touches of humor to go along with the excellent information. Nooderman's line drawings in washed colors are a wonderful complement to the text.