The Ark Station

27/04/2026

Pokemon Unite

23/04/2026

Did you know??

Solifugae (Camel Spiders)

Few arthropods have been as misunderstood as the camel spider, a creature that looks terrifying enough without the help of urban legend. Despite their name, they’re not spiders at all, nor scorpions; they belong to their own distinct order: Solifugae. They roam deserts and arid grasslands across Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, where they hunt insects and small vertebrates with their oversized jaws and lightning-fast speed.

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Camel spiders earned their place as one of the scariest animals in the world during the the Second Gulf War, when sensational emails and tabloids turned Solifugae into viral monsters. Stories claimed they could sprint at 25 miles per hour, leap several feet into the air, anesthetize victims with venom, or even devour the stomachs of sleeping camels. None of it is true. Camel spiders are non-venomous, can’t jump, and rarely exceed 10 centimeters in body length. They don’t chase humans — they simply seek shade, which might make them appear to “follow” soldiers in desert camps.

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In reality, Solifugae are remarkable survivors, adapted to extreme heat and scarcity. Their speed, silence, and nocturnal habits have earned them a reputation far scarier than their true nature. Misunderstood creatures like these remind us how myths can eclipse the real wonder of the natural world, as well as how quickly fear spreads when science takes a back seat to sensationalism. Often, the scariest animals in the world only make us uncomfortable because we don't understand them.

(c)camel spider

23/04/2026

Did you know???

Japanese Spider Crab (Macrocheira kaempferi)
The Japanese spider crab is a living sea monster. Its legs can stretch more than three meters from tip to tip, making it the world’s largest arthropod. Found off Japan’s Pacific coast, it scours the ocean floor for carrion, its long limbs moving with unsettling grace. To protect themselves from predators, the smaller or younger crabs will sometimes decorate their shells, creating camouflage from things like kelp.

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Despite its intimidating form, it’s a gentle scavenger — and a vulnerable one. They lose legs easily. And despite being one of the creepiest animals in the world, the species has long been harvested for food, and because it reproduces slowly, overfishing can quickly reduce populations. Sustainable fishing practices are now being encouraged by Japanese marine agencies to ensure this ancient survivor doesn’t vanish into legend.

(C) https://www.conservationxlabs.com/blog-post/the-13-scariest-animals-in-the-world?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22904360288&gbraid=0AAAAABU-toZN0k8t59yWii5RCUzt3g6PU&gclid=CjwKCAjw46HPBhAMEiwASZpLRBAb6Quma0nBzBB3KSsjG2BMEw-FR7n1sQXrAiSm8Xd0yxEnSW92LhoCg9IQAvD_BwE

23/04/2026

Goblin Shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)
The goblin shark looks like something time forgot — and in a sense, it is. A “living fossil” with a lineage stretching back 100 million years, it patrols the deep ocean with pale, flabby skin and a long blade-like snout. When it attacks, its jaws shoot forward like a spring-loaded trap, snatching fish and squid in an instant.

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Despite its monstrous appearance, the goblin shark is harmless to humans and rarely encountered, an elusive relic of an ancient sea. However, the Florida Museum of Natural History notes that they're sometimes caught as a bycatch of deepwater trawls, longlines, and deep-set gill nets. There's still so much left for humans to learn about deep-ocean life, and it's imperative that we protect these
under-explored ecosystems.

(c) https://www.conservationxlabs.com/blog-post/the-13-scariest-animals-in-the-world?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22904360288&gbraid=0AAAAABU-toZN0k8t59yWii5RCUzt3g6PU&gclid=CjwKCAjw46HPBhAMEiwASZpLRBAb6Quma0nBzBB3KSsjG2BMEw-FR7n1sQXrAiSm8Xd0yxEnSW92LhoCg9IQAvD_BwE

21/04/2026

PHILIPPINE TARSIER

Philippine tarsiers are among the smallest primates, measuring 85–160 mm in body length and weighing 80–165 g. They have a long tail, often twice the body length, used for balance, and thin, rough fur colored gray to dark brown. Their eyes are disproportionately large, providing excellent night vision, and are fixed in their skulls, requiring a 180° neck rotation for visual scanning. Their elongated tarsus (ankle bone) allows them to leap up to 3–6 meters between trees. They have long digits with adhesive pads for clinging to branches, and grooming claws on certain toes

(c) https://www.bing.com/search?q=Philippine+tarsier&FORM=SNAPST&filters=sid:%22953e6459-9c72-ee9f-51d7-d4b97f7c8687%22+fcid:%22GeneratedCarousel-22a4ab1f-d41e-11d2-ee62-cf6375ad001a%22&misp=0

20/04/2026

Eurasian Eagle-Owl

Eagle owls look very much like their great horned cousins, but are larger birds. They have prominent ear tufts that are usually not raised upright. Eagle owls have mottled brownish feathers and a streaked breast. Like most owls and raptors, there are no color differences between the sexes. The eagle owl has very large eyes that are a vivid orange in color.Eagle owls have a large repertoire of hoots, growls, chirps, clicks, and beak-clacks they use to communicate moods and needs. Silent and deadly hunters, the eagle owl swoops down upon its prey from above. Owlets leave the nest before fledging and are called “branchers.” They climb around on tree branches until their wings are sufficiently feathered for flight.

Did You Know?
Eagle owls are the largest bodied owl species in the world!
Like most owls, eagle owls have excellent hearing and night vision.
Eagle Owls will eat almost anything the moves – from beetles to roe deer fawns. They can even capture food in mid-air!

(C) https://potterparkzoo.org/animals/eurasian-eagle-owl/

19/04/2026

Southern Ground Hornbill

The largest member of the hornbill family, southern ground hornbills have black plumage with white flight feathers. It has vivid red patches of bare skin on its face and throat and a large black bill. Females differ in having violet-blue patches at the throat, located below the bill. Southern ground hornbills emit deep, rhythmic hooting calls that can travel nearly 2 miles—making them one of the most far-reaching voices in the savanna.

(c) https://potterparkzoo.org/animals/southern-ground-hornbill/

18/04/2026

Magellanic Penguin

Magellanic penguins are medium-sized in comparison to other penguins, with the males being larger than the females. Adults have black backs and white stomachs, like the classic tuxedo pattern. There are two black bands between the head and the breast, with the lower band being in an inverted horseshoe shape. Chicks and juveniles are grey-blue on their backs, with a more faded grey-blue color on their chest.

(C) https://potterparkzoo.org/animals/magellanic-penguin/

17/04/2026

Spider Monkey

Spider monkeys have slender bodies with long, thin limbs and are usually all black; however, they occasionally have flesh-colored rings around the eyes and white chin whiskers. They have exceptionally long tails in relation to their body length, which averages from 16-21 inches, with the tail being 28-34 inches.Spider monkeys live in large, relatively unstructured communities of up to 100 individuals, but there is great variation in numbers, with larger groups usually broken up into smaller groups. The most cohesive units are female groups with offspring, often found in an otherwise loose construction. Social grooming is of relatively low value but demonstrates rank order within the group. Spider monkeys are diurnal, so they spend the majority of the early morning hours foraging for food. Although locomotion is basically quadrupedal, they are capable of swinging below branches by means of their arms and tail. There is usually a single birth for each successful breeding, and the youngster is carried on the mother’s abdomen for about four months, after which it is later switched to her back. Infants use their prehensile tail to hold onto their mother’s tail for more stability.

Did You Know?
The spider monkeys tail is the most mobile and dexterous prehensile tail of any primates and are easily capable of supporting the entire weight of the body and of picking up small objects
Spider monkeys display many forms of visual communication by making faces to each other, and to our keepers here at the zoo.
These monkeys are also known as part of the New World monkey group, which are five families of primates found in South and Central America.

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Characteristics Spider monkeys have slender bodies with long, thin limbs and are usually all black; however, they occasionally have flesh-colored rings around the eyes and white chin whiskers. They have exceptionally long tails in relation to their body length, which averages from 16-21 inches, with...

16/04/2026

Cape Porcupine
Cape porcupines are nocturnal and solitary but may live in small family groups. Both parents are involved in raising the young and there are usually about six family members in a clan. They can be aggressive when protecting themselves and their family. They use acute hearing to hear predators approaching and can run backwards to embed their sharp quills into the predator.

Cool Facts
-Known to expose tree’s heartwood (ring-barking trees) which increases the tree’s susceptibility to fungal infections.
-Build dens which can be up to 65 feet long with a six foot deep living chamber.
-The cape porcupine’s enlarged appendix and anterior larger intestine contain microorganisms that break down undigested plant fibers.

(C) https://potterparkzoo.org/animals/cape-porcupine/