Mother Nature is truly a magical place. Within its embrace, millions of creatures—plants, animals, fungi, and many more—are nourished to flourish. Apart from those that we humans constantly come in contact with, like our usual domestic cats and dogs, the few bizarre-looking organisms often leave us in astonishment.
Source: Casey Dunn, Portuguese man o’ war floating at the surface., CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/12455333@N00/15273424416/in/album-72157647824834775/)
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Siphonophores
Siphonophores are a group of organisms closely related to jellyfish; they are marine invertebrates that (superficially) resemble the seemingly transparent bodies of jellyfish. Perhaps you have heard of the Portuguese Man O’War, a common name for one species of siphonophores. Composed of separate yet genetically identical parts called “zooids”, siphonophores “grow” by producing more and more zooids. These chains of siphonophores can even measure longer than a whale, the known largest mammal in the world. In fact, siphonophores have way more to offer: their wonders live in these individual zooids. Some zooids are responsible for digesting foods, while others are in charge of hunting and catching prey for consumption. With different functions, zooids assemble together to become siphonophores. As a result, they collaborate under nature’s marvelous power to enable the existence of such bizarre marine organisms.
Source: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQDtdr3l16YkeTRE8vWuzPFCaZRlu1KuCfzu2IAsj2-WnnhPtks
2. Sea pig
As indicated by their name, sea pigs are a unique species of sea cucumbers that, due to their pink colour and unusual shape, resemble cute pigs that we see on land. With their sizes between 4 to 15 centimeters, sea pigs have tube feet extending from their belly and their backs. Using their tube feet, sea pigs can often be found hurrying on the sea floors finding food to consume for energy. Furthermore, their food often consists of dead marine animals’ bodies and algae. For instance, they are often found swarming and gathering around fallen whale bodies, which they, in ecstasy, consider luxurious bouquets to enjoy.
One little fun fact about this deep-sea creature is their identity as potential babysitters for other species of marine animals. For instance, researchers and scientists from Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute have found young crabs cuddling under these sea pigs for a safe shelter. The protection from these kindhearted babysitters may provide the juvenile crabs with the necessary help to mature without being consumed ruthlessly by predators.
Source: https://www.barrierreef.org/generated/1280w-16-9/mantis-shrimp.jpg?1573191483
3. Mantis Shrimp
As sunlight penetrates water surface and reaches the body of this beautiful creature, one often finds themselves in awe of its astonishing beauty. Vibrant and vivid colours of red, blue, and green shine wherever they go, their elongated bodies wonderfully crafted by nature to mark their existence on Earth. Their name is Mantis Shrimp.
Yet step back, my dear. For these seemingly vulnerable animals, with an average length of 10 centimeters, are far from being innocent and unguarded. If you ever irritate them, their spears proceed immediately into “attack mode,” striking at 23m/s and an acceleration of 10,400g. Their claws’ acceleration is that of a 0.22 caliber bullet, firing 1500 Newtons of force with each attack.
Beyond their horrifying physical abilities, mantis shrimps have surprisingly high intelligence as marine animals. Through complex social behaviours such as fighting and interacting, they have sufficiently perform challenging tasks such as recognizing and learning about other organisms around them.
Blue Dragon, a type of sea slug:
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Source: https://www.treehugger.com/thmb/PgHkldR9d4TZSpuq9tdXzOJ8XGU=/750×0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/bluedragoncover-cfdbb17a01d949fcb49bc35456d72074.jpg
Beyond satisfying our own curiosity for strange creatures on Earth, it is more important to remember the lack of common knowledge about our counterparts, considering we are living on Earth. All of them are very different from homo sapiens; yet they all undeniably possess their own wonders that earned their place of survival. Perhaps when seeing a bizarre-looking creature the next time, we can go beyond simply the exclamation of its appearance and actively search for more knowledge of this friend.
https://twilightzone.whoi.edu/explore-the-otz/creature-features/siphonophore/
https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/sea-pig