15+ Dazzling Surprises That Nature Was Keeping From Us All Along

Although it's definitely a charming and apparently intelligent creature, the sad truth is that there are only between 3,000 and 7,000 left.

As The Guardian reported, this is partially because humans give them the wrong food or accidentally hit them with cars, but its other big threats are invasive species and lead poisoning from the old huts dotting New Zealand's South Island.

Of course, getting this close to a kangaroo when it doesn't want you around is a great way to find out just how strong it is in the most painful way possible.

So it's no wonder that's not more commonly known.

Although we have to chalk it up to pure accident that the Costasiella kuroshimae looks like a cartoon sheep, that's not the wildest thing about it.

Research has shown that slugs of this kind are actually able to engage in photosynthesis to a limited degree. That green coloration definitely seems appropriate now.

As Richard Wrangham wrote, it's actually smaller than the rest of them, which is likely because it had to adapt to the conditions of the islands that make up Zanzibar, which is the only place in the world you can find the little guys.

In case it's not clear, a wasp nest somehow ended up attached to this snail's shell.

However, this picture also illustrates why that doesn't usually happen because the nest looks old and abandoned. Despite the wasp's best efforts, they weren't able to turn snails into mobile command centers.

Lucky for us, isn't it?

As you might have guessed, that's because of that peculiar, thin cartilage spike growing out of its head.

As National Geographic reported, that spike isn't actually a weapon and is known to break off and grow back many times as the bird ages. So it's actually unclear why the horn is there at all.

Although it's likely difficult for this jaguar to blend into many environments, we probably wouldn't notice it if we happened to walk by this tree until it was too late.

According to the National Park Service, these are among the oldest living trees in the world with two notable examples living to be 4,900-years-old and 5,065-years-old.

As Reptile Magazine reported, that doesn't mean that it isn't resilient as some have managed to live among piles of coconut husks on plantations that wouldn't otherwise be a suitable habitat for them.

Indeed, The South China Morning Post confirmed that people were just as amazed by their odd look when this spider was first sighted 1,000 years ago.

However, they're also so rarely seen that they've only been sighted in the wild six times. Fortunately, someone brought a camera during one of them.

Unfortunately, it seems that it's almost too distinctive for its own good as research suggests that the endangered creature is exceedingly hard to breed.

Unlike most jerboas, it also doesn't hibernate during the winter.

According to Science Magazine, they actually squirt their entrails out of their bodies when they're threatened. More specifically, they can lose their stomachs, rectums and part of their intestines while doing this.

They're able to grow it all back within 12 days, though.

As confirmed by Joe Schwarcz at McGill University, that's because it'll actually poison you with a potentially lethal batrachotoxin.

This makes it one of the only if not the only poisonous birds in the world and it apparently got its rare defense mechanism from the Melyrid beetles it likes to eat.

According to Australian Geographic, all current signs seem to suggest that any pit viper of this kind that turns light blue will stay that way forever.

No matter how beautiful it looks, though, it's best to keep your distance. White-lipped pit vipers are known as the most common venomous bite hazards in Bali, Indonesia due to how aggressive they are.

These two neighboring ospreys, for instance, are the kind of fearsome birds of prey that you might expect not to be too intimidated even if this was a real owl.

So while the fact that this "owl" isn't moving seems to be a source of curiosity for the one on the right, it was obviously comfortable enough to set up its nest.

Instead, these are actually drops of dew that formed on a spiderweb. It's amazing how two common sights can look so dazzling when you put them together.

Although I'm sure these would come in handy when the beetles need to pinch something, it's worth noting that only male members of the species have them.

That's right, nothing attracts lady beetles like some massive mandibles.

Of course, it would probably be difficult to agree that this would be so appetizing if you aren't a slug yourself.

Why? Well, it turns out that they're eating yet another slug that they apparently weren't as fond of.

As one video of one makes clear, these little fellows are known to make a high-pitched trill or warble rather than the blood-curdling screams you might hear from other owls.