Pleco

These common algae eaters are known for their unique, suction-cup-shaped mouth.  Aquarium experts will recommend them to any fish-keeper with an algae problem in their tank.  The way they attach themselves to glass and rock never ceases to amaze.

Pleco is the common name for Catfish species in the Family Loricariidae. The name Pleco is derived from the Latin name of one of the species in this family, the Hypostomus plecostomus, and is today widely used even for the other species in this family. The Family Loricariidae is also known as the Armored Catfish family, since the fish in this family display longitudinal rows of scutes over the upper parts of the head and body, and this pattern is somewhat similar to an old armor.

Plecos are very popular aquarium fish, even for beginners. They can help keeping unwanted algae growth under control in the aquarium, since algae and plant material are their staple foods in the wild. If you want to read more about how to care for your Plecos we suggest that you read some of the featured articles below.

Ugly Animals - Plecos

Anne Marie, the story

 This is Anna Marie,
Before the winter is starting in Greece and in the sanctuary we had a chance to send some dogs by car to Germany.
The driver of the car had 4 adult dogs in his car and some pupies.
That is a lot to take care for. But there is a great need for flight volunteers to help us transporting the animals. During a stop in Croatië Anna Marie was lost.
The driver searched for the dog and left to coninue his way to Germany.
When the animals arrived I heard of the tragic story.
An American lady, living in Greece contacted me because she wanted to help the sanctuary.
She Made a poster with a photo( I found after hours of searching ) of the missing dog and spend a lot of time searching for shelters to send it to and inform them about the missing dog.

Ten days after Anna Marie was lost we got a phonecall of a lady living in Zagreb. Marjana Sovic
She is an animal lover and one of her friends told her there was a dog at a petrol station on the road between Lipovic and Zagreb.
This lady was on her way from Lipovic to Zagreb. 200 km after Lipovic, at the gasstation she found Anna Marie.
She took her to the vet and checked her Chipnumber...it was her...

Comming friday Anna Marie wil travel by plane to Germany, Frankfurt.
I will drive to Frankfurt and take her home.
                         So..all is well that ends well...












Thank you Denise and Thank you Mirjana for the enormous amount of help. Anna Marie wouldn't have survived without you!

Tarsier

Tarsiers are prosimian primates of the genus Tarsius. Tarsiers have enormous eyes and long feet. Their feet have extremely elongated tarsus bones, which is how they got their name. They are primarily insectivorous, and catch insects by jumping at them. They are also known to prey on birds and snakes. As they jump from tree to tree, tarsiers can catch even birds in motion. Tarsiers have never formed successful breeding colonies in captivity, and when caged, tarsiers have been known to injure and even kill themselves because of the stress.

Big-eyed tarsiers: Tarsiers have remarkably large eyes, about 1.6cm. Each eye is bigger than the entire brain and larger than the stomach. So much so that they cannot move their eyes within the sockets. Instead, they special modifications to their neck vertebrae allowing them to rotate their heads nearly 360 degrees, even though they seem to have almost no neck! Unlike most other nocturnal creatures, however, tarsiers do not have a reflective layer behind the eyes (tapetum). They have excellent hearing, using their large funnel-like ears which are hairless, and thin and membranous. They can furl and unfurl their ears.

Ugly Animals - Tarsier

Leafy Sea Dragon

I would not call this one as an Ugly Animal but a Weird one. Yeah, until now I have never come across any sea creatures as weird as this one. Nature surprises me every time when I find something new and strange like this :-)

Named after the dragons of Chinese mythology, Leafy sea dragons (Phycodurus eques) resemble a piece of drifting seaweed as they float in the seaweed-filled water. The Leafy seadragon, with green, orange and gold hues along its body, is covered with leaf-like appendages, making it remarkably camouflaged. Only the fluttering of tiny fins or the moving of an independently swiveling eye, reveals its presence.

Like the seahorse, the male seadragon carries as many as 150-200 eggs. After being deposited by the female, the eggs are carried in the honeycomb-shaped area (known as the brood patch) under the male's tail for approximately eight weeks. Seadragons have no teeth or stomach and feed exclusively on mysidopsis shrimp. Known as "Australian seahorses" in Australia, they are found in calm, cold water that is approximately 50-54° F (10-12° C). Leafy seadragons have been protected by the South Australian government since 1982.

Ugly Animals - Leafy Sea Dragon

 

Horseshoe Bat

As per Wiki,

Horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae) are a family of bats. In addition to the single living genus, Rhinolophus, there is one extinct genus, Palaeonycteris. The closely related Hipposideridae are sometimes included within the horseshoe bats as a subfamily, Hipposiderinae. Both families are classified in the suborder Yinpterochiroptera or Pteropodiformes and were previously included in Microchiroptera.

All horseshoe bats have leaf-like, horseshoe-shaped protuberances on their noses. In the related Hipposideridae, these noseleafs are leaf- or spear-like. They emit echolocation calls through these structures, which may serve to focus the sound. Their hind limbs are not well developed, so that they cannot walk on all fours; conversely, their wings are broad, making their flight particularly agile. Most rhinolophids are dull brown or reddish brown in color. They vary in size from 2.5 cm to 14 cm in head-body length, and 4 to 120 grams in weight.

The females have a pair of mammary glands and two "false nipples" above and to the side of the genital opening, which newborn bats cling to for a few days after birth.

Horseshoe bats are found in tropical and temperate regions from Europe to Japan and from Asia to Africa. They are usually brown but occasionally are red. They are about 3.5–11 cm (1.4–4.3 inches) long without the 2.5–4.5-cm (1–1.8-inch) tail, and they weigh 5–30 grams (0.17–1 ounce). Horseshoe bats live in groups and roost in damp, dark places such as caves. Species native to temperate regions hibernate in winter.

Ugly Animals - Horseshoe Bat

Sphynx Cats

How’d you like to wake up in the middle of the night, during a thunderstorm, and find THIS staring at you from 6 inches away? Sphynx Cats or “Canadian Hairless” if that makes them somewhat less creepy sounding, are a recognized breed of cat with little or no coat. Oddly, the skin of Sphynx Cats is pigmented in the same pattern as the cat would display if normally furred. Sphynx cats have wedge-shaped, Yoda-like heads with large ears and heavyset bodies. Can’t believe it? That is why you fail. Lol

The Canadian Sphynx is recognized by cat fancy associations as being a healthy robust breed. Lack of hair can cause health issues with kittens in the first weeks of life due to susceptibility to respiratory infections. Reputable breeders will not let their kittens go to new homes without being at least 12 weeks of age to ensure the kitten is mature enough to cope in a new environment. Due to their lack of protective fur, skin cancer may be a problem if exposed to sunlight for long durations of time.

The breed does have instances of the genetic disorder hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Studies are being undertaken to understand the links in breeding and the disorder.[9]

Sphynx cats can catch common feline diseases and should be immunized in the same way as other breeds.

Ugly Animals - Sphynx Cats

Stargazer Fish

As per WikiPedia,

The stargazers are a family Uranoscopidae of perciform fish that have eyes on top of their heads (hence the name). The family includes about 50 species in 8 genera, all marine and found worldwide in shallow waters.

Stargazers are venomous; they have two large poison spines situated behind the opercle and above the pectoral fins. Some species can also cause electric shocks. They have an electric organ consisting of modified eye muscles. They are one of the few marine bony fishes that are electrogenic. They are also unique among electric fish in not possessing specialized electroreceptors

The stargazer fish eat a variety of other fishes and invertebrates like crabs present in the marine water for its survival. They hide themselves under the sand and keep a watch on their prey. Their body color also helps them to camouflage with their surroundings. As soon as they find a prey nearby, they jump upwards to catch hold of it. Another technique is where they use the appendage attached to its lower lip. As it appears like a worm, they quiver it to attract the prey. Then the prey, assuming it as a worm, moves towards it. As it comes near the mouth, the fish create a vacuum inside the mouth and suck in the prey fish. Thus, the prey enters into the open mouth of the stargazer.

The breeding season for the stargazer fish is spring and summer. They lay their small transparent eggs on the bottom of the sea. Later, the eggs float to the surface of the water and hatch into larvae of stargazer fish. They remain on top of the water, until it reaches the size of 12 - 15 millimeters in length. At this stage, they can swim to the bottom of the water, where they grow up into matured adult stargazer fish.

How I wish I could see one of these for real before I die!

Ugly Animals - The Stargazer Fish