We know how much you like adorable animals, and we know you like to give them your love. Yet some animals didn’t get so fortunate in the looks department, despite not being dangerous or nasty in the slightest. They just had the bad luck of falling out of the ugly tree and hitting every branch on the way down.
Still, these animals are just as deserving of your appreciation as a cuddly kitten or puppy. But no, we don’t want to cuddle them either.
1. The Goliath Birdeater
Okay, we know “birdeater” isn’t a harmless term, but unless you’re a bird, you have nothing to worry about. It’s the largest spider on the planet, and while its bite contains venom, a wasp’s sting will actually feel worse.
2. The Thorny Devil
This spiny little dude looks like he could severely injure you, but he’s not interested in doing that. The lizard, native to Australia, also has the peculiar defense of shooting blood out of its eyes when attacked. But that, like its spines, is mainly for defensive purposes.
3. The Whale Shark
Whales are big. Sharks are chompy. Put them together and you get something big and chompy, right? Well, not really. Reaching 40 feet in length, these creatures are certainly intimidating to look at, but they’re incredibly gentle. As you can see in this picture, they sometimes even like to socialize with human divers.
4. The Vampire Bat
It’s the name that probably conjures up a frightening image, but these little guys mainly feed on livestock. They’re so small that it really doesn’t harm the cattle (possible infections aside). Bites on humans are extremely rare.
5. The Whip Scorpion
Yeah, these guys look like the definition of terror, but they’re not anything like other scorpions. They don’t have venom, though they’ll spray some stinging acid as a defense. They only get to be about an inch-and-a-half long, which, given their appearance, is just long enough.
6. The Chinese Giant Salamander
Yep, they’re really that big. These large amphibians can grow up to six feet, and they look like something out of prehistory. They’re only interested in eating fish and insects, though. Unfortunately, they’ve also been overhunted and are critically endangered.
7. The Aye-Aye
This looks like something that characters would find lurking in their closet in a classic horror movie. Yet this is actually the aye-aye, a nocturnal, fruit-eating lemur native to Madagascar. They’ve been considered bad omens (probably because of their gremlin-looking faces), but they’re harmless.
8. The Gharial
The gharial looks like a crocodile’s goofy cousin, and that’s…actually exactly what it is. Its thin, narrow jaws prevent it from eating anything larger than a fish, so it will steer clear of people. Due to habitat loss in its native India and Nepal, it’s also critically endangered. So, be nice to these guys.
9. The Wolf Fish
Its snaggly teeth and sourpuss face make the wolf fish look frightening — as does its size, which can reach almost seven feet. However, it’s a bottom feeder, really only interested in eating small crustaceans. If anyone is worried about getting eaten, it’s the wolf fish — these guys are pretty tasty.
10. The Vulture
Vultures don’t exactly have a great reputation because of their dietary habits: they’re scavengers, and can usually be seen hanging around places where something has died. Their wingspans can reach 10 feet, so they’re formidable, but they’re not interested in eating you unless you’re already dead. In fact, some religions call on them to help with “sky burials,” where the deceased are left out for vultures to eat.
11. The Manta Ray
Perhaps it’s because people don’t understand that these are different than sting rays and have no stingers at all. It might be because they can get to be 23 feet long and zip through the water with enormous power. In reality, manta rays are harmless and gentle, and will sometimes even play with people.
12. The Milk Snake
The milk snake inspires terror in many creatures thanks to its resemblance to the venomous coral snake, which has a pattern of black and red instead of yellow and red. This mimicry is actually an evolutionary trait that helps it avoid predators, but it’s all a bluff — the milk snake is totally harmless.
13. The Camel Spider
For some reason, the camel spider’s name has been smeared in a lot of urban legends, including that they feast on sleeping humans, burrow into camels’ stomachs to lay their eggs, and even scream. Yet none of these are true at all. The camel spider gets to be about six inches, and feeds only on small insects. They are not venomous.
14. The Pit Bull
Pit bulls are demonized in popular culture for being aggressive towards people and other animals. In reality, they’re actually loyal and intelligent dogs who love kids. The main problem in certain pit bulls exhibiting violent behavior is their socialization. Still, these dogs are seen as a menace in many places.
15. The Basking Shark
The basking shark is second only to the whale shark in size, but it’s a lot uglier. That gaping maw swimming towards you? Yeah, not cool. Still, it keeps its mouth open because it’s a filter feeder, and eats small invertebrates and plankton.
16. The Hercules Beetle
These creatures can get to be seven inches long, and can lift 70 times their own weight. This sounds intimidating, but these beetles mean you no harm. Plus, they get sillier the longer you look at them.
17. The Frill Shark
Sharks have made a number of appearances on this list, and here’s another one. This guy is super weird, but as it lives more the 1,500 meters deep in the ocean, you probably don’t have to worry about seeing this one. Technically, they’ve caused injury — but it was only to scientists studying their teeth and accidentally cutting themselves.
18. The Giant Isopod
The giant isopod reaches about 14 inches in length, and is one of the examples of huge, ancient-looking creatures that lurk deep in the ocean. They look like aliens or those things from The Dark Crystal, but they’re totally harmless.
19. The Sand Tiger Shark
It looks a lot like your standard dangerous shark, but this slow-moving shark can be seen in subtropical waters the world over, and they’ve never attacked a human.
20. The Humpback Anglerfish
Found even deeper than the frill shark at depths of 2,000 meters, this creature is a nightmare for its prey. It lures its food into his huge mouth with bioluminescent antennae. But as for humans? You’re too big.
(via List 25)
We doubt you’ll see many of these bizarre creatures, but if you do, remember that they’re probably more scared of you than you are of them. And you never know: they might think you’re pretty funny-looking, too.
