© Art
 
© Art
© Art

© Andrew Snyder
Habitat:  Costa Rica, Ecuador
Status: Not listed

Happy New Year everyone! Let’s kick things off with an otherworldly creature,  the Shield Mantis. I’ve shown you two species above: the ones with the red tint on their ‘hoods’ are known as Stål’s hooded mantis (Choeradodis stalii) and the rest are another species, Choerododis rhombifolia. 

These creatures really do look like aliens disguised as leaves. They might take over the world after it ends in December 2012. It’s totally possible. Beware!