When you think of endangered animals what do you think? Probably something along the lines of a great panda, all fluffy and cute, just lounging around and harmlessly eating bamboo. No predation here! Or perhaps the bald eagle, a symbol of our country soaring through the air, landing by its nest in a tall pine tree carefully caring for its eggs so that the species may live on.
But what if I told you not all endangered animals are as cute as a panda or as regal as a bald eagle? In fact, quite a few of them are ugly as hell. Just awful. Absolutely hideous. And they need love too. Since "pretty" and "cute" endangered animals usually get the most attention and funding.
These animals weren't designed by God to be pleasant for humans to look at, their hideous features are the product of years and years of evolution and serve very specific purposes. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you'll gain a new appreciation for these animals. I also will be roasting them a little in the process.
1. California Condor
If you live in the United States and have ever seen a vulture (either at the side of the road picking at road kill or maybe even flying overhead) it was probably a turkey vulture. For some perspective, the turkey vulture can have a wingspan of up to six feet. The Condor? Ten feet.
Besides that, the condor can be distinguished by the fancy Disney villain-esque feather boa looking ring around its neck and a head that's more fleshy/peach colored than the head of the turkey vulture.
The saddest thing of all is that condors aren't dying out because of drought or habitat destruction or anything like that, they're getting poisoned by lead bullets. Not shot, but they eat the bullets left by hunters and die.
Vultures are actually really important. They're like the garbage men of nature. By consuming decaying meat, they get rid of the bacteria and germs those carcasses would otherwise spread to other animals or the nearby environment.
2. Amazon River Dolphin
Give a four-year-old a couple pieces of strawberry Laffy Taffy. The four-year-old drops them on the dusty floor and picks them back up again. Now ask that four-year-old to try and sculpt a dolphin. That is what the Amazon river dolphin looks like.
One of the main threats to the Amazon river dolphin is the installation of hydroelectric dams. It's really unfortunate because the use of hydroelectric dams cuts down on a number of fossil fuels used for power. These fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide into the air which leads to ocean acidification, a process that greatly contributes to the massive death of coral reefs around the ocean which can also harm other species. You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't.
[Source]
3. Humphead Wrasse
This reef fish looks like it got hit with an ACME anvil in a roadrunner episode. Humphead wrasses can grow up to six feet in length, and their main downfall is poaching.
Similar to shark finning, its endangerment is due to its culinary appeal.
4. Maclaud's Horseshoe Bat
There are actually quite a few species of bat that are endangered, but for people who don't like bats, they're gonna think all of them are ugly (like the flying fox bat, who I personally think is adorable, it has a puppy dog face, but the size sketches people out.) But I decided to pick the ugliest, one that even I, someone who appreciates bats, will find ugly.
And WOW this guy looks like he came straight out of your nightmares.
These dudes are from Guinea. Their main threat is habitat loss, as well as bushmeat hunting. So imagine someone breaking into your house, burning it down, and then running after you trying to eat you. That's what the Maclauds horseshoe bat has to deal with.
5. Proboscis Monkey
Hey, its Gonzo from the muppets!
The proboscis monkey is only found in Borneo, a large island that's part of Indonesia. Only the males have the shockingly enormous noses. The noses serve no purpose other than to help find mates, its a form of sexual selection. Their main threat is habitat destruction.
