The beauty of the animal kingdom is universally celebrated. Regal lions and eagles, elegant swans and gazelle grace the logos of companies and sporting teams and royal crests. Everyone knows all about the plight of the panda; the polar bear; the tiger. But what about all those creatures who in our eyes are not part of that beauty parade? Those critters that could never be considered cute and cuddly. Those that do not have the evolutionary good fortune to be fluffy. Those species with faces only a mother could love.

This series celebrates those forgotten members of the animal kingdom and explores the functionality of their freaky faces and grotesque forms. Rather than being less fortunate there are always sound reasons behind the most misshapen of shapes. And even Mother Nature’s most malformed looking children make sense in the context of their environment. Anatomy does not have to be attractive to be well adapted. Look at life through the lens of evolution and we see that the weirdest of traits is almost always wonderful. The ugly truth is often stranger than we can suppose.