These Creatures Will Give You A Nightmare

#1 Mantis Shrimp

There are several species of mantis shrimp, but the rainbow variety is visually stunning. They're also called "sea locusts", "prawn killers" and even "thumb splitters. This is a powerful predator located in tropical and sub-tropical waters, killing its prey with its powerful claws.

#2 Okapi

This faux-zebra mammal is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Even though it looks like a zebra, it's actually closely related to the giraffe.

#3 Thorny Dragon

This small lizard is covered in camouflaging shades of desert brown so it can hide more easily in the sand. It also has a "false head" that it uses to distract predators.

#4 Shoebill

This large bird is called a shoebill because of its beak. Even though it was already known to ancient Egyptians and Arabs, the bird was only classified in the 19th century.

#5 Indian Purple Frog

This gross-looking species of frog only spends two weeks out of the year on the surface of the Earth (which is probably why it looks the way it does).

#6 The Blue Parrotfish

Found in the Atlantic Ocean, this bright blue fish spends 80% of its time searching for food.

#7 The Bush Viper

This predator lives high up in the trees of tropical forests in Africa. It does most of its hunting at night. It may look adorable, but it's deadly.

#8 The Saiga Antelope

This saiga may look like a science experiment gone wrong, but it's actually an antelope found on the Eurasian steppe. Its known for its over-sized, flexible nose structure, the proboscis.

#9 Glaucus Atlanticus

This adorable little guy is also known as the blue dragon. It is a species of blue sea slug, found in warm ocean waters. It can also glide on the surface of the water, thanks to a gas-filled sac in its stomach.

#10 The Pacu Fish

This living nightmare is found in Papua New Guinea. Locals call this fish a "ball cutter." Good luck sleeping tonight.

#11 Venezuelan Poodle Moth

Yes, bugs can be adorable. This one was found in Venezuela in 2009, a new species. Scientists don't know that much about the poodle moth, but they are learning more every day.

#12 Hummingbird Hawk-Moth

This hawk-moth (possibly the world's smallest superhero) feeds on flowers and makes a sound similar to that of a hummingbird's. If you saw it fly by, you might even mistake it for one.

#13 Sea Pig

Scotoplanes live on deep ocean bottoms, specifically on the abyssal plain in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean. They are deposit feeders and extract their food from deep sea mud.

#14 Umbonia Spinosa

These colorful thorn bugs are related to cicadas. They use their beaks to pierce plant stems to feed upon their sap. No one is really sure why they look the way they do, but it's most likely a form of camouflage.

#15 Atretochoana Eiselti (a.k.a., the Penis Snake)

This suggestive-looking, eyeless animal is actually called Atretochoana eiselti. It is a large, presumably aquatic, caecilian amphibian with a broad, flat head and a fleshy dorsal fin on the body.

#16 The Panda Ant

This bug, a Mutillidae, is part of a family of more than 3,000 species of wasps (despite the names). These wasps have wingless females that resemble large, hairy ants. Panda Ants are found in Chile, they are known for their extremely painful stings, hence the common name cow killer or cow ant.

#17 Goblin Shark

These nightmarish sharks live in the ocean at depths greater than 100 m (330 ft). Adults are found deeper than juveniles. These scary sharks pose no threat to humans (but they will haunt your dreams).

#18 Red-lipped Batfish

This creature is found on the Galapagos Islands. It's not good at swimming, so it uses its fins to walk across the ocean floor while looking fabulous.

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