Nature’s spooks
- POSTED ON: 25 Oct, 2023
- TOTAL VIEWS: 1753 Views
- POSTED BY: R. Krithika | Article: Katie Bagli
- ARTICLE POINTS: 150 Points
Halloween, on October 31, is the day for ghosts, witches, ghouls, black cats and all things eerie and supernatural. But did you know that there are certain life forms in Nature that are scary enough to send chills down our spines? Take a look at five of them and unravel their photos as you go along.
Deep down in the dark realms of the Atlantic Ocean, where sunlight can barely penetrate, lives a strange fish that has appendages that look like fishing rods with luminous tassels at the end hanging from its head. This is the female Angler Fish, which has several pointed teeth set in a huge mouth. It uses its enlarged fins like legs and prefers to walk rather than swim. The fishing rods are actually modified dorsal spines that attract prey. Strangely, the male fish are very tiny and latch on to their female partners.
Back on land, if you walk past a cave or a rocky crevice late in the evening, you will see scores of bats fly out, looking like little witches in the night sky. Perfect Halloween setting, isn’t it? Bats forage for food — mostly insects — in the darkness of the night. During the day, they will be hanging upside down on the cave walls, with the little ones clinging to their mothers.
Keep walking and you might spot two golden lights shining from a tall bush. You may also hear a blood-curdling deep sound. And, suddenly, an apparition spreads it wings and flies off. Don’t worry, it’s just a harmless Great Horned Owl that probably sensed a prey with its super-sharp ears. This majestic bird is actually very useful to farmers as it keeps fields clear of rats.
Now you’re tired of walking and decide to sit down for a rest. As you settle down, your friend yells, “Watch out!” Next to you is a scorpion glowing a fluorescent blue. It appears like something out of a horror movie but it’s not. All scorpions take on a glow in the dark and scientists are yet to figure out why.
A friend once took on a challenge to visit a graveyard late at night. While he was there, he almost fainted with shock when a black form with a white band emerged from the ground. Later he realised that this ghostly creature was only a Honey Badger emerging from its burrow. This nocturnal prowler comes out of its underground home to forage for bee larvae and honey. In the absence of bee hives, it looks for its next favourite food: carrion, since it is also a scavenger.
Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockPhotos