Five Freaky Creatures with Human Faces and Features

by Steve Levenstein

Creatures with human faces - whether the result of evolution or the inventive efforts of mankind - have fascinated us from time immemorial.

Here are five creatures that display amusing, in some cases disturbing, human features.

1) Samurai Beetle

"Visit my Facebug page!"
This beetle from Japan is doubly interesting in that it shows a different face depending on which direction it's viewed from. Look from behind and you're reminded of a bearded sage. From the front, the image is even more remarkable - a samurai's face, right down to the distinctive traditional hairstyle!

Of course, evolution didn't set out to give the beetle markings that resemble a human face - after all, the beetle was probably around long before human beings were. Many creatures - and insects especially - have evolved complex and elaborate recognition patterns that are intended to ward off predators. Often these patterns include contrasting eye spots... then our imaginative minds do the rest by using other features around the eye-spots to approximate a human face. Tis colorful Japanese beetle is a prime example! (human-faced beetle via Asahi)

2) Death's Head Hawk Moth

"I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti"
Look familiar? No? C'mon, "Silence of the Lambs"? Yep, that's it - the image of the aptly named Death's Head Hawk Moth over Jodie Foster's precious lips on the movie poster is a uniquely disturbing image.

Once again, nature has devised a fear-inducing pattern to deter bigger critters from making a meal of this moth. The more effective the pattern, the more moths survive to beget the next generation. Given enough time (time being nature's greatest tool), the moths will sport scarier and scarier faces on their backs. My next question is, why do WE find the Death's Head Hawk Moth so disturbing? Anyone hungry? (human-faced moth via Skull A Day)

3) Heike Crab

Here's lookin' at you, squid!
These curious crabs are found in Japan, near where one of the greatest sea battles of Japanese history occurred. In the year 1185, the forces of the warring Heike and Genji clans fought the Battle of Dannoura. The Heike were defeated, dozens of their ships were sunk and hundreds of heavily armored warriors lost their lives in the unforgiving sea.

People who found these distinctive little crabs on the shore reasoned that they embodied the souls of the lost Heike soldiers. As you can see, the markings and protuberances on the backs of the crabs look astonishingly like classic samurai faces!

The late Carl Sagan suggested that humans have had a significant effect on both the look and the prevalence of these human-faced crabs. Sagan theorizes that local fisherman threw back the most prominently human-featured crabs, thus skewing natural selection towards that exact attribute. An early form of selective breeding, perhaps? (human-faced crab via Kirainet)

4) Human-faced Carp

Ornamental carp, also known as "koi", are bred in both Japan and Korea for collectors. These koi, though, look like they were bred on the Island of Doctor Moreau! I wonder if Monty Python know about these weird human-faced fish when they were creating the famous fish tank scene from their classic film,"The Meaning of Life"?

The human-faced carp are definitely products of selective breeding by humans. Generations of fish were bred to emphasive their "human" features, most notably their forward-facing eyes. These features would likely be a disadvantage in the wild - but then, these particular fish aren't going anywhere near the wild anytime soon.

The so-called "Human Face Fish" are hybrids of common carp and leather carp. The fish rather large - about 32 inches long - and it's said that their heads have begun to take on a more human look as time goes by! When will it end? You sure you want these guys in your garden pond, giving you dirty looks every time you walk by? (human-faced fish via Pet Fish Talk)

Here's a video from Korean TV featuring the freaky fish:

5) Skull Back Spider

"Hellllp meeeee!"
Gee, aren't you glad this li'l critter is just a fraction of an inch long? Even so, you wouldn't want to be fly caught in THIS guy's web... what am I saying, you wouldn't want to be a fly caught in ANY spider's web!

Really now, this bug seriously creeps me out. The bloated abdomen of the sickly white (am I overdoing it?) crab spider bears an uncanny resemblance to a human skull. I don't know what it's called or where it's from, I just don't want to ever see it again - but I will, in my nightmares. (human-faced spider via Spring Creek Forest)

And there you have it, straight from one over-active imagination to another, human-faced creatures... pleasant dreams!

Steve Levenstein
Japanese Innovations Writer
InventorSpot.com

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Comments

DO Japanese people sleep

Submitted on December 17th, 2007 by Anonymous (not verified)

DO Japanese people sleep with animals? There seems to be a alot of these human look alike animals from Japan

Only the crabs and beetles

Submitted on December 17th, 2007 by Steve Levenstein

Only the crabs and beetles are from Japan - and i don't think anyone sleeps with them, at least not by choice! Japanese do seem to like these coincidental lookalikes, so maybe they're not really more common there, just more publicized.

freaky faced creatures

Submitted on December 18th, 2007 by Diogenes (not verified)

The 'human face carp' is freaky! Reminds me a bit of that dog with bum's face in the first remake of 'The Invasion of the body snatchers"..There's a freaky human faced creature!
But this carp is real. I know of the death's head moth, but the others are new to me.
Ever seen the 'Happyface Spider" just google the image and you'll get a nice array of them. makes me jolly.

"Body Snatchers" dog

Submitted on December 18th, 2007 by Steve Levenstein

Oh yeah, i definitely had that ultra-disturbing man-faced dog in mind when writing this article! You know, the one that made the women shriek when she & Donald Sutherland were making their escape. Yup, stuff like this is like fingernails scraped against the chalkboard of the soul (shiver).

Axolotl

Submitted on December 18th, 2007 by Anonymous (not verified)

just do an image search for the axolotl. I've always been freaked out by how human it looks. Very alien-like. Nice article.

the human faced carp in the

Submitted on December 19th, 2007 by Anonymous (not verified)

the human faced carp in the tank is af fake its from the english comedy group monty puthon who used it in a scene from the movie "meaning of life" they all have the face of comedian john cleese

Monty Python fish

Submitted on December 20th, 2007 by Steve Levenstein

Yes, the scene of the many fish in the tank is from Month Python's "The Meaning of Life", it says this in the article. The human-faced carp in the pictures and You Tube video are real.

That's insane!

Submitted on December 20th, 2007 by Cody Sortore (not verified)

The first one you looks like a face either way you look at it. Turn it the other way and it looks like a guy with a beard, which is what I saw first, then the image had it flipped of what I was seeing it. It looks like a face either way though... pretty crazy stuff.

Samurai Beetle

Submitted on December 20th, 2007 by Anonymous (not verified)

It's funny to see how people see things differently, if you turn this picture "upside down" or rather look at the 1st image, it also looks like a face. Sort of an Asian man with a long black fu-manchu...

Not a beetle (coleopteran) but a "true" bug (hemipteran)

Submitted on December 20th, 2007 by Entomologist (not verified)

The "Samurai Beetle" featured above is actually not a beetle (order Coleoptera) at all but a true bug (order Hemiptera). The pentagonal shape of this insect is a very obvious characteristic of adult species within the family Pentatomidae. Although I don't know the common name of this specimen, the common name "Samurai Beetle" is incorrect. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentatomidae for similar pentatomid examples. Very cool photo though! The crab spider photo is also neat.

yea

Submitted on January 8th, 2008 by Mark (not verified)

this has really creep me out
as made me want to search more about this stuff
great section yo'
loved it. ;D

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Submitted on January 11th, 2008 by Anonymous (not verified)

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afslk

Submitted on January 11th, 2008 by Anonymous (not verified)

hey sexxy

I AM STUPID

Submitted on January 15th, 2008 by Cassie (not verified)

I AM STUPID

what

Submitted on February 29th, 2008 by Anonymous

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SAMURAI BEETLE FINALLY IDENTIFIED!

Submitted on March 6th, 2008 by Anonymous

IT IS NOT A BEETLE, IT IS A TRUE BUG (HEMIPTERA) AND ITS SCIENTIFIC NAME IS CATACANTHUS INCARNATUS. IT IS NATIVE TO SOUTHEASTERN ASIA, NOT JAPAN. (THAILAND AND VIETNAM ARE THE BEST PLACES TO SEE THEM, AND THEY ARE FAMOUS COLLECTOR ITEMS).

BEST REGARDS!

that last spider thing

Submitted on May 3rd, 2008 by Anonymous

looked like it came from the show "Inuyasha"

these are fakes

Submitted on June 22nd, 2008 by Anonymous

hi im leanie from guyana and with due respect i think these things are just fakes and lies

snargle

Submitted on October 31st, 2008 by Anonymous

I googled the "samurai bug", and it is real... its a native insect from southeast asia, like he said

Submitted on November 13th, 2008 by Anonymous

i like your dog avatar

wow these are some really

Submitted on December 11th, 2008 by Anonymous

wow these are some really awesome and amazing creatures!
i wish i could caputure one and do a little more research an them!
now that would be awsome!
-madelyn gates

whats your address?? we

Submitted on December 11th, 2008 by Anonymous

whats your address??
we could research them together?

-kyle patteson :)

sure!... if you'd like to

Submitted on December 11th, 2008 by Anonymous

sure!... if you'd like to fly to newyork...lol

wtf

Submitted on January 30th, 2009 by Anonymous

americans must be sleeping with their dogs because all the women look like bitches! as for asian women, they're sexy!

yes u r asshole

Submitted on February 10th, 2009 by Anonymous