6 Ghostly Animals Just in Time for Halloween
From a deep-sea shark to a dancing moth, some wild animals have earned a spooky reputation.
From a deep-sea shark to a dancing moth, some wild animals have earned a spooky reputation.
It's nearly Halloween, the time of year when no one could blame you for believing in ghosts. These otherworldly spirits bring to mind elusive shapes, pale colors, and strange sounds.
And some wild animals with these very same traits have an equally spooky reputation.
For instance, lemurs of Madagascar make haunting territorial calls that once reminded people of "ghosts or spirits living in the forest,” says Chelsea Feast, lemur expert for the Tennessee Aquarium. The word “lemur” comes from the Latin word for ghost. (Listen to some lemur sounds.) Black and white ruffed and red ruffed lemurs, both critically endangered, make calls that “almost sound demonic,” Feast says. Another ghoulish trait is in their eyes. A special film on a lemur’s eyes called the tapetum reflects light and thus glows, like a cat’s eyes. Some have very orange—and some would say eerie—reflections, Feast says.
And some wild animals with these very same traits have an equally spooky reputation.
For instance, lemurs of Madagascar make haunting territorial calls that once reminded people of "ghosts or spirits living in the forest,” says Chelsea Feast, lemur expert for the Tennessee Aquarium. The word “lemur” comes from the Latin word for ghost. (Listen to some lemur sounds.) Black and white ruffed and red ruffed lemurs, both critically endangered, make calls that “almost sound demonic,” Feast says. Another ghoulish trait is in their eyes. A special film on a lemur’s eyes called the tapetum reflects light and thus glows, like a cat’s eyes. Some have very orange—and some would say eerie—reflections, Feast says.
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