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AYE-AYE
These primates put their enormous ears
to good use by cupping them around
branches while tapping their fingers
against the wood. In this way they’re able
to hear where the hollow sections are.
They use their teeth to gnaw holes into
the bark. They’re then able to pierce
grubs and insects with their hook-like
nails and drag them out to eat.
Found in Madagascar
Fun fact There’s an old superstition that
if an aye-aye points at you with its long
middle finger, you’ll die.

THE BEAUTY

IN THE BEASTS

E
E
FACE o a ther
couldlove– might
be your reaction when
n
you see these creatures. Theseanimalsdrewtheshortstrawwheen
But for one woman, they
y
ly
are nothing shortofdrop- itcametolooksbutillustratorSammiBayllyy
dead gorgeous.
Sami Bayly, an award- thinksthey’rejustgorgeous COMPILED BY SANDY COOOK
winning Australian writer, ecologistand
natural history illustrator, recently years to assist them with survival,” Sami ian newspaper.
launched a collection of portraits of the (23) writes in her book, The Illustrated “I hope my book will introduce
world’s weirdest animals, which she de- Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals. others to a broader range of
scribes as “a celebration of the beauty in “Most people spend their lives avoid- species – and help us care
‘ugliness’.” ing being associated with anything re- about them, regardless of how
“The attributes we see as ‘ugly’ almost garded as ‘ugly’; I find myself being they look.”
alwa nction that drawn towards them. And drawing THIS IS AN EDITED EXTRACT FROM THE
ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF UGLY ANIMALS,
the animals have ada d over many them,” she wrote in Britain’s The Guard- BY SAMI BAYLY (HACHETTE AUSTRALIA). OUT NOW.
d

HAIRLESS CHINESE
CRESTED DOG
This is one of the most popular
breeds to enter the annual
World’s Ugliest Dog Contest and
often wins. Hair grows only on parts of
its face, feet and tail. There’s an estab-
lished link between hairless breeds of dog
and poor tooth longevity, so the hairless Chi-
nese crested dog often has odd gappy teeth.
Found in Many countries around the world.
Fun facts Because they have no hair on most
of their bodies, they can be prone to skin condi-
tions. Getting blackheads is one of them.

CALIFORNIA CONDOR
North America’s biggest bird has a featherless head, which
shows off its wrinkly pink skin. But this adaptation saves it
from having to clean its feathers after a messy meal, which
is useful as it spends most of its day feeding and preening.
Found on The southwest and west coasts of America.
Fun facts California condors consume so much food in a
sitting that they’re unable to take flight for a few hours
afterwards. They’ve been recorded to live for 60 years.

90 | 6 FEBRUARY 2020 you.co.za EXTRA SOURCE: THEGUARDIAN.CO.UK