Animals 21-25 in our '50 incredible animals' series

Hi Everyone!

Here are the next five animals in our current series! We hope you learn something from this.

21. Stick insect

Stick insects are masters of disguise. They look like twigs or leaves. This strange appearance makes them hard to spot when stationary.

Stick insects are herbivores, feeding on leaves, and can live for up to three years. Their habitat includes most tropical and subtropical regions, but there are a few species that live in temperate areas as well. There are roughly 3 000 different stick insect species!

Not much more is known about them, because they are difficult to find. The two main threats to their populations are the pet trade and people killing them so as to frame their carcasses, like butterflies. Their conservation status ranges from critically endangered to least concern - so basically every category that is on the list!

22. Glass frog

The glass frog is, well, see through. You can literally see its inner organs. This is actually a form of camouflage!

Glass frogs live along river banks and near streams. There are 120 species of glass frog. Glass frogs mate over a stream or pond. When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles fall directly into the water. They stay there until they metamorphose into froglets. One of the biggest danger for frog eggs, are 'frog flies'. The flies lay their own eggs on top of the frog eggs. The flies' eggs hatch faster and the maggots feed on the frog embryos!

Glass frogs live for 10-14 years. They inhabit Central America. They are considered Least Concern.

23. Sun bear

Sun bears are native to the dense lowland forest of Southeast Asia. They are small and pretty much harmless to humans. Their name comes from the golden patch on their chests. Legend has it that this patch represents the rising sun. Sun bears are nocturnal. They spend the night feeding on fruits, berries, roots, insects, small birds and lizards. They also have very long tongue for extracting honey from wild honey bee nests.

Sun bears are classed as vulnerable and their populations are in decline.

24. Venezuelan poodle moth

Very little is known about the Venezuelan poodle moth probably because it was first sighted in 2009. They are about 3-4cm and covered with white fur, which gives them the name poodle moth. They have large black eyes and live in the Venezuelan rainforest. Predators are probably bats but we don't know for certain. There is only one photo of the Venezuelan poodle moth and there has only been one sighting, meaning that many scientists aren't certain wether it actually exists. Due to the fact that so little is known about it, the IUCN has not classified its vulnerability yet. However, it is likely to be facing the same threats as most animals such as climate change and habitat loss.

25. Japanese spider crab

Despite looking a bit like underwater monsters, Japanese spider crabs are actually gentle. They are still giants though. There are 60 000 different crustacean species - Japanese spider crabs are the largest. They get their name from their spider-like appearance.

They don't normally hunt, instead they scavenge the sea floor looking for dead animals and plants although they will sometimes eat live fish or other smaller crustaceans.

They are considered a delicacy in Japan but luckily, it is illegal to catch them in Japanese waters, during the breeding season.

Thank you so much for reading this and we'll be back soon!

Images:
Stick insect: This image, owned by Sid Mosdell (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Glass frog: This image, owned by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquaters (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Sun bear: This image, owned by ucumari photography (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Sources:
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Walking-Sticks
https://www.britannica.com/animal/glass-frog
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/sun-bear
https://factanimal.com/venezuelan-poodle-moth/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/japanese-spider-crab

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