Boo! Top 10 Spookiest (Coolest) Animals At the ABQ BioPark
Happy Halloween from the ABQ BioPark! To celebrate, we made a list of the top spooky (but really cool) animals here at the BioPark. Learn why these supposed scary animals are actually really neat and misunderstood!
#10 Tasmanian devil
![](https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5c3039c4101/4b21ce08-8c87-4130-8989-e84004580be5.jpg)
Scare factor: Devils are known for rowdy communal feedings and squabbling over carcasses.
Cool factor: These marsupials are capable of incredible feats of strength - they can climb trees and swim across rivers.
#9 Crocodile
![](https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5c3039c4101/61bcbf54-b5fb-4e78-9298-26ec97cfff21.jpg)
Scare factor: Those jaws have 24 sharp teeth meant to grasp and crush, not to chew.
Cool factor: They can live up to 80 years!
#8 Wolf
![](https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5c3039c4101/94b2eaa2-dd83-4f65-9903-8c375b5290df.jpg)
Scare factor: You're scared they'll huff and puff and blow your house down.
Cool factor: Once a wolf has found a mate, the two usually stay together for life.
#7 Shark
![](https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5c3039c4101/ae6f9886-e5e9-4ba0-ad54-c8c0dec309f0.jpg)
Scare factor: The music from Jaws still keeps you up at night.
Cool factor: They always have a row of smaller teeth behind their front teeth - eventually, the front teeth fall out and the smaller ones take their place like a conveyor belt!
#6 Roach
![](https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5c3039c4101/9a9029c9-d8d9-46b9-bb70-f439d239ab8d.jpg)
Scare factor: Cockroach infestations can cause allergies and asthma.
Cool factor: They can live for a week without their heads!
#5 Vulture
![](https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5c3039c4101/69f26fda-dc9f-4e84-b50e-4f9daf916ee9.jpg)
Scare factor: They prey on dead animals. They're scary looking.
Cool factor: Vultures are nature's cleanup crew - they remove animal carcasses that would otherwise get left behind.
#4 Hyena
![](https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5c3039c4101/53e42730-0460-4007-b77e-a5074ba7a70a.jpg)
Scare Factor: Hyenas produce a characteristic laughing sound when attacked or chased. They also whoop, grunt, giggle, growl and whine.
Cool factor: They're smart - in one study they showed greater problem solving and social cooperation than chimpanzees!
#3 Snakes
![](https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5c3039c4101/7250cd85-3502-4bd7-9105-106e00bf35c1.jpg)
Scare factor: They can't chew, so they swallow their prey whole.
Cool factor: They can smell with their tongue!
#2 Tarantula
![](https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5c3039c4101/d6802a0e-6515-4f22-9643-8020fc886aa9.jpg)
Scare factor: They're big, hairy spiders.
Cool factor: Females can live 30 years or longer in the wild.
#1 Naked mole rat
![](https://mlsvc01-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/5c3039c4101/6d7b68ed-c43c-4656-a022-dcb6ac14bf8f.jpg)
Scare factor: They're completely hairless and wrinkled with protruding teeth. They live underground.
Cool factor: They are the longest living rodents, with a lifespan of up to 30 years.