14 BIZARRE Things in Nature

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• published: 17 Oct 2016
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From strikingly colorful mountain tops, to the gnarliest looking fungus, 14 BIZARRE Things in Nature Chinese Lantern Plant -- They grow naturally from southern Europe to south Asia and Japan. Before blooming in winter, the fruit is concealed by a bright papery covering, ranging in color from orange to red. … and that covering resembles paper lanterns. As it dries during the spring, the outer cover is revealed as a thin mesh that held the flower petals. How often is a creature considered extinct found alive and in good health? We’d consider that a bizarre occurrence, so we’re including this story: A stick insect known as the Tree Lobster was thought to have gone extinct 1920, but was discovered to be alive and well … and living on Ball’s Pyramid. That’s a narrow, forbidding rock located near Australia in the Pacific Ocean. At 1,844 feet high, it’s taller than the Empire State Building … so how did the insect wind up in the middle of nowhere? The Australian researchers who found the creature don’t know. But 25 of the insects were found, apparently using the rock’s single plant as their food source. The name Tree lobster refers to their crustacean like appearance. They’re the heaviest flightless stick insect in the world … and rumors of its extinction were greatly exaggerated Lake Baikal (bay-kel) -- Ice hummocks are huge blocks of ice formed by the movement of ice floes … caused by freezing temperatures and strong winds. At 25 million years old and containing one fifth of the world’s fresh water, Lake Baikal (bay-kal) is one of the world’s deepest and largest lakes. It also contains some amazing ice sculptures that look as if they were carved by an artist. It’s especially amazing to see the turquoise-colored ice that seems to highlight the naturally formed sculptures … some of which can reach 15 meters high. How do you think the ice gets that amazing turquoise hue? The Garden of Eden -- Believe it or not, we really found the Garden of Eden -- sort of. These amazing sights are found at Plitvice (plitt-viss) Lakes National Park. It’s one of the most famous tourist attractions in Croatia, and is referred to as that’s country’s very own Eden. The park contains 16 individual lakes and some of the most amazing waterfalls on Earth … the tallest of which is 230 feet tall. The amazing system of rivers and lakes are formed by limestone deposits that have created natural dams … and that has helped form the waterfalls and caves located there. Did you know Plitvice Lakes (plitt-viss) is the oldest natural park in southeast Europe? Purple Jellydisc Fungus -- To be honest, it was difficult to identify just what this is … but the closest match we found was the purple jellydisc fungus. It’s often found growing on logs of beechwood trees in Europe, Britain and Australia. The fungus initially appears like spherical lobes … and then flattens out into a kind of saucer shape. When the fungi (fun-guy) collects into clusters, they form this unusual ropelike mass … which many people think resembles a heap of worms or intestines. The effect is enhanced when rain or dew moistens the gelatinous fungus. It’s also known as “Jelly Dew Drops”, but there’s no jelly to be found. The fungus has no odor or taste and is considered inedible. So … did we make a positive ID here? Let us know in the comments. Living Rock -- Did you know there’s a sea creature living off the coasts of Chile and Peru that looks like a rock and can breed with itself? The bizarre creature is called Pyura Chilensis (pie-ur-ah chill-en-sis) … it’s also known as a sea squirt. It’s actually born a male, and develops female organs at puberty … allowing it to breed with itself! The creature’s rocklike appearance is so convincing that you’d never suspect a swarm of blood-red hermaphrodite creatures are living within. For the record, the sea squirts breed with other members of their species if any are nearby. But at least the animal has some options. It’s actually considered a delicacy in some countries and is eaten raw or cooked. Colored Mountains -- This looks like nature went ballistic with a box of Crayolas! These multicolored mountains really do exist … they’re known as the Danxia (danks-ee-uh) Mountains and are found in China. More than 680 peaks, walls, pillars and stone bridges are located in the area … and some of the mountains even feature a number of temples. Those amazing colors range from vibrant greens to pale blues to dark reds … They were formed over millions of years … as the reddish sandstone eroded, it created this alien-looking landscape. In 2010, the landforms were included in the World Heritage List … and the area has become increasingly popular with tourists. Subscribe to Epic Wildlife http://goo.gl/6rzs5u Let's Connect -- http://www.epicadamwildlife.com/ -- http://www.facebook.com/epicadamwildlife -- http://www.twitter.com/epicwildlife -- http://gplus.to/epicwildlife