The Most Beautiful and Strange Animals in the World

When I was a child my father was an ichthyologist; he studied fish.  We would visit aquariums often and loved poking around in tidal pools when we went near the ocean (which was not often as we lived in Alberta).  We got to know about many fascinating water creatures, not all of which were fish. 

Of all of the creatures in the water, some of the most beautiful, and mesmerizing, are nudibranchs.  Say "nude a branks".  They are mollusks that lose their shell when they mature.  They are sometimes incorrectly called sea slugs.  They are mostly found on the ocean floor, but are found all over the world, in the shallows, in the depths, in warm water, and in cold. 

Without shells to protect them nudibranchs may use their colors to blend in and match the surrounding corals, or to serve as a warning for potential predators.  Some are toxic, but not all are.  Their name means "naked gill".

Nudibranchs are carnivores, mostly consuming sponges (which are living animals), however some will eat other nudibranchs. 

"Glossodoris atromarginata" by Chika Watanabe from Los Altos, USA - Flickr. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - 

Spanish Shawl nudibranch via Wikimedia Commons

Ceratosoma tenue from Lembeh Straits, Indonesia (and shrimp) via Wikimedia Commons

There are roughly 2,500 known species of nudibranchs, and probably hundreds more undiscovered ones.

Nudibranchs are typically slow moving creatures that just travel along the bottom, but when they move through the water they move with a delicate ribbon like motion that is beautiful to watch.

Peruvian Pasos, Exotic Horses

For as long as I can remember I have been a horse crazy girl. Neither of my parents were horse people so it was rather hard to convince them to buy me a horse, however I did manage to convince them to get me riding lessons. The riding lessons were your typical English riding lessons, done in groups on lesson horses.

 

One year the stable, which was in Edmonton, hosted a showcase of different horse breeds. One of the breeds that attended were Peruvian Pasos. While horses are not really “exotic pets” the Peruvian Paso certainly qualifies as an exotic type of horse.

The Peruvian Paso not only looks exotic but has two very unique gaits for which it was bred. These gaits are the Paso Llano and the Sobreando. Both are four beat lateral gaits, left hind, left front, right hind, right front. The Sobreando is slightly faster with a pause between the second and third step.

At the showcase of the breeds there were a few Peruvians, the one I remember best (this was almost 30 years ago) was a Palomino named Gato del Sol, cat of the sun. I remember him because I actually got to ride him. As part of the breed showcase people were allowed to ride some of the horses. I rode him (this being only for a few minutes) but wow I can honestly say he was smooth like silk. He also had a beautiful thick mane and tail; characteristics of the breed. They do not even cut a bridal path.

photo source - The gaits of the Peruvian Paso are natural and foals perform them from a young age, it almost looks like a trot here, but is not.

All in all these are very showy, beautiful, horses which, I think, qualifies them as exotic!

Peruvian Pasos are fairly rare, with less than 30,000 worldwide. Peruvian Paso horses originated in Peru but there are several breeders in the States and Canada (at least two breeders right here in Alberta). Some breeders have been criticized for trying to change the breed. Horses should stand between 14.1 and 15.2 hands but some people want to make them taller, others try to make them faster and have altered the gait too much in the opinion of other purist breeders. If you are looking for a Peruvian Paso try to familiarize yourself with the breed and only buy from a breeder who is sticking with correct breed standard.

To see more pictures and learn more about the Peruvian Paso, Read Here.

If you are a kid and want to try to convince your parents to buy you a horse (good luck) you can Read Here.