Bizarre Beasts
@bizarrebeastsshow
What makes a weird animal weird? Once a month, we'll introduce you to a new bizarre beast and explore the many answers to this question at youtube.com/bizarrebeasts!
Toughie the Rabbs' Fringed-limbed Tree Frog lived in a biosecure enclosure in Atlanta for years. The first time anyone heard his voice, he was already the last of his kind, the endling. Learn his story now: youtu.be/uWallOyZvn0
If you guessed treehoppers, you're right! Sitting still all the time does make them vulnerable to attacks so they’ve come up with some pretty complex defense mechanisms, which you can learn all about in our latest episode! youtu.be/ZgyAnhlGUIY
Our next bizarre beast is a true bug. They get their names from living on tress and being good at jumping, though a majority of their time is spent holding still and slurping tree sap. Can you guess what it is?
Let's go on a field trip to the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center! The KBCC is home to Hawaii's rarest birds, including our most recent Endling the 'akikiki (episode out now!). watch the new episode: youtu.be/rr8Sfnbp2M4 take the field trip: kuula.co/share/5MqXT/...
This month’s pin was designed by Thomas Marnin! Thomas Marnin is one half of MarninSaylor, a Seattle based toy brand known for their characters, the Pastry Pets. Thomas is a lifelong lover of the natural world. Check out more from Marnin Saylor here: marninsaylor.com
If you guessed Brahminy Blind Snake, you're right! For these so called "flowerpot snakes" living in tropical soil has become the ultimate accidental passport. There are now Brahminy Blind Snakes in the tropical and subtropical biomes of every continent, except for Antarctica. youtu.be/uHd7zuWZHxk
You’re going to have to get in really close to identify our next beast. On first glance, you may think it’s just a worm. That totally makes sense given its tiny size, blindness, and tendency to dig around in the soil. But it's not a worm at all...who is that girl?
A new Endlings episode JUST DROPPED! The many species of Galápagos Island Tortoises are the islands' most dominant herbivores. So how did one tortoise become affectionately known as Lonesome George, the Endling? 📺: youtu.be/UIlCNJTvSsc
Two wolves once prowled the mountains and forests of Japan. They were revered as deities, and respected as protectors of travelers and fields, until forces from outside the islands changed everything... 📺: youtu.be/UUKGQKkUKeE
Happy 200th Birthday @zslofficial.bsky.social! 🥳 The ZSL has helped us out on Bizarre Beasts many times and we're just so glad they exist. Check out their 200th celebration at zsl.org/200.
Kory Bing is an illustrator based in Oregon City, Oregon with a focus on strange creatures, extinct animals, and other oddities of our natural world. She grew up in the rural Ozark Mountains of Missouri and spent most of her childhood in the woods poking things with sticks and picking up snakes.
Braconid wasps are pretty weird! Here's an animation of a wasp injecting a host with its virus!
Our braconid wasp pin artist is Sage Friss! Sage is a Missoula based artist who grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Montana. He's deeply connected to the world around him and inspired by nature.
If you guessed braconid wasps, you're right! Braconid wasps are parasitoids, which is a type of parasitism with a slightly different outcome. The host of a parasitoid, becomes a dual-purpose incubator and food source for its offspring. youtu.be/LmQNrI4aIzo
The survival of this family of insects is so intertwined with a virus that they partly share a genome. This extreme level of teamwork lets these beasts live their best parasitoid lives. Can you guess what the next bizarre beast is?
If you guessed Rajah Brooke's Birdwings, or ultra-black animals for the feature, you're right! Ultra-black generally means a shade of black that reflects 0.5% of light or less, and these bizarre beasts have areas of their body that do just that! youtu.be/aG06yKwabac?...
Our next bizarre beast is really more of a collection of beasts that all have this one dark thing in common. Some may not surprise you, like deep sea fish, but we've seen it with butterflies and birds as well! Can you guess this beast, or it's bizarre feature?
All of the Endlings mini-series episodes are out now! You can learn all about these bizarre beasts that are truly one of a kind. You can watch all of the episodes at youtube.com/bizarrebeasts. PS - You can still snag an Endlings bandana at bizarrebeastsshow.com!
Whether you call them one-toothed, the one who points at the sky, or corpse whales-- one thing is for certain, this unicorn of the sea is bizarre. youtu.be/bTql5Pv0gf0?...
The final episode of our Endlings miniseries is out now! Learn how Lord Howe Island Giant Stick Insects (say that five times fast) came back from the dead. youtu.be/PAzVFQ1-THc?...
Is extinction really always a bad thing? In the latest episode of our Endlings miniseries, we discuss a case where extinction might be for the greater good... youtu.be/46xA35awnL8?...
For a limited time, you can get this Bizarre Beasts shirt! Our very own fashion icon, Sarah, hand-made the design featured on the front! Grab yours at complexly.store before Dec. 8th if you want to be the weirdest animal at your family's holiday festivities!
Our next Bizarre Beast is the Christmas Island Red Crab! Learn all about their weird mating rituals and how they took over Christmas Island in our latest episode. youtu.be/5YsJ7q7a7fA
The next endling in our mini-series is the Thylacine! Thylacines (aka Tasmanian Tigers or Tasmanian Wolves) have been extinct since 1936. Many factors contributed to their extinction, but our own zoological fascination was part of the problem. Learn more in our latest episode. youtu.be/YeMXE8XEmSU
If you guessed Mexican Tetra, you're right! This little tropical fish makes a great pet, but it also lives in cave systems in at least 29 different caves. In addition to the standard, this beast also comes in various versions of "cave flavor." youtu.be/PXW7xcESz-s
Sometimes we can spot when a new species diverges from a nearby population. Certain adaptations can even give us a clue about what’s to come. Our next bizarre beast gives us a chance to see what happens when a single beast makes an evolutionary change. Can you guess what the next bizarre beast is?
Next up on our Endlings mini-series: silphium! This is the first recorded extinction in history, and of a species so culturally relevant that it was printed on money. youtu.be/cNNEOEV5oyc?...
The first episode of our Endlings miniseries is out now! This has been such a huge project for us, and we couldn't have done it without our amazing audience. Check it out!! youtu.be/JbTAVnyHB88?...