U is for Ugly...or not!

Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. I know, I know, the real saying has the word ‘beauty’ in it, but doesn’t the same go for ugly? About two years ago my students and I were doing some research on animals and I found a blog that I’ve come to love. It’s called “Ugly Overload” and it’s dedicated to…you guessed it: ugly animals. Since this A-Z Bloggers Challenge has led me to find topics I wouldn’t ordinarily write about, getting to the letter “U” made me think of this.

U is for Ugly

As I said, ugly is in the eye of the beholder just the same as beauty, and even though this blog chronicles what it calls “ugly” animals, I don’t think they’re all ugly. In fact, some of them are downright cute! Just take a look at this cutie, a small primate called a tarsier.



These guys live in the islands of the Asian Pacific and they’re best known for their great big, bulging eyes and their spindly fingers. Cute, no? Well if you don’t think the tarsier was cute, then take a look at this baby aardvark. This little cutie was named the most “ugdorable” animal of the day a couple of Mondays back.



Here’s a creature that sure looks like it’s from another planet. I’d characterize this one as more freaky than ugly. It’s an insect called a Friday Beetle and the stick-like body is nothing compared to that alien face!



Okay now, here’s one I do think was born with some ugly genes, poor thing. This Snub-nosed Monkey has a face only a mother could love.



This last one is another one of the site’s “ugdorable” winners. It’s called an ‘aye aye’ and it’s related to the much cuter lemur. This poor little guy was born in the Philadelphia Zoo and his name is Smeagol.



So, whether or not you think any of these creatures are truly ‘ugly’ is totally up to you, the beholder of the photos. Either way, “Ugly Overload” is a fascinating web blog with tons and tons of interesting photos of all kinds of creatures and it’s very educational as well. My students and I visit there every once in awhile, check out the latest uglies, and always learn something new together. I highly recommend you make a visit!

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