Its back looks like a creepy human face, complete with enormous cartoon eyebrows

Its back looks like a creepy human face, complete with enormous cartoon eyebrows

Viewed from above, the slipper lobster reveals an unexpected face — armoured, grinning, and faintly unsettling.


Viewed from above, a slipper lobster's markings can give it an uncanny resemblance to a human face - in this case, one that is simultaneously creepy and comical, like one of the toothier members of the Bash Street Kids, says Stuart Blackman.

Belonging to a group that lacks the fearsome pincers of their relatives, slipper lobsters compensate with an abundance of armour plating.

Even their usually slender, delicate antennae have been moulded into broad, flattened shields to protect the head-end. Here, you can see them at the top, resembling enormous cartoon eyebrows.

Top image: © hjk_888/FLICKR

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