Shea Noerenberg
Sports Editor
As the year 2010 came to an end, National Geographic released the Weirdest New Animals of 2010 list. Included on that list were the T.Rex Leech, the Purple Octopus, the Yoda Bat, the Ninja Slug, the Sneezing Snub-nosed Monkey, the Wood-Eating Catfish, the Simpsons Toad, the Squid Worm, and the Pink Handfish. Highlighted in this article are a few of the species that made the list.
The T. Rex Leech was discovered in the upper region of the Amazon. This species of leech was named Tyrannobdella rex and is recognized for its single jaw and large teeth. “The leech was named Tyrannobdella rex due to its enormous teeth,” stated researcher Mark Siddall. This species of leech is found on the inside of the mouths and noses when it attaches to other organisms.
The Purple Octopus was found off Canada’s Atlantic coast, during a deep-sea expedition explained NationalGeographic.com. During the expedition, they found what they think are 11 new species.
The Yoda Bat was a rare finding in Papua, New Guinea during a scientific expedition. The Yoda Bat is a tube-nosed fruit bat. “Like other fruit bats, it disperses seeds from the fruit in its diet, making the flying mammal crucial to its tropical rain forest ecosystem.” stated NationalGeograpic.com The Yoda Bat received its name based on its shared characteristics with the Star Wars character Yoda.
The Ninja Slug was discovered in the high mountains of Borneo. The Ninja Slug is now described as a long-tailed slug because it’s tail is three times the length of its head. This species was given its name because of the way it mates. “The rare slug has been dubbed the ninja slug after its mating ritual was discovered to include firing ‘love darts’ full of hormones into its mate,” explained TreeHugger.com.
The Sneezing Snub-nosed Monkey is a rare monkey; according to NationalGeographic.com. It is so rare that only one was scientifically observed. This new monkey species was found in Myanmar. This monkey was described as having prominent lips and wide upturned nostrils by hunters that discovered this rare species.
Found in the Santa Ana River in Peru, the Wood-Eating Catfish joined the deep sea crabs in a small group of underwater wildlife that eats wood. “A new species with teeth shaped like spoons for scooping up wood from fallen logs has been discovered by freshwater scientist Paulo Petry,” stated TreeHugger.com. These cat fish are rare. Only about ten species of catfish eat wood.
This article only highlights six animals from the Weirdest Animals of 2010 list. The full list accentuates this year’s newest animal discoveries. View the complete list on NationalGeographic.com.
