Nature is beautiful… most of the time. It’s peaceful to gaze out from the top of a mountain or enjoy a sunny day at the beach. But then, there’s the darker side of nature—the one that’s more horrifying than you might expect. If you love the weird, the wild, and the downright disgusting, you’re in for a treat. Here are five creatures that will make you squirm.
1. Human Bot Fly
Mosquitoes might be annoying, but they’ve got nothing on the human bot fly. Found in Central and South America, the human bot fly is a parasite that uses other insects—like mosquitoes—as a way to get under your skin, literally. When a mosquito bites a person, the bot fly larvae attached to the mosquito drop onto the skin and burrow inside, often through a hair follicle. What happens next is the stuff of nightmares. The larvae dig deeper into the host’s skin and feed off their tissue for weeks.
The infected area forms a painful bump, and unless removed, the larvae will live there for up to 10 weeks before crawling out on their own. If you're ever traveling in this part of the world, insect repellent is your best friend.
2. Giant Beach Worm
Australia is home to all kinds of creatures that seem designed to terrify, and the giant beach worm is no exception. Measuring up to 10 feet (3 meters) long, these worms live in the sand along Australia’s beaches. They spend most of their time buried deep, waiting to feast on dead fish or other decaying sea life. When the smell of food hits, they emerge from the sand, heads snapping up to chow down.
The creepy part? Anglers in Australia use chunks of fish to lure these worms out of the sand, then grab them to use as bait for fishing. Yes, people catch these slimy monsters with their bare hands!
3. Surinam Toad
The Surinam toad takes the term "creepy" to a whole new level, especially when it comes to giving birth. Found in the rivers of South America, these flat, dull-looking amphibians have a horrifying way of bringing new life into the world. After mating, the female lays her eggs, and the male fertilizes them. But instead of leaving them in the water, the eggs stick to the female’s back. Then, her skin grows over the eggs, trapping them inside her flesh.
After a few months, baby toads literally burst out of their mother’s skin. It’s a dramatic and slightly revolting scene, as dozens of little toads emerge from the holes in her back. If that doesn’t make your skin crawl, I don’t know what will.
4. Hagfish
The hagfish is as bizarre as it gets. This eel-like creature lives in the deep ocean and has a unique—and gross—defense mechanism. When threatened, it releases a thick slime that expands on contact with seawater. This goo can clog the gills of its predators, suffocating them. Even sharks have been known to give up on eating a hagfish because of the mess it makes.
Not only that, but the hagfish has a terrifying mouth filled with rows of sharp, tooth-like structures it uses to rasp away at its food, often the decaying remains of dead fish. Imagine something like this coming at you with slime and sharp teeth—yeah, no thanks!
5. Tongue-Eating Louse
This last one is almost too horrifying to believe. The tongue-eating louse is a parasite that lives inside fish. It enters through the fish’s gills, then attaches itself to the fish's tongue, cutting off its blood supply until the tongue withers away. But the nightmare doesn’t stop there. Once the fish’s tongue is gone, the louse takes its place, attaching itself to the stump and feeding on the fish’s blood and mucus.
Luckily, tongue-eating lice don’t target humans, but that doesn’t make them any less disturbing. Imagine your tongue being replaced by a living parasite. Yeah, it’s gross.
So, next time you’re outside enjoying nature, remember: it’s not all beautiful sunsets and cool breezes. Somewhere out there, these creepy creatures are lurking, ready to make your skin crawl.
14 Even More Disgusting Facts About The Most Repulsive Animals In The World
When people think of animals, they usually picture something cute or fluffy. But the truth is, the animal kingdom also has some terrifying and downright disgusting creatures. These animals have bizarre habits that can make your skin crawl and your stomach turn. Although they deserve respect, you might want to steer clear after learning these 14 gross facts.
Each of these animals is unique in its own right, but sometimes they're just a little too unique. Get ready to explore some vomit, poop, and more strange animal behaviors that aren’t for the faint of heart. Ready? Let’s dive into the world of some of the most repulsive creatures on Earth.
1. Flies Vomit and Poop Every Time They Land on Food
Flies are everywhere, but they’re far nastier than just being a buzzing nuisance. Have you ever heard that flies vomit when they land on food? Well, it's true! Flies can't digest solid food, so they liquefy it first by regurgitating enzymes onto it, essentially vomiting. After turning the food into a slurpable meal, they suck it back up.
Oh, and they poop a lot too. In fact, flies tend to defecate almost every time they land due to their rapid digestive system. To top it off, flies "taste" with their feet, meaning when they land on your sandwich, they might have just stepped in some dog poop first.
2. Tongue-Eating Isopods Feed on Fish from the Inside Out
The Cymothoa exigua, or tongue-eating isopod, is a tiny parasite that will make you shiver. These little creatures enter a fish's mouth and latch onto its tongue, sucking the blood until the tongue withers away. What’s left? The isopod acts as the fish's new tongue, continuing to suck blood and mucus while comfortably living inside its host’s mouth. Thankfully, these nasty critters only infest fish, not humans.
3. Hagfish Once Caused a Traffic Accident by Sliming a Road
Hagfish look like slimy eels, but their defense mechanism is what makes them particularly disgusting. When stressed, hagfish release massive amounts of gooey mucus. In 2017, a truck carrying hagfish overturned in Oregon, spilling hundreds of these slime-producers on the road. They slimed the entire highway, causing cars to slip and crash!
4. Baby Spiders Eat Their Mother After She Vomits Her Organs
Stegodyphus lineatus spiders are known for their shocking maternal sacrifice. After laying her eggs, the mother spider begins to liquefy her own organs to feed her babies. She vomits up this gruesome mixture of melted innards to nourish her young for weeks. When her body finally gives out, the baby spiders eat what's left of her corpse.
5. Zombie Worms Dissolve Bones to Feed
Osedax, or zombie worms, are deep-sea creatures that dissolve the bones of dead marine animals with acid secreted through their skin. They don't have mouths or digestive tracts, so they absorb nutrients directly from the bone's collagen and lipids. These tiny worms are capable of completely consuming whale bones in a matter of years.
6. Snapping Turtles Were Trained to Eat Human Corpses
In the 1980s, the Indian government attempted to train snapping turtles to clean up human remains in the Ganges River. The idea was to introduce turtles that would crave the taste of decaying flesh to remove the uncremated bodies thrown into the river. However, many of these corpse-hunting turtles were poached, and the project failed.
7. Scorpions Lose Their Anus with Their Tail
Some scorpions can lose their tails to escape predators, similar to how lizards drop their tails. But for these scorpions, losing the tail means losing their anus, too! They can no longer poop and slowly die from constipation over a period of months, as their bodies fill up with waste.
8. Leeches Can Grow Over a Foot Long
Most people are familiar with leeches as small, blood-sucking parasites. But the giant Amazonian leech is a whole different beast. These leeches can grow up to 18 inches long—about the length of your forearm! Their size and resilience make them particularly disturbing, as they can survive even after losing most of their body’s water.
9. Some Frogs Live Inside Elephant Poop
When frogs in arid environments need a moist place to hide, some of them seek out elephant dung. Species like the ornate narrow-mouthed frog burrow into piles of elephant poop to escape the dry heat. Not only does the dung provide moisture, but it's also a great place to find insects for a quick meal.
10. Sea Cucumbers Vomit Their Organs to Escape Predators
Sea cucumbers might look harmless, but their defense mechanism is a bit extreme. When threatened, they eject their own internal organs through their anus to scare off predators. Luckily for them, they regenerate these organs in just a few weeks and go on with their lives.
11. Suriname Toad Babies Hatch Out of Their Mother’s Back
Suriname toads give birth in the most unsettling way. After mating, the male embeds fertilized eggs into the female’s back. As the eggs grow, the skin swells and creates pockets that look like bubbles. When the babies are ready, they erupt out of their mother's back as fully-formed froglets—completely bypassing the tadpole stage.
12. Horned Lizards Shoot Blood from Their Eyes
When threatened, horned lizards have an unusual trick up their sleeve—they squirt blood from their eyes! This blood-shooting defense, aimed at predators' mouths, tastes so foul that it drives them away, allowing the lizard to escape.
13. Swarms of Fruit Flies Are Actually Having Mating Parties
Ever walked through a swarm of fruit flies? You probably didn’t realize that you were walking through a mating party. Male fruit flies gather and "dance" in swarms to attract females, and the lucky ones mate right there in the middle of the swarm. So next time you see a cloud of fruit flies, know they’re likely having an insect orgy.
14. Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches Are Loud Enough to Sound Like a Train
The Madagascar hissing cockroach doesn’t just look repulsive—it hisses loudly enough to be mistaken for an oncoming train. These cockroaches hiss by forcing air through tubes in their bodies, reaching up to 90 decibels! While it’s usually a defense mechanism, males also hiss during mating or fighting other males.
Animals may come in all shapes and sizes, but these 14 creatures stand out for their bizarre and disgusting habits. Whether it's liquefying food, vomiting organs, or shooting blood from their eyes, these animals have evolved in some strange and unsettling ways!
animal tags: tongue-eating