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mardi 6 septembre 2016

Pokémon Go and its collection of weird and wonderful creatures is the latest craze to take the planet by storm. The animals in this gallery are just as weird and wonderful and, believe it or not, they are actually real and not imaginary digital creatures

By Jeremy Coles

11 August 2016

Pokémon Go, with 100 million downloads and growing daily, is the latest craze to sweep the planet. And if you're not yet playing, it's a game on your smartphone where you collect weird and wonderful creatures, each with their own super powers and special abilities, which then battle it out.

But some animals are stranger than fiction and look like Pokémon, but they’re not, and actually live in some of the far-flung and exotic regions of the real, living world. Although these are not for collecting, we’ve given each of them a fun and light-hearted special ability that complements their own real abilities and therefore more than enough power to compete in the augmented reality of the Pokémon universe.

Puffer fish (Tetraodon sp)

Special ability: Poison! Puffer fish are some of the most poisonous vertebrates on the planet (credit: ephotocorp / Alamy Stock Photo)

Scarce Merveille du Jour (Moma alpium) caterpillar

Special ability: Itching! The Merveille du Jour caterpillar defends itself with lots of urticating hairs (credit: Solvin Zankl / naturepl.com)

Glass frog (Hyalinobatrachium sp)

Special ability: Invisibility! Internal organs are visible through the glass frog’s translucent skin (credit: Pete Oxford / naturepl.com)

Coconut crab (Birgus latro)

Special ability: Strength! The powerful claws of a coconut crab can break coconuts open (credit: Andrew Titmus / Alamy Stock Photo)

Bald uakari (Cacajao calvus rubicundus)

Special ability: Health! Thick fur of the bald uakari protects from cold and the red face is a sign of good health (credit: Rolf Nussbaumer Photography / Alamy Stock Photo)

Leaf-tailed gecko (Uroplatus phantasticus)

Special ability: Camouflage! With a body shaped like a leaf the gecko can blend into the background (credit: Nick Garbutt / naturepl.com)

Dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis sp)

Special ability: Intelligence! Despite the name Dumbo octopi are intelligent animals (credit: NOAA / Alamy Stock Photo)

Goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)

Special ability: Bite! Razor sharp teeth of the goblin shark are perfect for biting and tearing (credit: Kelvin Aitken / VWPics / Alamy Stock Photo)

Duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)

Special ability: Disguise! The duck-billed platypus was once thought to be two animals stuck together (credit: Gerry Pearce / Alamy Stock Photo)

Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata)

Special ability: Smell! The star-nosed mole has one of world’s most sensitive touch organs (credit: blickwinkel / Alamy Stock Photo)

Magnificent frigate bird (Fregata magnificens)

Special ability: Shield! The bright red balloon-like sac of male magnificent frigate bird attracts females (credit: blickwinkel / Alamy Stock Photo)

Red-lipped batfish (Ogcocephalus darwini)

Special ability: Impersonations! The red-lipped batfish is a sad looking fish that ‘walks’ along the ocean floor (credit: imageBROKER / Alamy Stock Photo)

Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus)