17 animals you'd swear were aliens (but are really from Earth)
While sci-fi often features fantastic-looking extraterrestrials, we believe that if aliens really existed they'd probably think our planet has the most exotic-looking organisms of all.
Writers and filmmakers may have pushed their imaginations to the brink to come up with fantastic imaginary beings, but thanks to modern technology, we now know that the REAL world is full of similarly eye-popping creatures.
Here are 17 animals that are even more extraordinary-looking than any sci-fi Martians.
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Angora Rabbit This adorable Turkish critter probably wishes it could go to a distant planet to get away from all that over-petting.
Rosy-Lipped Batfish These fish get around mainly by walking on the ocean floor. Or should we say streetwalking the ocean floor?
Sea Pig These odd-looking marine invertebrates live on the bottom of the deep ocean. The alien astronauts that left these here might eventually return to get them, but we wouldn't hold our breath.
Star-Nosed Mole This mammal is native to parts of Canada and the United States. It has nasal tentacles, which probably means its nose is self-picking.
Komondor There's a dog in there, somewhere. Declared one of Hungary's national treasures, this breed is covered in protective cords. It also appears super-absorbent, which means no more housetraining messes!
Axolotl This Mexico City lake dweller can regenerate most of its body parts. This is also known as the âleast effective superpower ever.â
Dumbo Octopus Deeper than any other octopus live these freaks of the animal kingdom (and they can't even fly). They can, however, turn their skin from transparent to opaque at will, which is probably useful every time they go to the underwater octopus doctor.
Blobfish In order to float without swimming, this fish's exterior is a gelatinous mass. It's like Lutefisk sushi, we suppose.
Leafy Sea Dragon The leafy-looking parts of this fish are used solely for camouflage. The creature is the official marine emblem of South Australia, which paints a picture of just how much seaweed South Australia has.
Mata Mata Looking at this turtle, all we can think about is that scene where classic SNL character Mr. Bill gets smushed with a rolling pin.
Saiga Antelope This mammal probably gets transmissions from its home planet through those weird pink horns.
Chinese Giant Salamander The largest salamander in the world, this species can theoretically reach up to six feet in length. Even though it is endangered, this animal is still sought after for traditional Chinese medicines because, you know, it looks really weird.
Hooded Seal In case of emergency, this critter's nose can be used as a flotation device.
Hairy Frogfish This crazy-looking fish is found in subtropical oceans. Its primary method of avoiding being eaten by predators seems to be âlooking gross.â
Deep-Sea Hatchetfish This fish can live 3,600 meters below the sea, but it makes a nightly migration up near the surface to eat. Other fish may or may not have feelings, but hatchetfish definitely creep them out.
Promachoteuthis Sulcus This squid was captured at a depth of 2,000 meters, and is the only known example of its species. Also it has teeth, which makes it a lot like that Venus Flytrap in Little Shop of Horrors.
Granrojo Jellyfish These deep-ocean jellyfish can grow ten feet across. If you are stung by one, it's going to take a whole lot of pee.