Mother nature is glorious. With a wide variety of flora and fauna making up the ecosystem, some questionable-looking plants and animals have us wondering why they even exist. From spiders hiding in weird places to crabs joining a barbecue, Mother Nature can be scary as hell. Join us as we take a look at 45 of the scariest pics, courtesy of dear Mother Nature.
Fingers or Fungus?
Imagine walking in a forest or the woods, and you come across this scary sight. No one would blame you for thinking you came across a corpse in a shallow grave. You’re actually looking at a fungus called Dead Man’s Fingers.
Typically found in Europe and North America, this freaky-looking fungus is responsible for many calls to rangers and law enforcement from hikers who have stumbled across the Dead Man’s Fingers and thought it was something more sinister. Of all the things Mother Nature could have chosen to create, she made this, scaring unsuspecting hikers every year.
A Flock of Birds… or Is It?
This photo required a second look to understand what was actually going on. This is not a flock of birds but hundreds of flies trapped in the web of a rather large spider.
Imagine opening your curtains in the morning and being greeted by this sight! In our opinion, a situation like this can only be dealt with by using a flamethrower, but closing the drapes is a cheaper and safer option.
Jaws of Death
Geese are generally beautiful creatures – until they open their beaks, that is. This goose opened its beak to reveal a rather scary-looking mouth, complete with what looked like razor-sharp teeth.
Thanks to Mother Nature, a whole lot of people will be changing their perceptions about these birds. And to be honest, we’re definitely in that group.
A Surprise From Under the Waves
Ever been in an up close and personal encounter with a sea lion? We’re betting that this underwater photographer got a little more than he bargained for when he came face to face with this majestic sea lion.
While they aren’t exactly known for their sweet manner, sea lions are curious by nature. This chap was probably just checking out what was going on rather than looking for a tasty snack.
Honey, Get the Flamethrower!
You get spiders, and then you get huntsman spiders. Cue high-pitched terror shrieks! This massive spider was photographed in a house in Australia.
While we know that huntsman spiders are harmless to humans and great for ridding your home of flies and other creepy crawlies, they’re not exactly a welcome sight when you walk into your living room in the morning. Mother Nature sure has a sense of humor because we can’t imagine any other reason for a spider to be THAT big. C’mon now!
Toilet Snake
You wake up in the middle of the night, bursting to use the toilet, you stumble to the bathroom, still in a sleepy haze, turn on the light, and see this not-so-little guy staring straight back at you.
Bet you didn’t know snakes can come up through the pipes into your toilet! Just when we were getting used to the fact that snakes are a wonderful creation by Mother Nature, she makes them evolve into toilet snakes! All we can say is, “No, thank you very much!”
Becoming One With Nature
Camping can be a great way to get outdoors and experience all that Mother Nature has to offer. But when you wake up on a beautiful morning, wondering why your tent is dark, and you see this… we’re sure it’s enough to put you off camping for life.
One or two spiders wouldn’t be too bad, but these campers were welcomed by ALL the spiders. It’s enough to make your skin crawl. Ugh!
Things That Go Bump in the Night
Hearing strange noises at night is enough to scare anybody. But the person who took this photograph probably got the fright of his life when he came face to face with a large brown bear. While he was probably expecting to see a dog, cat, or raccoon, one can only imagine his reaction when he turned on the porch light and saw this guy.
Since we don’t know where the photo was taken, we can’t give you a heads up, but just be careful when checking out noise in your yard at night. You never know what you’ll find…
What a Beautiful Puppy
Ever seen a snail so big that it’s the size of a puppy or a small dog? The African snail is one of the largest snails in the world and is a popular pet for many people.
Why anyone would want a snail as a pet is baffling, but each to their own. Mother Nature sure does make some interesting creatures, and this is just another one that’ll leave you scratching your head in amazement.
Eel Vs. Puffer Fish
This moray eel bit off more than he could chew when he decided to make a meal out of a puffer fish. Pufferfish are known for expanding in size to ward off predators. This one must have had a delayed reaction to being eaten by the eel as it inflated itself in the eel’s mouth, resulting in the death of both creatures.
This unusual sight was captured by scuba diver Tim Mayer on the Cook Islands and has become a popular photo that depicts Mother Nature’s battle of predator versus prey at its finest.
Mind Your Manners, Mr. Frog
Ever seen a frog eat a giant spider? Well, now you have. This photograph depicts a frog with a rather large spider in his mouth.
If the legs are that long, we can only imagine how big the arachnid’s body must’ve been. Although, it does beg the question, do frogs actually eat spiders? Or is this just another one of Mother Nature’s pranks?
Not Even Alligators Are Safe
This series of photographs, taken in Florida, depicts a Heron making a meal of an alligator. This image shocked wildlife photographers and biologists alike, as there are very few documented cases of birds eating crocodiles or any other large reptiles.
Herons are typically fish eaters, so we can’t imagine what made this hungry Heron snatch up an alligator for dinner. It just shows that Mother Nature is the one calling the shots, and things that once may have seemed impossible are indeed possible.
Beasts of the Night
We’ll be the first to admit that we’re not a fan of bats. And looking at this picture of a bat flying through the air, while carrying its young, doesn’t leave us feeling warm and fuzzy.
With scary-looking claws and big, bulging eyes, this bat looks more like a monster from a child’s nightmares than a sweet creature. It leads us to ask just what Mother Nature was thinking when she created bats.
A Tick on a Tick
Ticks are one of the worst parasites and can cause a host of health issues for animals and humans alike. But what would happen if a tick was bitten by another tick?
This photo of a tick feeding off another tick will leave you wondering if this is Mother Nature’s way of giving the tick a taste of its own medicine or if this is a regular occurrence. Whatever the case may be, this is a weird one that just can’t be explained.
Can I Have My Controller Back?
This gamer got more than he bargained for when he picked up his Playstation controller to find a centipede wrapped around one of the buttons. What does one do in this situation?
Try to remove it and risk getting bitten, or just set the controller outside and hope that the centipede finds its way off on its own? While playing video games with a friend or two can be fun, we somehow doubt that this is the opponent the player was hoping for.
The Most Metal Flowers Ever
Think twice before you give your girlfriend, mother, or anyone else a bunch of Snap Dragons to show your affection. Once they die, these flowers resemble little skulls, which could send the wrong message.
Only Mother Nature could make something so beautiful look completely different when it dies. Well played, Mother Nature, well played.
Turn Away From the Darkness
Did you know that sunflowers turn and grow towards light? Now that you do, this photograph of a field of sunflowers turning away from the storm, as if to hide from it, makes a little more sense than it did before.
With a rather scary-looking storm approaching, we don’t blame these beauties for wanting to hide away from the darkness – because we would too.
Ssshhhh, It’s Sleeping
Bats are happy to find any warm spot to take a nap, so it’s not surprising that this little guy felt warm and safe in a pair of headphones.
We can only imagine the shock of the headphones owner when he picked up his headphones to listen to some music or play a game. But what we want to know is if he left the little guy to finish his nap before he took back his headphones.
A Spider With a Taste for Music
It seems that headphones or headsets are a popular place for all of Mother Nature’s creatures to hide away. This time, an unsuspecting person found a rather nasty-looking spider seeking refuge in his headset and decided to snap a pic to share with the rest of the world.
We don’t know about you, but we’d throw those out rather than risk using them again! Who knows what else happened in those headphones…
The Hickory Horned Devil
Don’t let its freaky appearance put you off. This Hickory Horned Devil is the largest caterpillar in the world and, despite its appearance, it’s completely harmless and grows into one of the most beautiful moths you’ll ever see.
This is just another surprise from Mother Nature and shows us that we should never judge something for how it looks. Thank you, Mother Nature, for the life lesson.
A Free Ride for the Nope Rope
Water snakes are absolutely terrifying, so we don’t even want to know how this person reacted when this slithery nope-rope decided to join him for a row on the lake.
While we would be off that kayak faster than you can say “snake,” the photographer had other ideas in mind and whipped out his camera instead. It seems that nowhere is safe from snakes, so kayaking is just another activity many will cross off their to-do lists once they see this photo.
Don’t Mess With Kangaroos!
Sheesh, talk about bringing your own weapon to a fight. These scary-looking claws belong to none other than a kangaroo! You can erase those images from your mind of sweet baby kangaroos hopping around and peering out of their mothers’ pouches, now that you know what kind of weapons they’re packing.
Mother Nature sure does scare us sometimes, and we don’t know if we can ever look at these Ozzie animals in the same way ever again.
