Zombie Ants to Ghost Frogs: 6 Real Halloween Monsters

Halloween is a time to celebrate mythical creatures that haunt our dreams — when the undead come to life and bloodsuckers go on the prowl.

But some of these monsters have real-life counterparts in the animal world.

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No Halloween would be complete without ghosts, and again, Mother Nature doesn't disappoint. The Table Mountain Ghost Frog (Heleophryne rosei) was namedafter the ghostly atmosphere of Skeleton Gorge, South Africa, where the animal was first found, according to the IUCN. But soon, this critically endangered species could live up to its name — it's population declined by an estimated 50 percent between 1980 and 2000, as a result of foreign vegetation, fires and water shortages, the IUCN said. (Image Credit: Atherton de Villiers)

This nasty creature may be even scarier than its name suggests. The Atlantic Hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) bores a hole in dead or dying fish and munches away at its internal organs and muscles. Yet despite its horrifying habits, the hagfish plays a critical role in cleaning the ocean floor and recycling nutrients, according to the IUCN. (Image Credit: Image courtesy of the HabCam Group and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Goblin sharks (Mitsukurina owstoni) are truly fearsome animals to behold. These creatures have a pinkish-white color with blue fins, a long, flattened snout and three rows of menacing teeth. Mature males have been measured at between 8.7 and 12.6 feet (2.7 to 3.8 meters), while mature females have spanned 11 to 12.2 feet (3.4 to 3.7 m). A bottom-dweller, the goblin shark is rarely seen at the surface or in shallow waters, but has been found in deeper waters around the world near continental slopes. (Image Credit: Carl Moore)

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Tanya was a staff writer for Live Science from 2013 to 2015, covering a wide array of topics, ranging from neuroscience to robotics to strange/cute animals. She received a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a bachelor of science in biomedical engineering from Brown University. She has previously written for Science News, Wired, The Santa Cruz Sentinel, the radio show Big Picture Science and other places. Tanya has lived on a tropical island, witnessed volcanic eruptions and flown in zero gravity (without losing her lunch!). To find out what her latest project is, you can visit her website.