You might think
you’ve seen the world over, under, around and through, but there will
still be wonders that will make your eyes pop. Even if you’re a
dedicated animal enthusiast, you can’t honestly expect to know all of
the 1,367,555 non-insect animal species, that are identified on the face
of Earth today! Besides, new animal species might be discovered by the
time you finish reading this text, so there will always be some new
surprises for us out there.
We’ve already introduced you to
22 strange animals you didn’t know existed,
and, like we said, the count never stopped! Here’s a new list of 21
more animals you’ve most likely never heard of, and probably won’t see
prancing around your backyard anytime soon.
Would you like any of these to become commonplace pets, and share a roof with you?
Red-lipped Batfish
Found on the Galapagos Islands, this fish is actually a pretty bad
swimmer, and uses its pectoral fins to walk on the bottom of the ocean.
(Image credits:
imgur)
Goblin Shark
This rare shark is sometimes even called a “living fossil”,
“is the only extant representative of the family Mitsukurinidae, a lineage some 125 million years old.” Goblin
sharks inhabit around the world at depths greater than 100 m (330 ft),
with adults found deeper than juveniles. Given the depths at which it
lives, the goblin shark poses no danger to humans. (Image credits:
imgur)
The Panda Ant
The
Mutillidae
are a family of more than 3,000 species of wasps (despite the names)
whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Found in Chile, they
are known for their extremely painful stings, hence the common name cow
killer or cow ant. Black and white specimens are sometimes known as
panda ants due to their hair coloration resembling that of the Chinese
giant panda. (Image credits:
Chris Lukhaup)
Penis Snake
This, uhm… peculiar eyeless animal is actually called
Atretochoana eiselti.
It is a large, presumably aquatic, caecilian amphibian with a broad,
flat head and a fleshy dorsal fin on the body. (Image credits:
fotos.noticias.bol.uol.com.br)
Umbonia Spinosa
These thorn bugs are related to cicadas, and use their beaks to
pierce plant stems to feed upon their sap. Their strange appearance
still poses many questions to scientists. (Image credits:
Colin Hutton)
Lowland Streaked Tenrec
Found in Madagascar, Africa, this small
tenrec
is the only mammal known to use stridulation for generating sound –
something that’s usually associated with snakes and insects. (Image
credits:
hakoar |
telegraph.co.uk)
Hummingbird Hawk-Moth
As this hawk-moth feeds on flowers and makes a similar humming sound,
it looks a lot like a hummingbird. What’s interesting is that it is
surprisingly good at learning colors. (Image credits:
Jerzy Strzelecki |
unknown)
Glaucus Atlanticus
Also known as the
blue dragon,
this creature is a is a species of blue sea slug. You could find it in
warm waters of the oceans, as it floats on the surface because of a
gas-filled sac in its stomach
. (Image credits:
unknown |
unknown |
paulhypnos)
Mantis Shrimp
Also called the “
sea locusts“,
“prawn killers” and even “thumb splitters”, this is one of the most
common predators in tropical and sub-tropical waters; little is known
about them, however, because of how much time they spend hiding in their
burrows. (Image credits:
Alexander Safonov)
Venezuelan Poodle Moth
Discovered in Venezuela in 2009, this new species of alien-looking
moth is still poorly explored. Waiting for more info about them! (Image
credits:
Arthur Anker |
imgur)
The Pacu Fish
You probably don’t need much explanation as to why the residents of
Papua New Guinea call this fish a “ball cutter.” The local fishermen
were really worried about the safety of their testicles when they had to
get in the water! (Image credits:
imgur |
evolvingcomplexityii)
Giant Isopod
This one is the largest of the existing isopods.
“The enormous size of the giant isopod is a result of a phenomenon known as deep sea gigantism.
This is the tendency of deep sea crustaceans and other animals to grow
to a much larger size than similar species in shallower waters.” (Image credits:
Littoraria)
The Saiga Antelope
This
saiga,
spread around the Eurasian steppe, is known for its an extremely
unusual, over-sized, flexible nose structure, the proboscis. (Image
credits:
enews.fergananews.com)
The Bush Viper
Being a carnivore predator, the
Bush Viper lives up in the trees of the tropical forests of Africa, and does most of its hunting at night. (Image credits:
thegeneralmonk)
The Blue Parrotfish
This bright
blue fish can be found in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and spends 80% of its time searching for food. (Image credits:
imgur |
depalmadise)
Indian Purple Frog
Found in India, this species of frog have bloated body and an
unusually pointy snout; it only spends two weeks a year on the surface
of earth, leaving the underground for mating. (Image credits:
wikipedia.org)
Shoebill
This large stork-like bird gets its name because of the shape of its
beak. Even though it was already known to ancient Egyptians and Arabs,
the bird was only classified in 19th century. (Image credits:
David Li |
shoebill.info)
Okapi
This mammal is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in
Central Africa. Despite the zebra-like stripes, it is actually more
closely related to giraffes. (Image credits:
marylandzoo.org |
baynews9.com)
Narwhal
This toothed whale, found in the arctic, has been valued for over
1000 years by the Inuit people for its meat and ivory. The narwhal,
however, is especially sensitive to the climate change. (Image credits:
gowild.wwf.org.uk |
Richard Thomas)
Thorny Dragon
Coloured in camouflaging shades of desert browns, this lizard has a
“false” head, which he presents to his predators by dipping the real
one. (Image credits:
imgur |
Christopher Watson)
Sea Pig
Scotoplanes
live on deep ocean bottoms, specifically on the abyssal plain in the
Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, typically at depths of over 1000
meters. They are deposit feeders, and obtain food by extracting organic
particles from deep-sea mud. (Image credits:
imgur |
thedailygreen.com |
realcoldfish)
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