Weirdest Things Animals Do

Anyone who owns a pet knows animals can be pretty weird at times. But some members of the animal kingdom get far, far weirder than your dog eating its own poop. From creatures with the creepiest fashion senses, to some utterly insane mating rituals, get ready to be left slack-jawed at some of the weirdest things animals do.

Ribbed Newt Defense

Usually, when animals defend themselves, they’re trying to avoid damage to their own bodies. But for the Spanish ribbed newt, its main line of defense involves damaging itself a little in favor of increasing its damage against predators. Bizarrely, when the newt is agitated, it tenses up its body, swinging its ribs outward with enough force that they pierce through its skin.

With its ribs now protruding through, they function as defensive spikes. These not only make the newt a prickly meal, but also bring the risk of piercing predators mouths, making them more vulnerable to the milky poison the newt also secretes from its skin. The newt, meanwhile, is immune to its own poison, and can quickly recover from the defensive practice with no ill-effects! For many predators, this bizarre act of self-mutilation makes this newt too much of a mouthful.

Raven Intelligence

While they’re often associated with negative things like evil and death, ravens are actually an incredibly intelligent species. Sometimes, though, their intelligence takes on some truly bizarre forms. For starters, it turns out, ravens and other corvids have remarkable mimicry abilities, and will put them to use to solve problems.

Talking Raven by tecco59

For example, if a raven comes across a dead deer, but can’t break through the thick hide to access the juicy innards, the raven may imitate a wolf or fox call. This attracts predators to the scene with big enough teeth to rip the carcass open. Once the predator’s had its fill, the raven tucks into the newly-opened buffet.

But imitation isn’t the strangest of ravens’ behaviors. Ravens are often seen lying on ant nests, encouraging the ants to climb onto their bodies. But they’re not looking to eat the ants; they’re just looking to bathe in them, which may seem crazy, but actually serves an important purpose.

Crows Taking an Ant-Bath by The Corvidaely Report

Most species of ants have a certain amount of formic acid in their bodies, which is an effective chemical at killing parasites and bacteria. Ravens will press the ants against their feathers and skin as they climb around their body, releasing the formic acid and giving themselves the feathered equivalent of a squirt of hand-sanitizer. Some research has suggested birds may also derive pleasure from the stinging sensation of the acid on their skin, though this is inconclusive.

Caecilian Feed Young Their Own Flesh

A caecilian may look like a worm, snake, or an eel, but it's actually an amphibian, similar to frogs and newts, except most caecilians don’t have any legs. These slimy amphibians live mostly underground, and dig tunnels by ramming their hard skulls into the dirt with the support of their strong spines.

The caecilian’s worm-like appearance isn’t the weirdest part, though. When the mothers of the species give birth, they grow an extra layer of skin, rich in nutrients and fats, which their offspring feast on with sharp little teeth. This practice continues until the young are big enough to hunt their own food.

Luckily, the mother isn’t completely devoured by her children, though. The skin re-grows every 3 days to continue providing the caecilian’s young with plenty of their favorite food: medium-rare amphibi-mom.

Desert Spider Feeds Herself To Her Babies

If you thought the caecilian gave up a lot for motherhood, you need to learn about the desert spider of the stegodyphus lineatus species. When the mother spider’s eggs hatch, she begins to digest her own body, breaking down and regurgitating her insides as food for her offspring. She continues this as long as she can, saving the vital organs until last.

Eventually, once almost everything has been digested, the mother begins to tap her legs onto her web. This tapping triggers a predatory instinct in her children, and like a starting gun, encourages them all to tuck into her body directly. They inject her with venom, liquifying her remaining innards, and feast upon her until there’s nothing left but an exoskeleton.

Assassin Bug Wears The Corpses Of Its Victims

No one takes fashion to the extreme quite like the assassin bug. Certain species within the assassin bug family have a very morbid tendency to wear the corpses of their fallen foes as costumes. They start by grabbing their prey with their long mandibles and injecting them with paralyzing toxins that liquefy their insides. They then slurp the unfortunate creatures dry and glue their exoskeletons onto their back with a sticky secretion, continuing to stack corpses until they’ve amassed a disturbing assortment. But why?

Covered in corpses, the assassin bug is well-camouflaged, meaning as long as it stays still, predators will have a hard time spotting it. Its macabre outfit also smells just like the insects it preys on, meaning it can sneak into nests and ant colonies undetected. Once inside, it’s just a matter of pouncing on unsuspecting residents, sucking them dry and gluing them onto the stack. Pure nightmare fuel. Just be grateful these things aren’t human-sized.

Parrotfish In Mucus Cocoon

Parrotfish is a colorful creature that spends much of its time using its beak-like teeth to nibble away at coral reefs, and has quite the unusual bedtime routine. About an hour before going to sleep, they spew out a load of thick mucus from their mouths. This forms a sort of cocoon that’s somewhere between a transparent sleeping bag and a mosquito net in function.

Parrotfish in its protective mucus shield by Quicksilver Group

By surrounding themselves in this mucus, they mask their scent from predators and repel parasites from making themselves at home on the parrotfish while it sleeps. The mucus is also thought to help repair bodily damage thanks to its anti-oxidant properties, while simultaneously serving as an early warning system if any predators come poking around. Not bad for a fortress made of spit.

Penguin Shooting Poop

The noble penguin is a well-loved creature the world over. But that’s only because most people haven’t seen a penguin poop. When these little guys have to go, they really go. Like most birds, penguins’ bodily waste comes out of a single opening, called a cloaca.

When penguins feel the call of nature, pressure begins to build up in their rectum, to a point where, once they finally unleash the inner beast, it shoots out with impressive speed. In fact, in what was undoubtedly one of the most important scientific studies of all time, researchers found Humboldt penguins send feces flying at almost 5mph. While penguins may be flightless, their dookie-bombs regularly fly distances exceeding 4 feet!

Unfortunately, though, while the high-pressure poops’ distance is intended to keep the pooper’s nest tidy, there’s rarely consideration for the other penguins in the area. Which results in penguin-on-penguin poop crimes surprisingly commonly. Although, in fairness, taking a look at how much of a fecal coating the guy in the clip below already had beforehand, either he needs to learn his lesson already and move out of the way, or he’s into it.

Learn how much penguins can poop! by Penguins International

Ferrets Mating Habits

Many humans feel incomplete without a romantic partner. You might even be one of them. But no matter how strong your desire for companionship may be, it ain’t got nothing on a female ferret in heat. When a female ferret reaches sexual maturity and goes into heat, she will remain in heat until she’s able to mate with a male.

Ferret mating /ferret breeding by 5elementsferretry

Being in this constant state of sexual readiness takes a severe toll on the ferret’s body. If her needs aren’t met, the elevated levels of estrogen in her body causes a reduction in the number of blood cells produced by her bone marrow. This lack of blood cells, or anemia, can prove fatal, that is, unless she’s allowed to get down and dirty. Despite what your evangelical aunt insists, sometimes "doing the deed" can save lives.

Tortoise Mating Sounds

As cute and innocent as tortoises seem to be, they procreate just like the rest of us filthy animals. While you may think of tortoises as quiet, peaceful creatures, this is mostly true, except for when they mate. When tortoises go at it, each thrust is accompanied by a noise from the male, unique to each type of tortoise.

We have the strange little squeak emitted by smaller-shelled fellows, and then we have the disturbing, thunderous bellows from giant tortoises. While the jury’s still out on the noise’s exact purpose, it seems to be a simple matter of asserting dominance. Not that it makes it any less unnerving.

Worst Sex Groan Ever (Tortoise Sex at Busch Gardens) by Ryan Cragun

Komodo Dragon Virgin Births

For humans, virgin births are mainly religious territory. But for certain members of the animal kingdom, reproducing with only one parent is a fact of life. Take the fearsome Komodo dragon, for example. When a female Komodo dragon finds herself in the mood to reproduce, but there aren’t any males around, she has the astounding ability to fertilize her own eggs.

Thanks to a process called parthenogenesis, the female modifies her reproductive cells to serve the role of both mother and father, allowing her to reproduce completely solo. What’s more, a Komodo mother may even mate with her own offspring once they reach sexual maturity, all in an attempt to maximize her bloodline’s survival.

Of course, there’s a reason most animals prefer not to "keep it in the family" like this. Breeding with your own offspring decreases the genetic diversity of a population, upping the chances of hereditary illnesses, and reducing the chances of new, positive traits being inherited. But, when the pickings are slim, and the desire to create life comes a-calling, the Komodo dragon can always depend on number one.

Sex Change In Clownfish

Aside from being the colorful star of Finding Nemo, the clownfish doesn’t seem too remarkable at first glance. But, truthfully, the clownfish exhibits one of the most intriguing behaviors in the aquatic world. Clownfish live in small colonies consisting of a few male juveniles and a mature, breeding male and female. The breeding female is always the head of the colony, but if she dies, something truly bizarre happens.

The breeding male takes the helm, changing his sex to become the new matriarch, while one of the juveniles takes on the newly-available role of breeding male. It turns out, all clownfish are born male, but their sex organs are able to transform to meet the needs of their social hierarchy.

As only the breeding male and female in a colony reproduce, there’s no competition among the other males, ensuring an unusually harmonious existence. Just as long as everyone remembers the right pronouns.

Sexual Mimicry

While it’s pretty rare for an animal to be able to change its sex, a surprising number of species pretend to in order to make their lives easier. Male garter snakes, for example, will occasionally utilize a female disguise to improve their own chances of reproduction.

By giving off a strongly-scented pheromone, usually given off by females who’re ready to mate, the male snakes end up being piled on by dozens of other males. By putting up with these males trying, unsuccessfully, to mate with him, the deceiving male steals their body heat. This heat allows him to move faster and more energetically, and in turn, increases his chances of successfully mating with a real female!

The male scorpionfly utilizes an even ballsier tactic to secure a mate. Usually, scorpionflies attract female suitors by bringing them prey as a gift. The bigger the gift, the more interested the female tends to be.

But the male scorpionflies who aren’t very good at catching prey skip that step by getting someone else to do it for them. By mimicking the bodily movements usually exhibited by females, the male tricks other males into bringing him food. When the food arrives, the disguised male attempts to fly off with it and present it to a real female.

This only tends to work about 1 in 5 times, as the attempted theft usually ends in a fight. But these female impersonation attempts are still more successful than brute-force thefts without the female mimicry. Which means, for male scorpionflies, shaking their behind in just the right way can make valentine’s day much more affordable.

Flatworm Penis Fencing

As you’ve probably already realized, reproduction can get pretty weird in the animal world. But no one does it weirder than the flatworm. Many species of flatworm are hermaphroditic, meaning they’re in possession of both male and female sex organs. When mating time comes, the worms use their penises to try to stab each other, impregnating the loser, in an act known as "penis fencing".

Flatworms Penis Fencing by Hantu Blog

Whoever wins is free to continue to roam the world, stabbing babies into others, while the loser absorbs the winner’s sperm and must bear the offspring alone.

Kangaroos Abandon Babies To Predators

Kangaroos are the opposite of the selfless mothers we discussed earlier. When a mother kangaroo bearing a baby in her pouch is being chased by a predator, like a dingo, the mother will sometimes make a shocking decision to save herself. If the outcome of the pursuit looks particularly bleak, the kanga-mom will throw out her baby joey for the predator to eat while she escapes.

While this may seem like an awful thing to do, it actually makes sense in terms of the kangaroo’s physiology. As female kangaroos have three vaginal canals, two uteruses, and a pouch, they’re able to rear up to three joeys at a time, in overlapping states of gestation and nursing. With this ability to easily raise multiple offspring simultaneously, sacrificing one child in order to be able to continue reproducing is often the more sensible evolutionary choice.

Pearlfish Hide In Sea Cucumber's Butt

The sea cucumber is a strange, tube-like organism that trawls the seabed, shoveling great quantities of sediment into its mouth and eating the organic parts. The rest is expelled out of its rear. But stuff doesn’t just come out of the sea cucumber’s behind.

A species of ray-finned fish known as pearlfish have a very strange taste in apartments. Specifically, they like to live inside the rear-ends of sea cucumbers. Pearlfish use sea cucumber booty as a hiding spot from predators, and some pearlfish will even mate within the cucumber’s cavity!

While it's unclear if the sea cucumber’s all that happy with the bed-and-breakfast arrangement, there’s little it can do to object. That is, unless it’s one of the species that can eject their guts to ensnare or frighten off predators. Either way, the sea cucumber clearly pulled the short straw on the evolutionary lottery.

Anglerfish's Mating Habits

Deep-Sea Anglerfish are peculiar creatures indeed. This creepy variety are of fish are known for using bioluminescent bacteria living inside their bodies as lures to catch prey.

In many anglerfish species, the females are much larger and more impressive-looking than the males, and when it comes to mating, anglerfish get creative. The male clamps his jaws onto the female, and releases an enzyme that begins to digest the skin of his mouth, as well as her body. Gradually their flesh fuses together, along with their circulatory systems.

First-Ever Footage of Deep-Sea Anglerfish Mating Pair | Nat Geo Wild by Nat Geo Animals

With the male contributing a constant supply of sperm for reproduction, the female provides all his nutrients through their shared circulatory system. Some species of anglerfish even see multiple males latching on for a free ride. Talk about clingy boyfriends! Clearly size doesn’t matter for these strange little swimmers.

Ostrich Mating Dance

All over the world, people who own ostriches have to deal with a very strange behavior exhibited by their feathered friends. That is, they tend to be a little flirty. Male ostriches are regularly seen performing the mating ritual dance that’s usually reserved for female suitors of their own species aimed directly at humans.

Confused Ostrich trying to seduce humans with his fancy dance. by katalee02

It’s thought that this flirtatious dancing may be triggered by ostriches mistaking the similar height or stance of humans for members of their own species. In other circumstances, ostriches may perceive humans, perhaps due to our fancy clothes, as romantic competition, and may dance to re-assert their dominance.

Moth Drinking Tears

For some people, the sight of a moth flapping its big dusty wings around a darkened room is enough to send a shiver up their spine. But there’s something genuinely creepy about moths that most people aren’t aware of. Certain species of moth, when their usual sources of sodium run dry, will find salt in another form: by drinking animals’ tears.

Usually targeting large mammals like deer, but occasionally sleeping birds too, moths will tuck their long, nose-like proboscis under their target’s eyelids and begin slurping away. Thankfully, it’s painless for the tear-donators, but it’s still terrifying for the rest of us.

Moth Drinking Tears of a Sleeping Bird by Discover Magazine

Hagfish Slime

Hagfishes are strange, slithery creatures. With bone-plated mouths lined with teeth, they feast on carcasses on the seafloor from the inside-out. But when a predator comes along with a taste for hagfish, they’re met with a nasty surprise.

When held, or even just touched, by a predator, the hagfish releases mucus which reacts with the water, forming a thick gel that helps them slip away. The mucus can also suffocate fish unlucky enough the get it trapped between their gills; something hagfish use to their advantage both in defense and when hunting.

Hagfish slime removal Morro Bay, CA by Mark DiNatale

Hagfish slime is so thick and slippery that, when a truck transporting the creatures crashed in Oregon in 2017, firefighters needed to use 5,000 gallons of water to clean the highway!

Camels Spit Out An Organ To Mate

When it comes time for the Arabian camel to mate, he gets dressed up for the occasion. But not in a tuxedo. This hooved desert-dweller attracts mates by inflating an organ called a dulla, which hangs out of the side of its mouth, surrounded in a thick layer of drool.

Camel heart comes out from mouth by Grewal Online

The frothy spittle around the mouth dribbles out as the camel emits a low, gurgling sound, part of the attraction process, which is capped off by the camel peeing on its own tail. The pee is enriched with female-attracting hormones.

Male Giraffes Drink Potential Mates' Urine

While us humans may get to know a new romantic interest by asking questions about one-another’s lives over a meal, giraffes are a little more direct. When a male is interested in a female, he will approach her and begin rubbing his face against her backside until she urinates. When she does, he’ll lap up a mouthful and have a taste like some kind of disturbed wine connoisseur.

Male Giraffe drinks Urine from Female Giraffe at Santa Barbara Zoo Nature in the Raw by Papa J’s Adventure Channel

Doing this, the male can taste whether the female’s urine contains the hormones usually present during ovulation. If he detects the hormones, and deems her a suitable mate, he’ll continue the mating process. It’s a pretty simple way to gauge whether a potential mate is suitable or not.

The Chemical Cannon Of Bombardier Beetles

Bombardier beetles, despite being less than an inch in length, pack a serious punch. When aggravated, the beetle opens a valve inside its body, triggering a chemical reaction that rapidly generates heat and pressure. The resulting chemical cocktail, containing 1,4-benzoquinone, an irritant to the eyes and respiratory systems of vertebrates, then sprays out of the beetle’s rear at close to the boiling temperature of water.

The chemical spray is ejected in a pulsed pattern at a rate of about 500 pulses per second, which prevents the beetle scorching its own body. Anything close enough to take a hit from the beetle, which can swivel its spray through a 270°-angle for highly-precise aim, learns quickly that bombardier beetles are not to be messed with.

Horned Lizard's Blood Shooting Eyes

The defensive abilities of some animals really leaves you scratching your head. Case in point: the horned lizard. Several different species of these horny little dinosaurs squirt streams of blood from their eyes in self-defense, in order to confuse and frighten predators. When threatened, the lizards can restrict the blood flow leaving their head, and the increased blood pressure ruptures blood vessels around their eyelids with enough force to squirt onto attackers.

Thanks to the presence of chemicals in the lizard’s blood that naturally taste foul to predatory canines and felines, this bizarre tactic can save the reptiles from becoming lunch! Despite how strange and, frankly, scary it looks, the horned lizard’s defensive blood-squirt is actually a surprisingly effective defense measure. Especially against queasy humans!

If you were amazed at the weirdest things animals do you might want to read about unbelievable things animals are able to do. Thanks for reading!