00:00Hollywood studios and video game designers call for talented artists to imagine fantastic monsters and creatures from other worlds.
00:09Although their digital creations are often impressive and terrifying, they remain modest in the face of the masterpiece of the greatest artist ever.
00:19Nature.
00:20Here, it is not a question of evoking the classical beauty of animals or fish, but of creatures whose existence seems to challenge understanding.
00:29These beings appear to be visitors from a distant planet.
00:33One of these unusual visitors is the Brazilian membrane.
00:37This strange creature, which inhabits the virgin forest, belongs to the family of giraffes, insects that are among the most enigmatic on the planet.
00:46However, even within this family, the globular bosidium stands out singularly.
00:52Of the size of a small weight, it has on its back spherical and futuristic bulges, reminiscent of the blades of a helicopter.
01:00Is it an antenna? A defensive device against these predators?
01:04Scientists do not yet have a definitive answer, content to advance some hypotheses.
01:09According to one of them, this insect would exhibit this structure to signal its genetic vigor to females.
01:15In a comparable way, the paons deploy their sumptuous tails, not only to impress their predators, but also to seduce their potential partners and ensure a offspring.
01:25However, this theory has been quickly removed, because this appendage is present not only in males, but also in female membranes.
01:34It is also possible that these spheres act like lures.
01:38A predator could attack it, thus giving the insect the opportunity to escape by detaching this part of its body.
01:45However, no observation in a natural environment has confirmed such behavior.
01:49Another hypothesis postulates that this appendage would be used to imitate a cordyceps mushroom.
01:54Do you remember these parasites, capable of invading the body of an ant and turning it into a zombie, before a huge mushroom sprouts from its corpse?
02:03Some researchers suggest that the Brazilian membrane would simulate this mushroom to dissuade its predators from attacking it.
02:10Forest animals instinctively know what they can touch and what it is better to keep away from.
02:16As for this strange hat, it could well emit signals to space or another planet, transmitting information on Earth.
02:25Another fascinating singularity of the Bocchidium globular lies in its way of communicating.
02:30These insects exchange vibrations.
02:32When an individual is perched on a tree and tastes juicy leaves,
02:36it can send vibratory signals along the trunk to invite other members of its species to share the meal.
02:42This ability can also be used to alert them in the event of a threat.
02:46In general, bocci are enigmatic creatures.
02:50Even species that seem to be born from simple insects remain a challenge for science.
02:56Once hatched, the bocci take refuge underground,
02:59where they feed on the juices of the roots of trees and plants while continuing their development.
03:05They dig tunnels there and remain sheltered for 13 or sometimes 17 years.
03:10And when their time is up, they all emerge at the same time.
03:15It is then several hundred, if not thousands of insects that invade the sky, forming a gigantic swarm.
03:22Their deafening stridulation causes fear among the animals.
03:26As for humans living nearby, they often complain that the noise of the bocci disturbs their sleep.
03:33But why do these insects only come out once every 13 or 17 years?
03:37And what do they do during all this time underground?
03:39Scientists know nothing about it.
03:41Their sudden appearance could be linked to the presence of predators.
03:45Bocci are easy and very nutritious prey.
03:49They are particularly fond of animals such as foxes and owls.
03:53If they came out every year, these predators would eventually adapt to their cycle and exterminate them.
03:59This is why bocci wait a long time, so that their enemies cannot predict their emergence.
04:04In addition, they choose to manifest when the populations of their predators are at their lowest level.
04:11After meeting this creature, you will probably no longer look at the strawberries in the same way.
04:17Imagine a white strawberry, from which about twenty long tentacles escape.
04:22It is as if a monster straight out of the Lovecraft universe had opened a portal to our dimension inside this strawberry and was now trying to extirpate from it.
04:31Fortunately, it is unlikely that you will come across this monster near humans.
04:36The Promachochrinus fragarius resides in the glacial depths of the Antarctic Ocean.
04:42These creatures belong to one of the four categories of crinoids,
04:46perfectly symmetrical animals that anchor to the seabed like a plant stem.
04:51Once mature, they free themselves from their support and drift across the ocean.
04:56Thanks to their tentacles, they perform elegant rhythmic movements to swim.
05:01They also use their hands to capture plankton.
05:05Each tentacle is covered with thousands of tiny sticky threads that trap their prey,
05:10recalling the functioning of a spider web.
05:13In addition to the white varieties, scientists have discovered species of purple and even dark red colors.
05:19By observing them, it is difficult not to imagine that many artists were inspired by crinoids
05:25to design monsters in their science fiction films or video games.
05:30According to you, what is the longest animal on the planet?
05:34It is neither a giraffe nor a gigantic anaconda of the Amazon jungle.
05:39Look at this long luminous whip floating in the deep waters.
05:42Here is the answer.
05:44This creature, called Siphonophore, can reach an impressive length of 40 meters,
05:50even exceeding that of the blue whale, the largest mammal in the world.
05:55But by examining it more closely, you will see that it is not a sea snake.
05:59It looks more like an elongated jellyfish, with a translucent body and a luminous head.
06:04Throughout its immense body, the Siphonophore is provided with disturbing filaments
06:10that extend like the legs of a thousand-legged mutant from the abyss.
06:14It is better not to approach it.
06:16Its hair is venomous and serves as much to repel its enemies as to capture its prey.
06:22At the same time disgusting and fascinating, a bit like my mother,
06:25the Siphonophore defends itself from predators thanks to a thick viscous mouth.
06:29This funny specimen is actually a kind of fish without a jaw.
06:33You may have already noticed it on social networks, held in the hands of some curious people.
06:38When it feels threatened, it expels a mucus that looks like tree roots or a nervous system.
06:45This sticky substance infiltrates the eyes and branches of its opponents,
06:50paralyzing them for just long enough to allow it to run away.
06:53These creatures are also among the oldest on the planet.
06:57They appeared about 500 million years ago and have always led a life of carnivores.
07:04Even by observing this tree for several minutes, you could not detect what was ringing.
07:09One of its branches is not really one.
07:12It is a great hibiscus, the undisputed master of camouflage.
07:16Its plumage allows it to melt perfectly in its environment
07:20and its incredible patience still strengthens its talent.
07:23The great hibiscus can remain perfectly still for hours by gnawing its prey.
07:28To be even less visible, it sometimes closes its eyes, but this does not prevent it from watching you.
07:33Indeed, small orifices under its eyelids allow it to keep an eye on what surrounds it.
07:40While scientists invest millions of dollars in sophisticated equipment to study seismological activity,
07:47a hibiscus manages to do so thanks to its strange muzzle.
07:51The star-shaped condylus is equipped with more than 22,000 sensory receptors on its star,
07:56capable of capturing not only seismic vibrations, but also the electrical signals emitted by its prey.
08:02It is one of the rare animals to have a real underwater flair.
08:06It releases tiny bubbles from its muzzle, then sucks them up to identify the odors.
08:11In addition, it is a lightning eater, capable of swallowing its food in less than a quarter of a second.
08:17The piranhas impress with their jaws and sharp teeth like razors.
08:22But imagine a fish with rectangular teeth reminiscent of humans.
08:27Here is the hibiscus, which seems to have an artificial jaw.
08:31Although frightening, these creatures feed on both plants and meat.
08:35But their main favorites are fruits and nuts.
08:39Evolution has equipped the hibiscus with perfectly adapted teeth to grind the fruits of fallen trees along the Amazonian watercourse.
08:46Often confused with the piranha, this fish urges caution.
08:50In fact, these square teeth can inflict serious damage, even on targets that are not on its menu, like you or me.
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