So are you all excited for the number seven on the passion blog list? I know I am! Over the past month or so, these blogs have switched from being a sort of chore to what is probably the most interesting assignment that I get to have in any of my classes.  Plus it is weekly, which is so unlike all of the other assignments and projects we have in any other class…  Anyway, I digress, and lets move on the main feature: CRAZY MAMMALS!

Our first contender for this week as being one strange mammal is Tachyglossus aculeatus, or the spiny echidna.

This cute little guy looks really painful, but echidnas are actually quite docile.  They naturally live in the countries of Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.  They are about a foot long, and they have fur as well as spines.  In some species the fur extends out further than the spines, so they just look fuzzy.  What is weird about this species is that it is a monotreme, which is a mammal that lays eggs!  After the eggs hatch, the babies climb into the mothers pouch where they grow some more. They eat ants, termites, and other small insects.  Finally, these animals have a very long lifespan; recorded up to 50 years!

Next up is the Aye-aye, (Daubentonia madagascariensis):

These are very rare mammals that only live on the island of Madagascar.  Good thing too; they win the world for ugliest mammal on the planet!  Their head and body length is about a foot, and they have long, black, course hair with a surprisingly fluffy tail.  The strange part of this animal is that their third fingers on their hands are very long, thin, and flexible.  This is because the aye-aye like to eat bugs out of little holes in trees, and the finger is used to dig them out, but they also use them to scoops out the insides of fruits.  They live to be around 20 years of age. Aye-ayes are nocturnal, and have a wide variety of vocalizations, from hisses to screams.

Third on the list is the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), and although this was an obvious one, I think it deserves a spot on this blog:

The platypus is native to Australia and Tasmania, and is another monotreme, and mammal that lays eggs.  And is this a weird mammal!  It has the bill of a duck, the feet of an otter, and the tail of a beaver.  In addition, it is one of the only known venomous mammals on the planet!  The males have little spurs on their hind legs that cause extreme pain (but not death) in humans if contact with it is made.  They are fairly large, with a length of around 17 to 20 inches. Platypuses have even been known to growl!

Lastly for this week is one crazy mammal, the Water deer (Hydropotes inermis), and while this sounds like a very common animal, wait until you see it:

Honestly, I know what you are thinking, that this is a fake photoshopped picture, but I kid you not, this is real.  Even go look online for yourself!  With three inch fangs hanging down over their jaws, it isn’t surprising that this animal has gained the name of Vampire Deer.  They do not grow antlers, and are only found in some parts of China and Korea.  They are also pretty good swimmer!  This type of deer are mostly solitary and very territorial.  Finally, the fangs are for fighting over mates, even though the females have them as well.  There is no known connection to the fangs and their diet.  They seem to still be vegetarians, or they are just very good at hiding their true diet of sucking the blood of whoever comes near…

Well, I hope you enjoyed this piece, and that you aren’t getting bored with these posts!  Feel free to keep reading, and I really enjoy comments!

Have a great week,

Sam