The Portuguese man o’ war is one of the weirdest marine creatures to have ever been discovered. It has long, venomous tentacles that are capable of killing not just large fish, but also humans. Its name comes from the “man-of-war”, an 18th-century sailing ship that resembled the creature when it was set to full sail.
You can find these creatures on the surface of the ocean in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. This is one creature you want to avoid like the plague, as it could provide quite a painful ending to your aquatic journey. If you’re ever swimming around the shores of Florida, make sure to watch out for any sea life resembling the alien from the movie “Life”.
Purple Frog
The purple frog, also known as the pig-nosed frog, is definitely one of the weirder frog species out there. It lives mostly in the Western Ghats in India and can be found underground or on the surface during mating season. The purple frog appears extremely bloated and has tiny arms and legs when compared to its large body.
These poor frogs are often hunted and turned into amulets, which has caused them to become endangered in India. Unlike most frogs, their massive bodies prevent them from jumping or moving around quickly. Purple frogs make clucking noises that are very similar to regular frogs, although they could not be further apart visually.
Hammer-Headed Bat
The hammer-headed bat is both weirder and more normal than it looks in the picture below. It's basically a bat with the head of a moose. It has an extremely strong jaw and is the largest bat in Africa. It's known to grow up to 450 grams in weight and can reach a total wingspan of around three feet.
Believe it or not, the purpose of the hammer-headed bat's large jaw is actually to attract females. It uses its enormous head to produce loud mating calls and also tends to attract females with its oversized jaw. While various rumors and scientific myths have assumed that these bats are carriers of the Ebola virus, no evidence has been gathered so far to confirm this suspicion.
Remora
The remora fish can be most easily recognized by its head, which looks like a tractor went over it and left a flat tread. This head feature is actually a sucking organ, which allows it to attach itself to larger sea creatures. The remora's ability to piggyback and ride on fellow sea dwellers is what gave it the nickname "The Suckerfish".
It sometimes accidentally attaches itself to boats and even divers, which usually leads to some pretty funny photographs. The remora's attachment ability puts it on the verge of being called a parasite, but honestly, it doesn't harm its host in any way, and might even give it a good cleaning on the journey to its destination.
Hairy Frog
When the number one search result for hairy frogs is asking whether these things are real or a joke, you know that you're dealing with a true mystery of nature. These incredibly bizarre frogs mostly come from Central Africa and are also known as Horror frogs and Wolverine frogs.
Their name is in reference to the unique hair-like structures on their hind legs and sides, which are believed to increase their oxygen absorption abilities. If that's not weird enough, Wolverine frogs also have sharp claws in their back feet, which they create by breaking their bones. Scientists believe these are used during combat, but this has not been proven to date.