13th March, 2024
ANUPA MUKHERJEE
● Adaptations: Features that make an animal "ugly" are often vital for survival (camouflage, defense, etc.) ● Human Bias: We find things unfamiliar or unlike ourselves strange. ● Beauty is Subjective: Every creature is remarkable in its way!
The gelatinous poster child for "ugly," its droopy form is an adaptation for deep-sea pressure.
Nearly hairless, wrinkly, and buck-toothed but fascinatingly immune to cancer and pain.
An eternally juvenile salamander with feathery gills and a goofy grin.
Its bizarre nose is a super-sensitive touch organ for finding prey underground.
Known for its comically large, fleshy nose, it was likely used for attracting mates.
Lemur with huge ears, rodent-like teeth, and a skeletal middle finger for snagging grubs.
Enormous eyes for nocturnal hunting and a head that can rotate almost 180 degrees.
Scavenger with a bald head, dangly throat pouch, and an intimidating presence.
A monstrous freshwater predator with razor-sharp teeth.
A deep-sea relic with a protruding, nail-studded snout and extendable jaws.
A walking pincushion, this spiny mammal is one of the only egg-laying mammals.
Translucent, blobby deep-sea dwellers related to sea cucumbers graze on the ocean floor.
When threatened, males break their bones to form defensive "claws."
Massive scavengers with bald heads, crucial but not conventionally beautiful.
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