When Mother Nature Gets Her Freak On, It Is Wise To Run In The Opposite Direction

When we think of mother nature, we often conjure images of dreamy landscapes, gorgeous sunsets, adorable baby animals, and picturesque places. However, nature isn’t always full of fun and rainbows. Nature also has a dark, dark side, the kind of side that is full of ghoulish sights that make one recoil in fear. It is actually a repository of some of the strangest and scariest-looking creatures that can only belong to nightmares. We have compiled pictures of things that will make you squirm in discomfort. From horrifying wasp nests to a mama centipede protecting its young, we have everything that will make for a great horror night. Sit back and get ready to be treated to another installment of Mother Nature’s macabre and horrifying show.

Keep away from the kids or mama will hurt you

More than 3,000 species of centipedes have been recorded in the world, and they are present everywhere except Antarctica. Antarctica seems to be the only safe place to move to if you want to be away from critters of every kind.

Most people don’t expect centipedes to be good mothers but they dote on their offspring. Mother centipedes wrap their bodies around the eggs and protect them from danger until they hatch. Want to see what that looks like? Just look at the photo. It’s so scary for something that’s supposed to be maternal.

Deathmask flowers

Flowers were not always around. They only appeared 140 million years ago, but nature has been more beautiful and more colorful since they first appeared. A fun fact is that there are carnivorous flowers that rely on bugs and small animals to survive.

Flowers are supposed to make any garden cheerier, but what if the flowers died and looked like this? These flowers look as if they’re wearing death masks, and they frankly make the garden a scary place. These Snapdragons are enough to stop anyone from wanting to take up gardening for relaxation.

The alien flower

What you’re seeing is not a shot for the next Alien film; it’s something of this earth, a fungus, to be specific. The Devil’s Finger fungus is a weird and strange-looking plant species that as is also called the octopus stinkhorn because of its appearance.

It hatches from a slimy and gelatinous egg-like form. As the fungus grows, its tentacle-like arms start to protrude. The fungus is easy to spot because of its red color, and you’ll know when the fungus is there even before you see it because it has a very strong, pungent smell.

Hairy worms?, how odd!

Vermiphobia is the fear of worms, and although it may sound alien to you, quite a few people suffer from it. The sight of a worm or something resembling a worm is enough to send someone with vermiphobia into a panic attack.

We’re quite sure that the sight of this Antarctic worm is enough to send someone in fits of discomfort, even if they don’t have any phobia about creepy-crawlies. It looks like an ornament from hell! This marine worm lives in the waters of the Antarctic and has a body that’s fitted with golden bristles and sharp pointy teeth.

What about a bat the size of a small child?

Spooky, creepy, and often associated with nighttime, bats have gotten such a bad rap over time. However, they are an important species that help ensure balance in nature. Without bats, you can say goodbye to avocados, bananas, and other fruits.

There are more than 1,400 species of bats worldwide, and the biggest is the Flying Fox, which is what you see in the photo. Native to the Philippines, the biggest flying fox on record had a wingspan of 5.25 feet. They may look scary, but you need not worry as they are vegetarians, and they rely on flowers, fruits, nectars, leaves, and pollen for their nourishment. However, we’re quite sure we’d faint if we saw a humungous bat first thing in the morning.

Along came a huge spider!

Almost all spiders are venomous, which is one reason why some people are deathly afraid of them. However, the venom’s main purpose is not to hurt people but to subdue the spider’s prey, which is almost always insects. Only a small percentage of spiders have a toxin or venom that can cause localized pain, or worse in humans.

One of the spiders that are harmless to humans is the Huntsman spider which you see in the photo above. There are more than a thousand species of the Huntsman spider, and people fear it because it is the largest species of spider in the world. It can grow to have a leg-span of 12 inches and a body length of 1.8 inches.

We’d rather walk than ride that bicycle

Generally, bee stings only cause a mild reaction and discomfort. However, if you’re allergic to bee stings, the situation can soon become life-threatening. Approximately 7% of people will experience a severe allergic reaction to insect stings at some time during their life.

Allergic or not, there’s no way we’re getting on that bike. We’re happy to walk any distance as long as we can stay away from that damned bike. Just look at those bees feeling right at home on the saddle! Scary!

Saw you right there

The sawfish got its name because of its snout that’s lined with a row of sharp teeth on both sides. Contrary to popular belief, the sawfish is a ray and not a shark, although they have the same shape as the latter.

The sawfish is an endangered species; that’s why it’s illegal to buy or sell sawfish rostra or their saws. Its population may be at critical levels, but its appearance deserves a slot in a horror movie. What if you accidentally ended up next to one and got “sawed” by accident?

Does this nest make a sound when the wind blows?

Paper wasps make their nests from mixing fibers, plant stems, and, well, their spit to make their living spaces. Wild honey bees follow pretty much the same process when making their hives, but they make their homes in hollow trees and rock crevices.

However, this colony’s of wasps thought that it would be best to make a nest on the windchime. The windchime is probably located in an abandoned area. We’re quite sure we’re not gonna hear any sound out of that chime except the buzzing of the angry wasps.

Straight out of a horror movie

Has it ever occurred to you that spiders could get washed away in floods, and or they could get wet when it rains? The thought never occurred to us, not before we saw this eerie photo that looks like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie.

What you see covering the trees like ghostly cocoons are millions of spider webs. There was a flood in Pakistan in 2010, and the waters took too long to receded that the spiders and other insects had to protect themselves by making huge webs.

Going out for a very short run

When we go out for a run, we don’t normally check our shoes. We just pretty much lace them up and then go on our way. This photo below will serve as a good reason always to remember to check what’s in your shoes before sticking your feet into them.

Who’s to say there isn’t a rat snake coiled inside ready to bite you or perhaps a scorpion? Rat snakes, such as the one in the photo, may not be venomous and may be harmless to humans, but who wants to take the risk, right? Everyone wants to be able to get about their day without taking a trip to the nearest hospital.

Mutant frog

Mutations in nature can be fascinating, but they can also be ghastly. We rarely notice them, but a lot of mutations occur in nature. Marcomutation is the term used to describe mutation that has made a substantial impact on an organism.

Take a look at this frog, which has been severely affected by macromutation resulting from a parasitic infection. Its eyes are inside its mouth instead of its head. Sone frogs affected with the same mutation have missing, malformed, or extra hind legs. Not a pleasant sight, if you ask us.

Hitching a ride

Traveling can be a challenge, not just for humans but especially for small animals who have to cover long distances. If you think humans are the only creatures who like to hitch a ride at times, you’re sorely mistaken. Just look at those venomous toads.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. The toads are catching a ride on the back of a rather huge python. What was going on? There was a large storm in Australia. The lake was so full that it filled the burrows of cane toads around it. The cane toads wanted to get away from the water fast, so some of them hitched a ride on a python, moving at full speed.  

Clean behind your dresser regularly

Some people are so meticulous when it comes to making sure that their dresser or wardrobe is organized and clean. They are so fixated with keeping the inside orderly that they forget to check behind their dressers. Consider this as a reminder to add this spot to your spring cleaning to-do list.

This homeowner had not checked behind her dresser for years from the looks of it. What did she see when she finally checked? Plenty of large lizards. They may not be as harmful as snakes and as icky as other insects but just look at those eggs!

Is that a snake or a caterpillar?

Caterpillars have as many as 4,000 muscles in their bodies. Compare that to humans who have only 650 muscles. That explains why they can move in ways we cannot. Caterpillars also have 12 eyes, but they don’t have excellent eyesight.

We’ve seen caterpillars many times, and we know what they look like, but this right here is just confusing. It looks like a snake and a caterpillar at the same time. Nature is full of wonders that it decided to give some caterpillars the heads of a snake, such as this one.

Drag you to hell

If you’ve seen the Hollywood movie, Drag Me to Hell, you’d understand why this photo reminds us of that. This lava pit looks like it’s sucking poor unfortunate souls to the depths of hell. All those poor souls can put up a fight, but they’re still going to end up in that abyss.

Looking at this photo reminds us of what Dante Alighieri said. Maybe he saw this in his dream when he was writing Inferno. They need to put a plaque on the pit’s entrance with his writing. It would be so appropriate, “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.”

Creepy wasp dollhouse

Wasps can be found everywhere in the world except Antarctica, so if you’re afraid of them, maybe you should consider relocating there. There are at least 30,000 identified species of wasps, and they are classified into two, social and solitary wasps.

Social wasps use their stingers for defense, while solitary wasps use their stingers for hunting. Now we’re curious what type of wasps built their nests in a doll because it’s just too creepy. Just look at it hanging there fused with the wasp nest. This is the stuff bad dreams are made of.

The wall is oozing honey

Although most bees make their hives on rock crevices or in trees, they also make their homes in some of the most unusual places such as garages, attics, underground, in garden furniture, and even inside the walls of homes.

That’s exactly what happened to this homeowner. One day their walls just started oozing honey. It may not be as scary as having blood oozing out of your walls, but it’s still a big problem. This just means that there are many bees, maybe thousands, inside their home. Perhaps now is the time to move to a new house.

A lizard with a foot on its tail?

Lizards, just like snakes, are reptiles, and they are almost everywhere except Antarctica. Lizards easily adapt, and they have several natural habitats such as forests, marshes, and rocky mountainsides. An interesting fact about lizards is that they can detach their tails when they are caught by surprise.

We’ve all heard of lizards detaching their tails and growing them again, but we’ve never heard of a lizard that grew a foot on its tail. Just look at the photo above if you don’t want to take our word for it. A bit unnerving, but we’re sure the extra foot will come in handy.

Color-coded pythons

Pythons are part of the reptile family, and like most reptiles, they are cold-blooded and are covered in scales. They rely on the environment to keep them cool or to warm them up. They may look scary, but pythons are nonvenomous snakes, and they belong to a group called constrictors.

Constrictors are so-called because they subdue or kill their prey by constriction. Pythons come in a variety of different colors; from light to dark-colored. These pythons have taken it upon themselves to make their owner’s job easy by segregating themselves according to color.

Fish with human teeth

We’ve often heard the statement that there’s no need to worry as there’s much fish in the sea and couldn’t be truer. There are 28,000 known extant species, and there could be hundreds more that we haven’t discovered yet.

Fish that live in the deepest parts of the water have weird appearances and even weirder characteristics. This common fish shown above may not be as scary as those types of deepwater fish, but there’s no denying that this Sheepshead fish looks super weird because it has rows and rows of human-looking teeth.

Three-tailed gecko

Geckos have gained a lot of fame in the past few years, thanks to an abundance of car insurance commercials. Most people don’t know much about geckos and often confuse them with lizards, but they are different from one another.

Geckos have toes that make them stick to any surface easily, except Teflon. There are some species of geckos that look more like snakes because of their lack of legs. They can also detach their tails and regrow them when needed. However, we haven’t heard of a gecko that has three tails.

Snake versus bird

Most people might think of snakes as predators, but smaller snakes also fall prey to bigger animals. There are a ton of birds, such as hawks and owls, that hunt snakes for food. There are also plenty of mammals that get in on the action, such as the mongoose.

This bird must have been looking for small snakes to feed on. However, the one it caught wasn’t ready to give up yet. It’s putting up a good fight by coiling itself around the bird’s beak. It remains to be seen who’s going to win, though.

Careful when you eat mussels

Mussels have been cultivated in Europe for almost a thousand years, and they have been a food source for humans for 20,000 years. There are freshwater and saltwater mussels, and although they look similar, they are not closely related.

Mussels mostly eat algae and plankton, but a few other things have been found inside mussels, such as tiny crabs. Luckily for this woman, she checked the mussel before putting it in her mouth. She would have heard a big crunch otherwise.

Gecko eating its tail

For most lizards, sacrificing their tail is common. They can throw their tail when they are stressed or when they are attacked. In 2004, a new species of gecko was discovered in Madagascar, and if it needed to get away fast, it would lose its skin.

We’ve all heard about the things geckos do to escape, but we haven’t seen or heard of a gecko eating its tail until we saw this photo. Not sure what this little fellow was doing, but it certainly seems to be enjoying himself while dining on its tail.

An island of floating fire ants

Reddish-brown in color, fire ants live in mounds, and they sting like hell. A colony of fire ants can have as many as 200,000 ants made up of one queen and female working ants. They were accidentally brought to the United States by a cargo boat from South America.

If you know the pain they can inflict, you’d stay far away from them as much as possible. This colony of fire ants made a floating island of themselves so they could ride out a flood. People who have been through the hell these creatures can bring would only be too happy to see them getting carried away by the floods.

Mutated lobster?

Lobsters make for great meals. They taste great, and they have plenty of sweet-tasting meat. There are two types of lobsters, the spiny and the clawed kinds. The clawed kind has a pincer and crusher claw that can either be on the left or the right side.

However, some lobsters end up with two pincers, such as the one in the photo. Although the reason for such an occurrence cannot be pinpointed, it could be because of a mutation. Mutation happens in all animals and often results in deformities.

This would make a good mask for Halloween

Most lizards, like their relatives, the snakes, shed their skin but in pieces. An area of their body may already be shedding, but others may not be ready yet. If you have a pet lizard, you should be careful not to peel off the dead layers of skin as this may expose and possibly damage new skin.

This homeowner found his pet lizard’s skin after it was done shedding its entire face in one go. It was very nicely done so that other lizards could use it as a mask for Halloween. Seriously though, unlike other things on this list, it’s not very horrifying but fascinating.

The stuff of nightmares

The lamprey looks like an eel, but it’s more like a creature from the depths of hell. It has a suction cup for a mouth complete with several rows of sharp teeth. How does it feed? It uses its mouth to latch onto fish while its tongue rasps away at skin and scales to feed on the fish’s bodily fluids and blood.

Sounds grisly, right? The sea lamprey can be likened to a blood-sucking vampire, except that it doesn’t feed exclusively on blood, and it’s not afraid of the sun. Native to the Atlantic Ocean, it has a very well-developed sense of smell that it uses for communication and navigation.

A spider giving birth to a gecko?

Nope, this isn’t a spider giving birth to a gecko. We all know that these two species don’t breed with each other. However, if you don’t take a long, hard look at the photo, you’d certainly think that something bizarre is going on.

Imagine how surprised the homeowner was to discover this among her son’s toys! The gecko seems to be taking refuge in her son’s toy spider, and of all places it could pop its head out of, it did so from the spiders behind.

Hermit crab making its home on a discarded doll’s head

Hermit crabs change shells from time to time. As their bodies grow, they are also on the lookout for new shells that can accommodate their bodies. Once a hermit crab sees an ideal shell, it will use its claws and antennae to check if it’s a good fit.

We have nothing against hermit crabs switching shells because that’s how Mother Nature intends things to be. However, seeing a hermit crab using a discarded doll’s head as a shell sends shivers down our spine. The crab seems like it’s ready to shoot the sequel for Child’s Play or Annabelle.

Time to sell the house

Although most bees make trees their home, they don’t always play by the rules and sometimes look for another piece of real estate to build their hives on. They have also been known to find cozy spaces in the attic, the garage, and between walls.

This homeowner must have been horrified and surprised to find that her walls have become a bee haven. Bees may be valuable to the ecosystem, but what do you do if they encroach in your space? Do you tell them kindly to leave? We think it’s time to call pest control and ask them to do what they do best.

This enraged eel

This is another picture that should be filed away under “Nightmarish Creatures.” This is the snaggle-toothed snake eel. Unlike other eels, this one doesn’t look calm or friendly. It seems like the sort of thing that appears in your nightmares, ready to bite you and suck all your blood.

This tropical eel is found in the Pacific Ocean and can reach lengths of up to 104 centimeters or over 3 feet. However, like all eels, it’s a fish and it’s harmless to humans despite its scary features. You’ll only die of fright when you see it.

Excuse me but you’ve got a fly on your face

Parasites are the most common forms of life on Earth, and according to scientists, more than 80% of all living things on the planet are parasitic in nature. Some parasites feed off humans, while there are some parasites that only affect animals.

This poor bat didn’t get the good things in life, especially when a parasite decided that it would be right at home on the bat’s face. This wingless fly called Penicillidia looks like a tick or a spider. They have special claws at the end of their foot and hairs on their legs that make it a challenge to dislodge them from fur.

Welcome to another horror show from the depths of the sea

In yet another episode of the horror show from the depths of the sea, we have another creature that belongs in your most frightening nightmares. This still shot was taken from a video of a deep-sea squid at a depth of more than 7000 feet.

This squid is only rarely seen, and not much is known about it either. This species is very different from others because the length of its tentacles is up to 20 times its body length. Based on video evidence, experts estimate the total length of the largest specimen at 8 meters or 26 feet. Yikes!

What in the world is this?!

“What the heck?!” would be the first thing that comes to mind if we saw this. The ocean, indeed, is a vast depository of the strangest and most fascinating creatures. Although we mostly see fish from the depths of the sea, there are also rarer and not-so-friendly looking things out there, such as this one.

This is most likely a sea anemone, and although they are mostly poisonous only to their prey, there are species of anemones that are highly toxic to humans. This is why it’s better to keep away from them and refrain from touching them.

A nightmare straight out from The Birds

If you’re a fan of Alfred Hitchcock, then you’re most likely familiar with one of his greatest works, The Birds. The king and master of horror films delivers real psychological terror that sticks with viewers for a long time.

This picture right here is reminiscent of that frightening movie. This is a town in central Texas, and boy, do they have a problem with birds out there. It’s as if the winged creatures are convening and are planning on attacking the townspeople.

Spiderman mask web

Spiderman first appeared in August 1962 and was created by the genius Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. The character was one of the first teen heroes who wasn’t a sidekick. What made him unique was that he had to deal with his superpowers while growing up as a teenager.

This web made by spiders coincidentally looks like Spiderman’s mask. Contrary to popular belief, spiders have a sense of design; they just don’t weave and weave randomly. Some spiders, particularly the orb weavers, decorate their webs with extra silk designs known as stabilimenta.

His phone got bugged

This person’s phone got bugged, and when we say bugged, we mean it literally. What would you do if you opened up your phone and discovered a whole colony of cockroaches?! Just the thought of it is making our skin crawl.

Cockroaches have been around since the time of dinosaurs, and they can live for a month even without food and can survive for two weeks without water. They are very resilient creatures, and they can reproduce at astronomical rates! No wonder there are millions of them.

Meat-eating plants?

There are plenty of fragrant and beautiful flowers. However, there is also another group of flowers, those that don’t look very appealing and those that are downright scary, just like the Hydnora Africana, a parasitic plant. Yup, you heard that right, parasitic.

It has no stems or leaves; there’s only a flower. It is devoid of chlorophyll and has a flesh-like feel and look, much like a fungus. It has a putrid smell that attracts insects such as dung beetles, which become trapped within the flower walls.

There’s something in the orange juice

Food has an expiry date for a reason, and it should be consumed before that date or else you could suffer from stomach problems. A product’s “use by” date is the last date recommended for the product to be used while still at its peak quality.

This homeowner discovered a bottle of orange juice that has been abandoned in the cupboards for more than a year, and he got a big surprise, literally. Something was already growing inside the bottle. It’s most likely a yeast colony, and it’s definitely time to get rid of the bottle.

Is that an eye behind your ear?

Owls are fascinating creatures, and they have often been used to represent wisdom. Owls are known to have the ability to rotate their necks 270 degrees, something that other birds can’t do. They have a blood-pooling system that powers their eyes and brain when their neck movement loses circulation.

Like other birds, owls don’t have external ear structures that mammals have. Their ears are nothing but just opening in their skulls, and when you part the feathers on the sides of the owl’s head, you will be able to take a peek at their eyes.

A parasite for a tongue?

Parasites survive by feeding off on other animals, and sometimes humans. It’s easy to think of them as outliers, as the exception to the rule, but things indicate that they are the rule rather than the exception. An estimated 40% of animal species are parasites.

The thought of parasites is enough to make one squirm in discomfort. Imagine how this fish felt when the cymothoa exigua, otherwise known as the tongue-eating louse, a type of parasite isopod, entered its gills, ate its tongue, and replaced it—such a horrifying thought.

Horrifying hornets

While wasps are only yellow and black, hornets come in a variety of colors. They’re also scarier than wasps because they tend to attack in large groups. Hornets tend to nest above ground, and their homes are mostly found on roofs and treetops.

However, there are times when they nest in the ground in abandoned homes and undisturbed fields. This horrifying hornet’s nest was found in an abandoned shed that has been left alone for a couple of years. You’re asking if that’s a head? Yes, it is. The head is part of a wooden statue which the hornet’s nest has fused with.

Creepy antlers

Shedding and re-growing antlers year after year is a unique process and something that caribous and deer have to endure. The caribou is unique because it can grow antlers that can grow to lengths of up to a meter and as heavy as 20 pounds. Wow!

This caribou, in particular, is in the early stages of shedding and re-growing antlers. This is the time when the antlers are covered in a soft buzz that is also known as velvet. The antlers initially grow as a soft cartilage-like tissue that is full of blood vessels, hence the red color.