Be Wilder

Be Wilder the book that explores the bizarre world

Matthew Whitcomb

Copyright © 2021 Matthew Whitcomb All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

To request permissions, contact the publisher at publisher@email.com.

Hardcover: 978-3-16-148410-0 Paperback: 978-3-16-148410-0 Audiobook: 978-3-16-148410-0 Ebook: 978-3-16-148410-0 Library of Congress Number: First paperback edition December 1st 2021.

Edited by Eric Flamanco Cover art by Matthew Whitcomb Layout by Matthew Whitcomb Book art by Matthew Whitcomb Printed by Book Baby in the USA.

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Copyright

Acknowledgement To Eric Flamanco, thank you for taking the time out of their busy schedule to look over and edit my whole manuscript. I would like to also thank my other friends that looked over some of my layout and give feed back on what I can edit as well.

Acknowledgement

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Table of Contents A B C D F G H J L 4

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Aardvark �����������������������������������������������06 Axolotl ���������������������������������������������������07 Aye-Aye �������������������������������������������������08 Babirusa ������������������������������������������������� 10 Bilby ������������������������������������������������������� 11 Binturong ��������������������������������������������� 12 Buff Crested Bustard ��������������������������� 13 Blue Glaucus ����������������������������������������� 14 Coatis ����������������������������������������������������� 16 Colugo ��������������������������������������������������� 17

Dik-Dik ��������������������������������������������������� 18

Flightless Cormorant ��������������������������� 19 Gerenuk �������������������������������������������������20 Gobi Jerboa ������������������������������������������� 21 Glass Frog ���������������������������������������������22 Hoatzin �������������������������������������������������24

Jabiru Stork �������������������������������������������26 Japanese Giant Salmander ����������������� 27 Long Beaked Echidna ���������������������������28 Lowland Streaked Tenrec �������������������29 Lungfish �������������������������������������������������30

Table of Contents

M N O P R S V W Z

Maned Wolf ��������������������������������������������32 Marabou Stork ������������������������������������� 33 Mata Mata Turtle ��������������������������������� 34 Mexican Mole Lizard ��������������������������� 35 Northern Pinocchio Frog ��������������������� 36 Notostraca ��������������������������������������������37

Okapi ����������������������������������������������������� 38 Pangolin ����������������������������������������������� 40 Patagonian Mara ����������������������������������41 Pink Fairy Armadillo ����������������������������� 42 Purple Frog ������������������������������������������� 43

Rufous Elephant Shrew �����������������������44 Saiga Antelope ������������������������������������� 46 Satanic Leaf-Tailed Geko ��������������������� 47 Shoebill ������������������������������������������������� 48 Smooth Softshell Turtle ��������������������� 49

Vietnamese Mossy Frog ��������������������� 50

Water Opossum ������������������������������������51

Zebra Duiker ������������������������������������������52

Table of Contents

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Aardvark

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They are also known as earth pig in Africa Their hide is very thick They use their big nose to track the insects they eat They live in burrows

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Aardvark

Related to the anteater however slightly different. While the anteater and aardvark look similar, they have a different build to them. The anteaters are very hairy while aardvark’s have less hair and bigger ears and eyes. While the anteaters are diurnal the aardvark is nocturnal.

Their eyesight allows them to see at night, but during the day their vision diminishes. If you ever want to find an aardvark you will be able to locate them in Africa. Just like the anteater, the aardvark eats termites and ants. With an animal that digs up termite mounds they need to have strong and durable claws, and with those claws they can also defend themselves by swiping at the predator that challenges them.

Axolotl

The Axolotl is a very fantastical looking creature. While it looks very alien, they are actually related to salamanders. While most salamanders have a phase where they spend their early life in water and have gills, the axolotl stays in the water and keeps their gills.

Commonly found in lake Xochimilco in Mexico as well in Mexico City, their diet consist of insects, worms, and some fish.

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On the verge of extinction It gets its name from the Aztec got Xolotl They grow up to a foot long The red feathers you see on the side of their head is how they filter water

Axolotl

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Aye-Aye

These nocturnal animals spend most of their time awake foraging for food. The aye-aye is most well- known for its abnormally long finger which it uses to feel around its environment and to pick out insects living in trees and in tight nooks and crannies. They are also equipped with big eyes that allow them to take in more light which helps them see more at night.

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Aye-Aye

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Maurice in Madagascar the movie is an aye-aye Largest nocturnal primate Their large middle finger is also used as a sensory organ Discovered in the 1800s

Aye-Aye

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Babirusa

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Their secondary tusk will keep growing and will grow into their skulls Its name also means pig deer Genetically they are closer to sheep then pigs

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Babirusa

These interesting creatures are found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, Togian, Sula, and Buru. Just like other pigs, the babirusa diet consist of anything it can find. However, unlike most pigs the babirusa has two stomach chambers where they digest their food. Looking at them, the thing that stands out the most are their four tusks. Their front two tusk will stop growing from all the digging done while their secondary tusks, located inside their mouths and grow out their nose, don’t stop growing and are primarily used to attract mates.

Bilby

Located in Australia, The bilby is a nocturnal mammal that burrows to makes its home. They will have up to 12 burrows, that can be up to two to three meters deep. Their features resemble that of a rabbit and a mouse. Their diet consists of seeds, plants, fruits, small insects, lizards, and small mammals. They have poor eyesight so they primarily use their large ears to navigate their environment.

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There are two different species the greater and lesser bilby The lesser bilby is extinct Believed to inhabit Australia for up to 15 million years

Bilby

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Binturong

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Smells like popcorn They can weigh up to 50 pounds They are omnivores One of the few mammals outside monkeys to have a prehensile tail

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Binturong

While known as the bear cat the binturong is related to neither. Rather they are more closely related to the Civet and Fossa which are small cat-like mammals. Like most tree dwelling animals, they possess a prehensile tail that allows them to maneuver through their environment. Its habitat ranges from Northeast India to Southeast Asia, and in the Philippines.

Their diet consists of strange fig fruits, to fish, and rodents, but they need to be studied more to determine their full diet. Right now, the binturong is on the verge of being an endangered species due to habitat loss and poaching.

Buff Crested Bustard

The Buff Crested Bustard lives in the east side of Africa. The males have a crest on top of their heads that are used to attract a mate.

They aren’t monogamous, so during a breading season one male could have multiple partners.

These birds don’t fly much so they will make nests on the ground to live in. They are omnivorous eating small insects to whatever pant they can find.

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Live up to 7 years in the wild They get as tall as 1.6ft It gets its name from its mating dance where it puffs out its feathers They take baths by rolling around in dirt

Buff Crested Bustard

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Blue Glaucus

The Blue Glaucus lives throughout the Pacific to the warm tropical waters of the Indian ocean. Even though they are found throughout all major oceans they are hard to find because of their small size of 3 centimeters in length. They swim upside down showing its blue belly to the sky and its light grey side to the bottom of the ocean. This acts as camouflage to protect itself from predators of the sky and sea. The Blue Glaucus is a poisonous sea slug that gains its toxin through its diet of the Portuguese man o’ wars, which is one of the most toxic jellyfish in the world.

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Blue Glaucus

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They can sallow air and hold it to help them float They can sting people They lay eggs on their prey’s carcass or on a floating mass They can move on land

Blue Glaucus

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Coatis

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Their life span can reach up to max 16 years They can weigh up to 25 pounds They use their tail to climb and balance when they are in trees They are extremely flexible and have double jointed ankles

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Coatis

They primarily live in North and South American tropical woodland and will occasionally be seen in deserts. These animals are related to racoons and share a similar diet of eating almost anything. Their diet consists of mainly fruit, lizards, and birds along with their eggs. They’re mainly active during nighttime and use their long nose to hunt their prey. They are very social creatures that will form groups upwards of 30 members.

Colugo

They are a sub species of flying lemurs and have two living species that are located in southeast Asia. They have a skin membrane that stretches from their front arms to their tail. They will glid from tree to tree to travers their environment where they will eat leaves, shoots, and fruits.

Colugos raise their babies similarily to those of marsupials. This means the baby will cling onto the mom’s stomach and will stay until they are able to survive on their own.

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They are classified as a lemur, but they are actually not lemurs They can live up to 15 years They are primarily nocturnal creatures Their fur acts as a natural camouflage when they are clinging to trees

Colugo

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Dik-Dik

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They grow up to 11 inches They weigh around 4 pounds They are able to sprint up to 24 miles per hour They are named after the sound they make

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Dik-Dik

These tiny, adorable antelopes can be found in Africa like most antelopes. They occupy the grassland and also desert areas around Africa.

Their main food source is just grazing through the grasslands. They are very sociable which help them create large groups. They find it safer to be in large groups in case a predator attacks, it’s more likely for the majority to escape.

Flightless Cormorant

Just like the name suggest these birds are unable to fly due to stunted growth in their wings. They are found solely in the Galapagos islands. The wingspan of a bird needs be at least double their height to be able to fly and the flightless cormorant’s wingspan is one third the necessary size to fly - This is due to not having natural predators on land. Being a flightless has lead them to having different hunting methods than your usual bird. They dive and hunt in the water and their diet consists of eels and octopus.

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They dry their wings out to dry after diving in water They have a flexible neck that helps the spear their prey with their beak The males take care of the chicks Their numbers are decreasing over the years

Flightless Cormorant

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Gerenuk

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Their name means giraffe-neck in Somali They can weigh up to 128 pounds They can grow up to 5 feet tall They use various noises to communicate with each other

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Gerenuk

These antelopes have a very bizarre physical trait, and that’s their abnormally large neck.

Along with having a large neck they also have an abnormally small head with big eyes and large ears. While resembling a giraffe with their neck, they actually aren’t related to them at all.

Like most hoofed mammals they are herbivores which means they will graze on plants, shrubs, and leaves. While eating leaves they will stand up on two legs so they can reach higher branches.

Gobi Jerboa

The Gobi jerboa has many similarities to the kangaroo rat, however they both belong to different rodent families. You are able to find these cute creatures in the Gobi and Sahara deserts. While being nocturnal they are able to utilize their large eyes and ears to explore and sense around their environment. They will make burrows to escape the heat and evade predators. When they’re out, they forage for plants, seeds, and small insects.

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They can be as long as six inches Their tails are larger then both their head and body They can weigh less then an ounce They are able to live up to 6 years in the wild

Gobi Jerboa

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Glass Frog

These unique frogs have translucent skin, which allows you to see all of the frogs’ internals. Their skin operates like this is to help them blend into their environment. Their diet consists of small insects such as spiders to moth, they will even eat smaller frogs.

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Glass Frog

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Their camouflage works best underwater They can jump more then ten feet The males will guard the eggs that are placed on leaves There are 60 kinds of glass frogs

Glass Frog

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Hoatzin

The hoatzin has a strange digestive track where they will use bacteria to decompose their food unlike other birds where they have an organ that will grind down their food. Another unique trait they have is seen in their diet; They will almost exclusively eat leaves unlike other birds that will have a mixed diet of small animals, insects and plants.

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Hoatzin

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When babies they have claws on their wings that they later lose when they mature They have the nickname stinkbird For how they look they actually aren’t great fliers Baby Hoatzin are goodclimbers due to their claws

Hoatzin

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Jabiru Stork

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Jabiru means swollen neck They can grow to be about 4 feet tall They use different calls and head movements to communicate with each other The different between male and female is that they females will have yellow eyes

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Jabiru Stork

This bird with a giant neck can be found in areas around South America to Argentina. They are most commonly seen in the wetlands where they will primarily hunt prey in the water. Their diet consist of aquatic animals such as fish, and semi aquatic animals like lizards. They have also been reported to scavenge from dead animals.

These birds are social creatures so they are mostly seen in big groups that will hunt together.

Japanese Giant Salamander

The Japanese Giant Salamander is the second largest salamander out there behind the Chinese giant salamander. Just like other amphibians, they have skin flaps running along their whole bodies that are used to sense their environment and filter water so they are able to breathe. They secrete a slime that they use to get away from predators and if ingested is poisonous. Their diet consists of fish, insects, to even small mammals.

Fun Facts • There are 3 different types of giant salamanders • The giant salamander is a key stone species which indicates a healthy environment • They have poor eyesight • They are a solitary species and will only seek out interaction from another during breeding season

Japanese Giant Salamander

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Long Beaked Echidna

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They can weigh about 22 pounds They can reach to be about 3 feet in length There are two different species the long beak and short beaked echidna

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Just like the platypus, this mammal also is strange in the way when they give birth; They will lay eggs instead of giving live birth. These nocturnal animals are very rare due to over hunting. They can only be found in New Guinea. They will make homes by using their claws to hollow out logs or make shallow burrows in the soil. Not much is known about their diet, but scientist have suggested by the way they look they their diet would consist of insects and earthworms.

Long Beaked Echidna

Lowland Streaked Tenrec

These black and yellow hedgehogs have detachable quills, similar to porcupines, but are closer related to moles. Unlike the porcupine the quills of the Tenrec are not barbed and are hidden under their fur. The black and yellow design is to help them camouflage into their environment and even mimic another species called the Tenrec ecaudatus which is a more aggressive species. Just like other rodents they mainly forage for small insects and worms.

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There are two different species They can rub their quills together to make a high frequency noise They can weigh up to 280 grams They have an unusually large number of vertebrae considering their size

Lowland Streaked Tenrec

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Lungfish

The lungfish are located in rivers and lakes in Africa, South America, and Australia. Physically they resemble an eel, however, they are very different. The lungfish is equipped with fins that they use as arms when crawling on land. They will only be seen on land when searching for a new body of water. They also secrete mucus that is used as a defense system and as a way to to bury themselves in mud and layers of mucus where they hibernate and wait for the water level to rise.

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Lungfish

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They will eat almost anything They have rounded teeth where they will crush their prey The tips of their fins are highly sensitive that helps them feel around their environment The babies don’t have fully developed lungs so they will remain in their nest till they fully develop

Lungfish

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Maned Wolf

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They grow to be three feet in height They can weight up to 50 pounds They have been reported to leap into the air and catch birds Their long legs help them see over long grasslands

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Maned Wolf

This long-legged fox can be found in South America and Northern Argentina. They may look like foxes, and have wolf in their name, but genetically they are not close to either. They are their own distinct species. They do not howl, but rather they will communicate through smells by spreading their smells around their territories to tell other maned wolfs to stay away. They are omnivorous and are solitary hunters unlike other wolfs. Their diet consists of fruits to small mammals like rabbits and insects.

Marabou Stork

These five-foot birds can be found in the Sahara Desert and in South Africa. They are scavengers so that means they don’t actively hunt live animals. Their diet consists of fish, birds, rodents. They hunt by following vultures that lead them to their next meal. The reason they don’t have feathers on heir head is to keep their head clean while eating. People should be careful around these animals because they get nervous around humans and can be unpredictable.

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Their wingspan can stretch as long as 9.4 feet long They are as heavy as 18 pounds They have a throat sack that they inflate during mating season They can live up to 25 years

Marabou Stork

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Mata Mata Turtle

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Found throughout South America They can weigh up to 38 pounds They can reach about 1 and a half feet They have great hearing

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As you can see this turtle has a flat head but can expand its whole neck when it opens to eat.

It also has a pig nose snout that it uses to breath outside of water. They have poor eyesight and compensate by using their other senses. They have skin flaps on the side of their head that helps them sense movement in their environment, and it also doubles as camouflage. Even though they spend most of their time in water, they aren’t able to swim well in open water, so they spend most of their time in shallower waters.

Mata Mata Turtle

Mexican Mole Lizard

These amazing looking animals can be found in Mexico. They like to spend most of their time in dry desert areas. These cute little creatures are mainly herbivores, but they will also eat small insects like worms. Because they are in search for worms, they spend most of their time burrowing and creating large intricate tunnels where it becomes their homes.

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They only live up to two years They grow up to 9.5 inches long They have at least one thing in common with every animal within their genus They only have two legs which is located right behind their heads

Mexican Mole Lizard

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Northern Pinocchio Frog

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Was discovered in 2008 Even now scientist don’t know what the frog uses its horn nose for They are believed to grow around an inch long

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This narwal looking frog can be found in the mountains of Indonesia. Not a lot is known about this species due to the fact of how rare they are seen in the wild. Their diet consists of an average diet of a frog, so this would mostly be a variety of different insects.

Northern Pinocchio Frog

Notostraca

Also known as the tadpole shrimp, they exist on every continent and primarily live at the bottom of pools and shallow lakes. They are omnivores which allows them to eat both pants and meat, this includes bacteria, algae, to insect larvae.

They only live around 100 days, so they have to mature quick and produce more offspring.

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They are living fossils Hasn’t changed since the Triassic Can reach adulthood in a week Their eggs can survive outside of water It is one of the oldest living creature

Notostraca

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Okapi

This amazing mix of an animal is found in the rainforests of Africa. They are mainly solitary animals, however they do group and graze and groom eachother to bond. They will make their territory known by urinating and marking their area. They are known to be herbivores; thus, their diet consists of fruits to fungi.

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Okapi

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They grow to about 5 feet in height They use their tongue like giraffes to reach leaves They weigh about 35 pounds Babies will triple in size in just two months

Okapi

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Pangolin

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They lack teeth They have poor vision, so they use their sense of smell to locate insects Their tongue stretches to be half their body They are fast runners

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Pangolin

While the pangolin has characteristics and a diet close to an anteater but there are closer related to cats and dogs. Their scales are made from keratin, which is the same material of human hair. These scales are used to protect the pangolin. They are also equipped with sharp claws that allows them to burrow, creating dens and digging up termite mounds and ant hills.

Patagonian Mara

While sitting down this rodent looks just like a normal rabbit, however once it gets up it reveals its extremely long legs. Once up on all four it starts to resemble more of a deer. They can be found in Southern Argentina around the grasslands and brush lands. They are herbivores so their diet will consist of plants, seed, and fruits.

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They pair for life They live to about 10 years They weigh around 35 pounds They are known to hop on all fours

Patagonian Mara

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Pink Fairy Armadillo

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Pink Fairy Armadillos are small enough to fit in your hand Nickname “the sand swimmer” Its dorsal shell is not completely attached to its body It doesn’t use its shell as protection it uses it to regulate its temperature

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True to its name this armadillo is known to be the smallest armadillo. They are found in the wilderness grasslands of Argentina and South America. The pink fairy armadillo is equipped with sharp claws that will use them to burrow underground where it will spend most of its life.

They are nocturnal creatures so during the night they will emerge from their dens and go out hunting.

Pink Fairy Armadillo

Purple Frog

Little is known about this species due to how rare it is to see one out in the wild. They are found in India. The purple frog is a burrowing species that isn’t very active. They spend most of their lives underground and will only emerge for a few days a year around monsoon season in order to mate. They are also harder to find due to environmental loss and having a small ratio between male and female.

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Evolved around a hundred million years ago They have specific breeding sites They lay upwards of 3000 eggs They are known to be one of the rarest creatures

Purple Frog

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Rufous Elephant Shrew

They are extremely rare and are only found in a small coastal area in Africa. They are most active during the day so they will construct their nest above ground and will hollow a patch of soil where they construct their nest. Their diet consists of plants like shrubs to insects such as spiders or millipedes. When hunting they utilize their large nose to locate their prey. They have long hind legs that allows for fast mobility.

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Rufous Elephant Shrew

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Also known as rhynchocyon After a signal day after birth a baby shrew can start walking They can grow up to 10 inches in height They can weight as little as 1 pound

Rufous Elephant Shrew

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Saiga Antelope

Fun Facts • Extinct in China and Mongolia due to poaching • Only males have horns • During winter they will grow thicker longer coats of hair • Their horns are semi-translucent

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Saiga Antelope

This antelope is not like most they are equipped with a large bulbous nose that’s used to filter out dust. They are mainly found in a semi-desert grassland of central Asia. They are herbivores so their diet will consist of plants such as herbs and shrubs. The saiga are social creatures that tend to form large herds that will graze and roam large areas.

Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko

These leaf dragons are a very unique and interesting looking gecko, using its appearance to blend perfectly within its environment. They are found primarily in the coastal areas of Madagascar. Their diet consists of insects such as crickets and spiders. They are most active during night which is when they do most of their hunting. Since they are nocturnal, they will get most of their sleep during the day, and when they sleep, they utilize their camouflage by flatting out their bodies as much as they can to accentuate their leaf like body.

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They have the ability to slightly change their colors with their environment Their life span ranges to about five years They grow as big as 3.5 inches It takes 95 days to for baby leaf-tailed geckos to emerge from their eggs

Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko

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Shoebill

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The noise they make with their beak sounds like gun shots They poop on their legs to keep themselves cool As mean as they look, they are docile around humans They grow to about five feet tall

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Shoebill

These giant birds are found in the wetlands of Eastern Africa. Their crazy diet consists of fish they find in the swampy areas they regularly hunt in; this can range from catfish to lungfish, but their diet doesn’t stop there. They will also hunt animals like the Nile Monitor lizard to baby crocodiles.

Smooth Softshell Turtle

Like their name implies, their shell lack any kinds of spines and bumps and it allows them to maneuver through their watery environment quicker. Their soft shell also means they lack the normal kind of defense turtles are commonly known for. To compensate, they are equipped with sharp nails that they are able to use when threaten. Because they spend most of their life in the water, their diet consists of fish, crayfish, frog, to snails, and other aquatic insects.

Fun Facts • Males grow to about 7inches and females grow to about 14inches • This species is starting to decline due to pollution and loss of sandbars • To see a softshell turtle in the area means the water ecosystem is healthy • They are only active around early April to October

Smooth Softshell Turtle

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Vietnamese Mossy Frog

Fun Facts • You can tell a male from a female based on their fingers • They can grow up to 3.5 inches • It takes about three months for a mossy frog to develop fully • They are primarily nocturnal

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The Vietnamese mossy frog is exactly how it sounds. It is a frog that uses camouflage to blend in with a mossy environment. They only live in Vietnam, and they live within limestone cliffs and evergreen rainforest. They make their homes in moist caves and banks off the side of mountains. They mainly feed on insects such as crickets, cockroaches, and earthworms.

Vietnamese Mossy Frog

Water Opossum

As the name implies, this mammal likes to spend most of its time by freshwater environments like streams and lakes. They create dens close to these water sources that lead them under the banks and they utilize roots from trees as a natural defense. They are found mostly in tropical and sub-tropical areas around southern Mexico to south America. Known to be a nocturnal species they actually aren’t fully nocturnal They will utilize some of the day to foraging. Their diet consists of mainly crustaceans, insects and frogs.

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4 different sub species They have a short life span ranging from 1 to 3 years Mating season starts in December and ends in February The Virginia opossum is closely related to the water opossum

Water Opossum

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Zebra Duiker

The Zebra duiker can be found in areas around West Africa. They reside mainly in heavily forested areas. However due to deforestation their population has been declining. The zebra duiker is a small type of antelope. They mainly operate as a solitary animal unless when it is mating season. Their skulls are tuff which allows them to crack open hard-shelled fruits that other herbivores are not able to access.

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Zebra Duiker

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They live to around 13 years in the wild Both male and female have horns Their stripes act as a defense mechanism to throw off predators They can weigh around 20 to 44 pounds

Zebra Duiker

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Bibliography Research Schools, Degrees & Careers. Study.com | Take Online Courses.

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Be Wilder the book that explores the bizarre world

There are plenty of animals in the world and most of us have seen the fastest land animal and the biggest animal in the ocean, but how many of us have seen the weirder animals in the world. With this book I hope to show a small portion of them and to get your curiosity going again like when you were a kid.