Ten animals named after mythological creatures

1. Harpy eagle

The harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) gets its name from the harpies of Greek mythology. The harpy was described as a wind spirit with the body of an eagle and the head of a woman. They carried the dead to Hades, Lord of the Underworld. The harpy eagle is one of the biggest species of eagle and like other birds of prey the female is larger than the male. They have short wings to help them navigate their dense forested surroundings.

Harpy eagles live in the rainforests of Central and South America. They mostly eat tree-dwelling mammals such as sloths, monkeys and opossums and reptiles like iguanas. They also prey on other birds such as parrots. Harpy eagles can live for 25-35 years. They mate for life and a pair produces a chick every two to four years. The species is currently at risk due to habitat loss from logging.

2. Table Mountain ghost frog

While the ghost frog (Heleophryne rosei) gets its name from the Skeleton Gorge where it was first recorded, it could also apply to this species' elusive nature.

Found only on the slopes of Table Mountain in South Africa and in an area of just four square kilometres, its colouring perfectly matches the forest floor making them tough to spot. This helps them to evade predators.

The ghost frog has few close relatives, with just seven species in its family, Heleophrynidae. The common ancestor of ghost frogs diverged from the ancestor of other living frogs in the Early Cretaceous period, about 70 million years before Tyrannosaurus existed.

Ghost frogs are adapted to live in mountain streams. Their tadpoles use suction cup-like mouths to climb up wet vertical rocks. Water contamination, frequent forest fires and human-made construction of water storage reservoirs on the mountain have affected the frog's habitat, and they are currently a conservation priority.

3. Dracula parrot

Pesquet's parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) is also known as the vulturine or Dracula parrot due to its black and red plumage, and odd vulture-like appearance. It is the only species in its genus and is only found in the rainforests of New Guinea. Despite their gothic name, the Dracula parrot lives on a diet of figs which may be the reason for its bald face and neck, as the lack of feathers stop its face becoming sticky and matted from fig juice. Its plumage and specific diet mean the Dracula parrot is now classed as a vulnerable species - a mix of habitat loss and poaching means there are now just 21,000 pairs in the wild.

The parrot has a distinctive piercing scream which can be heard from some distance away.

4. Ghost bat

The ghost bat (Macroderma gigas), also known as the Australian false vampire bat, is native to Australia. It probably gets its spooky common name from its pale grey or light brown fur with some populations tending to be almost white which makes it appear ghostly at night. 

Due to their large size and sharp teeth, false vampire bats were assumed to drink blood, however they actually eat large insects, lizards, birds, rodents and even other bats. They are the only species of carnivorous bat in Australia. 

Much of the prey is captured on the ground. Ghost bats drop on animals from above, enveloping them with their flight membranes, and killing them with bites about the head and neck. Like many other bats species, they use echolocation to find their way around. But in addition to their large ears and nose leaf, they also have large eyes to help them find prey.

Ghost bats have long wings and no tail. They can be up to 13 centimetres in length and have a wingspan of up to 50 centimetres when stretched.