Meet Bridgey's Midgey, the most alien-looking domed bug accidentally discovered in Australia by a tour guide: 'It looks INCREDIBLY interesting.'

We believe in aliens. They were discovered in 2020, and they're not from space - they're native to Australia.

We're talking about the most bizarre bugs we've ever seen, obviously. If the Bridgey's Midgey ever reminded us of something, it's… an alien. If you insisted we describe it, we'd say it's part firefly, part dragonfly, part old TV antenna from the '80s. And all that in the size of a tenth of your fingernail. If that's not the description of an alien, we don't know what is (because, honestly, "green man, big eyes" is so last century).

So if you woke up this morning feeling the urge to go and discover, come with us on an online adventure of the Australian wildlife - where everything strange is normal, and everything unhinged is like another Tuesday. But really, the Aussie wilderness is so weird it's no wonder all the peculiar animal discoveries happen downunder. It just seems that all we need to do as humans is look hard enough.

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via @bridgettegower | Aussie Macro Photos
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Australia has a reputation for producing creatures that look like evolution decided to experiment after midnight.
Take the funnel-web spider, armed with impressively potent venom, or the saltwater crocodile, which is less “river lizard” and more “armored prehistoric authority figure”. The box jellyfish drifts through northern waters with tentacles capable of delivering extremely powerful venom. Even the platypus - objectively adorable - is technically a venomous, egg-laying mammal with a duck bill and electroreception.
The reason for this apparent biological fever dream is isolation. Australia split from other landmasses millions of years ago, allowing species to evolve independently, filling ecological niches in unusual ways. Venom became a common evolutionary strategy because it’s energy-efficient for hunting and defense. Many species labeled “terrifying” are actually shy and avoid humans whenever possible.
In reality, these animals aren’t malicious - they’re just highly specialized survivors shaped by a unique environment. Australia isn’t a horror movie - it’s a masterclass in evolutionary creativity.
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If you didn’t know what they are, the Baneling from StarCraft and the Glyphid Detonator from Deep Rock Galactic are fictional video game alien creatures designed around one very specific life choice: explosive enthusiasm.
Both resemble oversized, insect-like beings with swollen, glowing back cysts that signal imminent detonation. The Baneling is a mutated form of a larger alien species, engineered to sacrifice itself by rupturing a fluid-filled sac of corrosive bio-acid. The Detonator, meanwhile, is a massive subterranean arthropod-like monster with bulbous, bioluminescent pustules along its back, packed with volatile material.
Visually, those back cysts mimic real-world biological warning signals - bright coloration in nature often advertises toxicity or danger. Think poison dart frogs, but with considerably worse boundaries. The swollen sacs also resemble parasitic infections or fungal growths seen in insects, which is likely intentional: our brains instinctively label “inflamed glowing lump” as bad news.
They’re dangerous, unsettling, and biologically inspired… just thankfully not real.
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