15 of the strangest things found in nature
This world has so many weird and wonderful creations that most of us have probably never heard of before. From sea creatures that look like they are from another planet to cave systems over 400 miles long, Mother Earth certainly likes to mix things up now and then with her creations, so here’s a list of 15 of the strangest things found in nature.
Blood falls
In eastern Antarctica on the edge of the dry valleys is a rather strange-looking waterfall that flows from an underground lake. Seeing this for the first time must have scared the hell out of the people who found it, but the waterfall isn’t as nightmarish as it first seems. The red color of the water is actually iron oxide, more commonly known as rust. There’s a large iron deposit that the water flows over to escape from the lake and it rusts the iron and carries it to the surface, appearing as red water.
Christmas island crab migration
Every year on Christmas Island a huge migration of red crabs walks across the island to their breeding ground, normally in a horde over 40 million strong. The crabs cover the entire island in a red swarm and cause havoc for the residents who can’t go outside without having to step over thousands of crabs in their gardens.
The Aurora Borealis
Around both the north and south poles is an anomaly that might just be the most beautiful single thing in nature. The aurora borealis is caused by disturbances in the earth’s magnetosphere caused by solar winds, but don’t worry, that means nothing to me either. One interesting thing about this anomaly is that it makes noise, described as a crackling noise with dull thuds in the background, but so far no one knows how the sounds are created.
Bio-luminescent waves
These glowing waves can normally be found in mid to southeast Asia but have appeared in numerous other countries around the world. The glow is caused by a type of algae called bio-luminescent phytoplankton that’s believed to create the light as a form of communication, but as pretty as it may be, many of the species of algae that can create this effect are normally toxic to humans.
Climbing goats
One of the most unlikely animals on earth to hold such amazing climbing abilities, these goats can be found mostly across the northern edge of Africa. Other types of mountain goats also make amazing climbers, but nothing beats the skill of the small and fearless Moroccan climbing goat. As funny as they look I’d hate to be the guy who had to round them up before dark.
Lake Natron
In Tanzania is Lake Natron which has become famous for the grizzly effect it has on the animals unlucky enough to come into contact with it. The lake has an unusually high salt and PH content and is also heated by the rivers that feed it running over natural underground heat sources. When an animal comes into contact with the water, the temperature often kills them and the high alkaline salt water sets them solid, turning them into something you’d see in a horror film.
Danxia landforms
The colors are caused by different layers of sandstone and siltstone in various levels of erosion. The layers of rock also contain minerals to make them have such bright colors, the red is caused by iron in the soil with the yellow layers containing sulfur. These formations of colored rock cannot be found in any other area of the world except northwest and southwest China.
Barrel eye fish
The eyes of the fish are the two green bulb-like domes within the head which is filled with liquid. It seems odd that a fish was created with eyes inside a transparent liquid-filled head only to spend its life underwater.
Rainbow eucalyptus trees
Found mostly in northern Australia, these colorful trees look more like they’ve been painted than formed naturally, but the colors are created by oxidizing bark. The tree sheds its bark in small pieces and when it first comes off the bright green inner of the tree can be seen, but as the air gets to it the shade darkens and turns the color red, blue, purple, yellow, or a mix of them all. The tree’s age also affects its colors and they tend to become darker the older they get.
Water-bears
Officially named the tardigrade, this tiny creature is less than a millimeter in length. The reason they are so unusual is that they are almost indestructible and can survive a variety of conditions that no other living thing on Earth can withstand. This tiny creature can withstand being boiled in water, huge levels of radiation, and also doesn’t die after being exposed openly to a vacuum. If they have access to a regular food source they only live for around 2.5 years, but in the absence of food they can last for several decades. It seems strange that a creature that can survive being frozen can be killed effectively by simply feeding it.
Movile cave
Located in Romania this cave was only discovered in 1986 but quickly made its way to the top of the most unique caves on Earth. The cave has been sealed off from the rest of the world for millions of years and has created its own Eco-system complete with a selection of creatures that can’t be found anywhere else on the planet. The air and water are both highly toxic and all the animals are things like new species of spiders and beetles, but every single living thing in this cave is unique to the location.
The cave of crystals
Found 300 meters underground after a mine broke through the cave wall, this crystal formation was created by heated water from a magma chamber keeping the flooded cave in a state perfect for growing crystals, and because the cave was flooded for thousands of years in perfect growing conditions they simply didn’t stop getting bigger until the water subsided.
Mammoth cave
In central Kentucky is a national park that hosts the largest known cave system on Earth. So far the tunnels of Mammoth Cave have been mapped at more than 400 miles of connected passages which is almost twice that of the second-longest cave system in the world.
The Devils kettle
Along the course of Brule River in Judge C.R. Magney State Park is a waterfall that looks like any other at first, but to this day holds a secret yet to be solved. At the top of the falls, there are rocks that split the flow into two, with one falling back into the main flow and the other disappearing down a hole, known as the devil’s kettle. The reason this waterfall is so famous is because of the mystery of where the water going into the kettle actually comes out. People have claimed to put everything from dye to floating GPS tracker balls into the hole only for them to never be seen again.
Salar de Uyuni
This reflective salt flat in Bolivia makes it look like people are walking on water, and they technically are but the water is only a couple of inches deep. Each year most of the 11,000 square kilometres that make up the lake floods for a short while and produces a highly reflective surface boosted by reflections from the pure white salt that sits on its bed.
