Meet the 7 Forbidden Snacks of the Animal Kingdom - Animalassic
From the vibrant Madagascar tomato frog, reminiscent of ripe tomatoes, to the captivating egg jellyfish, resembling a fried egg floating in the sea, nature offers a plethora of intriguing and, sometimes, delicious-looking creatures. Delve into the extraordinary world of these forbidden snacks as we explore their habitats, behaviors, and unique adaptations that make them both fascinating and, in some cases, hazardous to indulge in. From the biscuit sea star to the ravioli-shaped Plinthaster dentatus, each species offers a glimpse into the diverse and wondrous world of nature
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Batman Superfly Ball Python by Designer Ball Pythons - MorphMarket
From the vibrant Madagascar tomato frog, reminiscent of ripe tomatoes, to the captivating egg jellyfish, resembling a fried egg floating in the sea, nature offers a plethora of intriguing and, sometimes, delicious-looking creatures. Delve into the extraordinary world of these forbidden snacks as we explore their habitats, behaviors, and unique adaptations that make them both fascinating and, in some cases, hazardous to indulge in. From the biscuit sea star to the ravioli-shaped Plinthaster dentatus, each species offers a glimpse into the diverse and wondrous world of nature.
Get ready to explore the animal kingdom's most tempting yet forbidden treats, where appearances can often be deceiving, and caution is always advised.
Dyscophus antongilii, commonly known as the Madagascar tomato frog, belongs to the Microhylidae family. These frogs exhibit notable sexual dimorphism, with females reaching sizes of up to 10.5 cm and 230 g, while males are smaller, measuring around 6.5 cm and 41 g. Their striking orange-red coloration, reminiscent of ripe tomatoes, serves as a warning to predators due to their toxic skin secretion, which can cause allergic reactions in humans and deter potential threats like colubrid snakes.
Endemic to Madagascar, tomato frogs are primarily found in the northeastern regions, particularly around Antongil Bay, extending south to Andevoranto. Their distribution, however, is often muddled with the closely related D. guineti. These amphibians inhabit various aquatic environments, including shallow pools, swamps, and slow-moving water bodies, thriving in habitats ranging from lowland forests to urban areas and degraded former forests.
During February to March, tomato frogs breed and lay clutches of 1,000 to 1,500 eggs in water bodies, typically following heavy rainfall. Tadpoles hatch from these eggs and undergo metamorphosis into yellow juveniles approximately 45 days later. Ambushing small invertebrates like beetles and mosquitoes, adult tomato frogs employ their ability to inflate themselves when threatened, appearing larger to potential predators.
Despite their resilience, tomato frogs face threats from habitat degradation, pollution, and over-collection for the pet trade, leading to their classification as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Efforts to conserve this species include research into captive breeding techniques and educational initiatives by organizations like the Madagascar Fauna Group. However, further research into their distribution, behavior, and conservation strategies is imperative to ensure the survival of this iconic amphibian species.
Phacellophora camtschatica, commonly known as the "fried egg jellyfish," is a very large species of jellyfish belonging to the family Phacellophoridae. These Scyphozoans can be easily identified by the yellow coloration in the center of their body, closely resembling an egg yolk, hence their common name. However, even despite their unique features, they are occasionally confused with the Lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata). A smaller jellyfish, Cotylorhiza tuberculata, typically found in warmer water, is also commonly referred to as a fried egg jellyfish.
Some specimens boast bells nearly 60 cm (2 ft) wide, while the majority sport 16 clusters of tentacles, each reaching lengths of up to 6 m (20 ft). Despite its imposing size, the fried egg jellyfish lacks traditional respiratory, circulatory, or excretory systems. Instead, it relies on its extensive surface area for these vital physiological functions. As a diploblastic organism, it lacks a mesoderm, relying on mesoglea for structural support, a distinctive feature within the phylum Cnidaria, alongside its radial symmetry and alternating life cycle between polyp and medusa stages.
Symbiotically, Phacellophora camtschatica engages with larval crabs, providing them with a habitat while benefiting from mutualistic feeding relationships. Its dietary preferences span a wide spectrum, from gelatinous zooplankton to smaller jellyfish, underscoring its ecological versatility as both predator and host. Distributed across various oceanic regions, these jellyfish exhibit a notable concentration in cooler waters, particularly near the shores of the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk.
The fried egg jellyfish moves faster during the day and swims fastest during flood tides, undergoing vertical migrations spanning short and long time frames across the water column to enter the hypoxia zone at low depths.
The Biscuit Sea Star (Tosia australis) is a species of starfish belonging to the family Goniasteridae. It is native to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
The Biscuit Sea Star lives on intertidal rocky shores and in coastal waters to a depth of 40 m. They have superomarginal plates along each side of the body. Individuals from highly exposed coasts have greatly swollen plates at the ends of the arms. T. australis is found in slightly more exposed habitats than T. magnifica and feeds mostly on ascidians, sponges, bryozoans, and algae.
The square biscuit starfish is a variety of biscuit starfish that is believed to be the result of genetic abnormality and can be found where biscuit starfish live. So, generally, biscuit starfish can be found in South Australia, Western Australia, Sydney, Victoria, and Tasmania.
According to Dr. Michael Sweet, an award-winning researcher and lecturer in Molecular Ecology, some starfish could be born in a square shape due to genetic abnormality, of which these square-shaped starfish are the result of. Though there are some who disagree with the idea of the square-shaped starfish being a genetic abnormality. Their opinion is that the square starfish are not a result of genetic abnormality and consider them to be a rare starfish variety, namely square biscuit starfish.
Until now, there is limited information about them. But one fact is proved by researchers. That is, these live soggy biscuits do actually exist in the ocean.
Bored of plain biscuits? No problem! We also have choco chip ones. Meet Protoreaster nodosus, also known as the horned sea star or chocolate chip sea star, a species inhabiting warm, shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific. P. nodosus showcases rows of spines or "horns", black conical points arranged in a single row radially on the dorsal side, which may erode and become blunt. These dark protrusions serve to deter potential predators. On the ventral side, tube feet, purple in color (or pale, transparent pink), are arranged in rows on each arm. The majority of horned sea stars observed have a relatively rigid five-pointed star shape with tapering arms, although there are exceptions such as four or six-armed. They can grow up to 30 cm (12 in) in diameter.
These sea stars typically exhibit shades of red or brown but may also appear light tan, resembling cookie dough. This appearance, along with the small horns on its dorsal side, gives the sea star a resemblance to a bumpy chocolate chip cookie, thus earning their common name.
As opportunistic carnivores, they prey on various sessile organisms like hard corals and snails, demonstrating their adaptability in aquarium environments. Due to their protective behavior, they often play host to commensal species like shrimps and brittle stars.
They are sometimes seen in the marine aquarium trade or dried and sold as curios. However, overharvesting for the shell trade poses a threat to their populations, echoing the decline observed in related species like the Atlantic Oreaster reticulatus.
Pancake Crab
Atergatis integerrimu via Google
The Red egg crab, or Atergatis integerrimus, is a species of reef crab from the family Xanthidae. Similarly, like all xanthid crabs, the red egg crabs are highly poisonous, so much so that the toxins they contain are not destroyed by cooking, and no antidote is known for them.
Toxins present in the crab's body are similar to tetrodotoxin and paralytic shellfish toxin (saxitoxin) produced by puffer fish, which are synthesized by the bacteria of the genus Vibrio, mostly V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus, which live in symbiosis with the crab.
Among some internet users, these crabs are popularly known as 'Pancake crabs.' They are referred to as such because of their appearance they exhibit during their juvenile and sub-adult stages of life. The juveniles of the species are light brown with a white band around the edge of the body, which gives them an appearance similar to that of Dorayakis, a Japanese confection also known as Dora cakes.
As the crab becomes more mature, the size of the crab increases, the white band of the ridges shrinks, and the shell becomes darker in color and more oval-shaped, losing their dorayaki-like appearance and becoming more similar in appearance to pancakes, with the development of light white spots on the carapace.
The adults of the species have a large oval, somewhat egg-shaped body with a smooth edge, and the hue of their shells ranges from reddish-brown to bright red, usually with scattered white spots. The pincers are large and equal in size, with smooth, spoon-shaped black tips. Males may have larger pincers and lack hair on their walking legs.
The Ball python (Python regius), or the royal python, is an native python species from West and Central Africa, inhabiting grasslands, shrublands, and open forests. This harmless constrictor is the smallest among African pythons, reaching up to 182 cm (72 in) in length at most. Its name "ball python" comes from its habit of curling into a ball when stressed or frightened.
Ball pythons are immensely popular as pets, ranking second only to bearded dragons among reptiles. Despite the availability of captive-bred specimens in the pet trade, the continued capture of wild individuals for sale poses a significant threat to their natural populations. Wild-caught pythons often struggle to adapt to captivity, leading to feeding issues and carrying parasites. However, with proper care, captive ball pythons can thrive, living for 15–30 years on average. The oldest known captive ball python lived for 62 years, 59 of which were spent at the Saint Louis Zoo.
In captivity, ball pythons are frequently bred for specific patterns, known as "morphs," which do not occur naturally. Breeders are constantly introducing new designer morphs, with over 7,500 variations currently documented. The particular morph variant featured in the video with banana skin like patterns appears to be the 'Batman Superfly' morph.
While most morphs are purely cosmetic and don't affect the snake's well-being, the "spider" morph gene has been associated with neurological disorders affecting balance. Due to ethical concerns surrounding the intentional breeding of patterns linked to genetic diseases, the International Herpetological Society prohibited the sale of spider morphs at their events starting in 2018.
It seems we aren't short of food shaped sea stars. Meet Plinthaster dentatus, a starfish species that bears a striking resemblance to ravioli, a type of stuffed Italian pasta. They belong to the family Goniasteridae and have an almost cosmopolitan distribution, ranging widely on both the eastern and western sides of the Atlantic Ocean as far south as the Gulf of Guinea, and are quite variable across their range.
The species was initially discovered on the rubble of Madrepora coral, where it appeared to be feeding on encrusting organisms. It was also observed in a multi-taxon feeding scenario described herein, devouring the larger of two geodiid sponges.
Although it was discovered as far back as 1884 and is well represented in museum collections, relatively little data is available regarding its life habits or other aspects of its biology.
D'Cruze, N., Wilms, T., Penner, J., Luiselli, L., Jallow, M., Segniagbeto, G., Niagate, B. & Schmitz, A. 2022. Python regius (amended version of 2021 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T177562A220378972. Retrived on May 7, 2024, from
IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group. 2017. Dyscophus antongilii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T6937A84159360. Retrived on May 7, 2024, from
The Red egg crab, or Atergatis Intergerrimus, is a species of reef crab from the family Xanthidae. Like almost all the xanthid crabs, the Red egg crabs are highly poisonous, so much so that the toxins they contain are not destroyed by cooking and for which no antidote is known. Toxins in the crab's body are similar to tetrodotoxin and paralytic shellfish toxin (saxitoxin) produced by puffer fish, which are synthesized by the bacteria of the genus Vibrio, mostly V. alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus, which live in symbiosis with the crab. Scientific Name: Atergatis Integerrimus Described by: Jean Bastiste Lamark, 1818 Diet: Omnivorous Avg. Size: 8-11 cm Avg. Wiegth: Currently unknown Lifespan: Currently unknown Pronunciation : Your browser does not support the audio element. My Header Scientific classification ...
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