The undiscovered side of the animal kingdom never fails to amaze us.
However, there are some animals that go viral and have a bigger impact that some others, to their rare and interesting appearances and not at all usual characteristics.
Let me tell you that me myself, thought it was an online prank when I first saw the picture of the “penis snake,”. I refused to admit that it was actually it was a real, living animal. Keep reading this, if you are curious for this special “snake”, that horrified everyone who saw it.
Over the years, objects with phallic shapes have consistently managed to capture people’s attention and arouse curiosity. A few years back, there were a bunch of pictures online, that showed a creature that many of us though it was not real.
“Penis snake,” “blind snake,” or the “man-aconda.” -were just some of the nicknames people gave to this peculiar-looking creature.
But actually no, it’s not what many of you think it is.
This unusual critter, which can only be seen in the Brazilian Amazon, has long been thought to be extinct. In the late 1800s, Sir Graham Hales and Sir Brian Doll went on an expedition and made the initial discovery.
The creature, known as Atretochoana eiselti, defies expectations by belonging to a completely different group of animal yet having big resemblance to a snake. It is the largest known lungless tetrapod and an amphibian more closely related to the salamander.
The initial description of A. eiselti, however, wasn’t published until 1968. It was reclassified in 1996 as a separate and exclusive genus called Atretochoana as a result of additional investigation and study.
In the Amazonas, this caecilian species was rediscovered in 2011. The “penis snake” is a unique animal that lives only in the Amazon River and its biggest tributary, the Madeira River in Brazil. No other recorded sightings of this animal have ever been reported outside of this specific region.
In 2011, a group of creatures with phallic shapes was found at the depths of Brazil’s Madeira River. And the discovery ultimately led to the emergence of viral images that went viral on the internet a few years ago. These creatures were uncovered during the process of draining the river for inspection related to a hydropower dam.
Julian Tupan, a biologist with the Santo Antonio Energy firm involved in building the dam, claims that nothing is known about the limbless, lungless frogs.
“Of the six we collected, one died, three were released back into the wild and another two were kept for studies” he told Estadao, according to the U.K.’s The Sun.
Tupan stressed that the “snakes” are not dangerous and are not likely to act aggressively.
“Despite looking like snakes, they aren’t reptiles and are more closely related to salamanders and frogs. “We think the animal breathes through its skin, and probably feeds on small fish and worms, but there is still nothing proven.
“The Amazon is a box of surprises when it comes to reptiles and amphibians. There are still much more to be discovered.”
Researchers are baffled by a fascinating facet of their nutritional preferences. The animals with phallic shapes are thought to devour small fish, worms, and other aquatic invertebrates, but more thorough investigation is required to corroborate this theory.
The most extensively shared image was posted on Julian Tupan’s Instagram page and shows an adult female A. eiselti that is just about 40 inches long.Despite the curiosity that surrounds these fascinating creatures, there is still a lot that is unknown about them, and our understanding of them is still rather limited.
One of the species discovered in the riverbed was heavily photographed, according to a research published in the Brazilian scientific journal Boletim do Museu Paraense Emlio Goeldi: Ciências Naturais. In the Madeira River, some of the creatures were returned to their original habitat, and others were taken to the Emilio Goeldi Paraense Museum in Belem, Brazil.
Their respiratory system also remains a mystery because it’s unclear how they breathe. The six specimens’ 2011 discovery added still another level of complication to this riddle. The location of their discoveries was particularly noteworthy because there wasn’t much access to cold, swift water. Given that warmer water has less oxygen, their life without lungs is all the more remarkable.
The species is thought to have a large distribution throughout the Brazilian Amazon and may even expand into Bolivia, according to these most recent discoveries.
We are always amazed by the endless beauty and unexpected wonders of nature. The natural world is a constant source of fascination and discovery, from the deepest parts of the ocean to the highest mountains.
To make your friends and family curious as well, share this unusual story on Facebook and spark conversations about the wonders of nature!