Sometimes we get so used to dreamy landscapes and cute puppies that we forget about nature's dark side. But it's there. Regardless of whether we pay attention to it or not. To remind you about some of the Mother Earth's scariest 'children,' Bored Panda has compiled a list of photos that should send shivers down your spine. Or at least make you say a loud "NOPE." From half-dead spiders covered in fungus to mutated frogs with eyes growing in their mouth, consider viewing these images as a contest: if you can scroll to the very end, you win. The prize? Nightmares.
#1 What Do You Do When You See A Flying Fox In Your Backyard? (The Philippines)

No that isn't the camera angle, that is actually one big bat. The flying fox also called the fox bat are among the largest bats in the world with a wingspan of 5 feet (1.5 metres) and a head and body length of about 16 inches (40 centimeters). They are found on tropical islands and the mainland of Asia. As scary as they look, these gentle giants only eat fruit.
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618points
#2 Haven't Cleaned Behind The Dresser In Months

Did you know that some lizards lay eggs while some give live birth? That's right, while you will find lizard eggs of geckos, iguanas and monitor lizards, you won’t see blue tongue lizards, Solomon island lizards and shingle-back lizards laying eggs! They give birth to their live offspring.
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479points
#3 Crazy Bird Tornado

This may look like a shot from Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but this eerie scene was created by none other than mother nature herself. A Reddit user posted the shot to the site's r/WTF thread and titled it "birdnado." The cluster is thought to be made up of starlings, a bird known for flying in thick flock formations called murmurations. These clusters reduce the amount of energy required during travel and protect them from predators. If starlings sense a shift in one part of the flock the entire pattern will shift.
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466points
#4 Toads Riding On A Python

68mm just fell in the last hour at Kununurra. Flushed all the cane toads out of my brothers dam. Some of them took the easy way out - hitching a ride on the back of a 3.5m python.
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431points
#5 Believe It Or Not, This Is One Of The Least Dangerous Spiders We Have In Australia

This is the huntsman spider, a common friend to be found in houses and garden across Australia. He's harmless really, don't let his large size intimidate you. Huntsmen won't bite humans unless provoked, are not venomous and are actually handy to have around the place, he'll use his speed and agility to keep your cockroach population under control.
Think of the huntsman as a handy pet. Respect his space, let him do his job and he'll look after you well.
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410points
#6 Birds Using A Dead Pike's Mouth To Nest

Pike fish are freshwater fish known as ambush predators because of their ability to lie perfectly still for an impressive amount of time, thankfully for these birds this pike is out of water so it's safe to say it's actually dead.
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394points
#7 I Want To Ride My Bicycle

Did you know that bees swarm when when the queen bee leaves the colony with a large group of worker bees? It's how a new honey bee colony is formed. In the prime swarm, about 60% of the worker bees leave the original hive location with the old queen. This swarm can contain thousands to tens of thousands of bees. Usually, swarming takes place in spring, within a two- or three-week period, but occasional swarms can happen throughout the producing season as well.
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#8 There Was A Friggin Gecko Hiding In My Son's Toy Spider

Geckos are reptiles found in all parts of the world except for Antartica. To avoid predators they have developed special features such as camouflage to help them hide in any environment (even a toy spider). Most geckos are nocturnal creatures which means they are active at night, but there are day geckos which are willing to venture out during the daylight hours in search of food.
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331points
#9 My Town In Central Texas Has A Bird Problem

Every autumn, flocks of birds migrate to warmer territories. Most birds migrate at night (when the air is cooler and calmer, and there are fewer predators), flying in tandem even when they are 655 feet (200 meters) or more apart. Some of them, however, can be spotted during the daytime as well.
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326points
#10 Sawfish

Sawfishes are large rays that are characterized by their long blade-like snouts. Along this elongated snout are lateral tooth-like denticles set inside sockets - which give the allusion of a giant chainsaw. Sawfishes use their "saw" (rostrum) during feeding time and to defend themselves. The rostrum will slash in a side-to-side motion and dislodge invertebrates from the substrate to stun fish.
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307points
#11 Lizard Shed His Entire Face In One Go

If you want to peel of the skin from your pet lizard's head, you should try to take it off in one piece, and you want to make sure that it's 'released' around the ears. Also, be extra careful around the eyes.
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#12 Mother And Girlfriend Found This On The Beach Today. Any Idea What It Is?

This was found in Broome, Western Australia and looks like an anemone. More specifically, Dofleinia armata, the armed anemone. Also called the striped anemone. It is considered extremely dangerous as it can inflict painful stings that take months to heal.
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292points
#13 The Fox And The Hound

This poor fox obviously fell into the freezing water, perhaps pursuing prey onto thin ice, and drowned. We'd like to think that its doggy cousin is paying condolences in a sweet moment of canine comradeship.
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279points
#14 This Fascinating Creature, A Deep-Sea Squid, Was Video Taped By Shell Out In The Perdido Area Of Alaminos Canyon, At 7800 Ft. Depth

We are well aware of the weird and wonderful creatures that inhabit the vast depths of the ocean, but this bigfin squid is very rarely seen, and little is known about them as a species.
This is the best and most recent footage of the elusive creature, taken on 11 November 2007 by an oil company in the Gulf of Mexico. The species are very distinct from all previously known squids, with the length of the elastic tentacles estimated to be up to 15–20 times the body length. Estimates based on video evidence put the total length of the largest specimens at 8 metres (26 ft) or more.
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277points
#15 Death Shrouds From Hell - Spiders Cocooned These Trees To Save Themselves From A Flood

In 2010 a monsoon hit Pakistan that caused the rivers to swell and insects to run for cover. The strange anomaly was captured by aid worker Russell Watkins, a multimedia editor with the U.K.'s Department for International Development (DFID) in the Pakistani village of Sindh."There wasn't a scientific analysis of this being done. Anecdotally, I think it was pretty much any kind arachnid species, possibly combined with other insects," he told National Geographic. It was noted that because the flood waters took so long to recede, spiders who had sought asylum in the trees had just begun to spin weaves. Locals said they had never seen anything like it before.
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273points
#16 Found A Beehive While Renovating An Old House

Bees can find a cozy space between walls, causing issues for homeowners. How do you tell them to leave? We all know the value that bees have for ecosystems so simply gassing them should not really bee and option.
They can cause damage and mold though, especially if they are honey bees, so should be removed. Call a professional beekeeper to come and take the hive away, don't attempt it yourself!
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268points
#17 In Case You Ever Wanted To Know What A Hedgehog Skeleton Looked Like

As you can see, our spiky little friend wears his spines, which are made of keratin like our hair and nails, like a fur coat. The spines, unlike porcupine spines, don't easily attach from their bodies and are neither poisonous nor barbed. They can still be painful to the touch though!
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259points
#18 Snaggle-Toothed Snake Eel Found On The Beach In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

This nightmarish creature is the snaggle-toothed snake eel or the Aplatophis zorro. It is a tropical eel found in the eastern central Pacific Ocean. According to the specimen found and studied by John E. McCosker and David Ross Robertson in 2001 they can reach a maximum length of 104 centimeters or 3"4 in feet (gulp). The eels live at 5-10 metres deep and live in burrows.
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256points
#19 Frog With Eyes In Its Mouth As A Result Of Macromutation

A macromutation is a mutation that has made a significant impact on an organism, caused by a change in a regulatory gene that’s responsible for the expression of an array of structural genes. It’s been suggested that the cause of the mutation was the result of a parasitic infection by a trematode worm (Ribeiroia ondatrae). Trematode infections have reportedly been linked to an increasing number of amphibian limb mutations, particularly missing, malformed, and extra hind legs.
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252points
#20 You Can See The Back Of An Owl’s Eye Through Its Ear

"Like all birds, owls lack the external ear structures found in most mammals," photographer Jim McCormac said. "The birds' ears are unadorned openings in their skulls, visible only when the feathers on the sides of the animals' heads are parted. But these owls' unusually large earholes and eyes also offer a "behind the scenes" peek at their visual system, showcasing the evolutionary adaptations in sight and hearing that make the birds so successful at stealthy nighttime hunting."
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