Top 25 most unusual animals on the planet
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The variety of shapes, colors and sizes of creatures that inhabit our planet surpasses even the richest imagination. We are pleased to present you the most unusual animals in the world. Some of them look like characters from a science fiction movie about Mars, others seem to come from another dimension, but they all live on Earth and were created by mother nature.
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25. Octopus Dumbo
The funny octopus opens the hit parade of amazing creatures. He lives at great depths (from one hundred to five thousand meters) and is mainly engaged in the search for crustaceans and worms on the seabed. The octopus got its name, reminiscent of a baby elephant with large ears, thanks to two unusually shaped fins.
24. Darwin's Bat
Creatures from the bat family are found in the waters around the Galapagos Islands. They are terrible swimmers and have instead learned to walk the ocean floor on their flippers.
23. Chinese water deer
This animal has earned the nickname "Vampire Deer" for its prominent fangs, which are used in battles for territory.
22. Starship
The small North American mole gets its name from the circle of 22 pink, fleshy tentacles at the end of its snout. They are used to identify starfish food (worms, insects and crustaceans) by touch.
21. Ay-ay
In this photo – one of the most unusual animals in the world with the name "ay-ay" or "arm". This Madagascar native is notable for its unique foraging method; it knocks on trees to find larvae and then gnaws holes in the wood and inserts an elongated middle finger to pull out prey.
20. Living Stone
Pyura Chilensis are living, breathing organisms found on Chilean beaches. Their appearance allows them to avoid predators. Interestingly, these creatures have both male and female organs and can reproduce without the help of a partner.
19. Pacu fish
Freshwater fish with human teeth are found in rivers in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as in Papua New Guinea. A nightmare for local fishermen who are afraid to swim in the water because they confuse male testicles with nuts falling from trees into the water.
18. Drop fish
One of the strangest animals in the world. By the appearance of this creature, we can say that it is the embodiment of despondency. It lives in deep waters off the coast of Australia and Tasmania.
• The blob fish lives in the depths and its flesh is a gel-like mass with a density slightly less than that of water. This allows the "dull" creature to stay afloat.
17. Eastern long neck turtle
These turtles can be found throughout Australia. Their wonderful necks can reach a length of up to 25 cm.
16. Surinam pipa
The leaf-like appearance of the Suriname pipa is a natural defense against predators. These toads have a unique breeding method: the female lays eggs and the male releases sperm at the same time. The female dives down and the eggs fall on her back, into the cells, where they are until the time comes for the young peeps to be born.
15. Yeti Crab
The Pacific Ocean contains many filamentous bacteria. They are needed to neutralize poisonous minerals from the water and, possibly, serve as food for their carrier.
14. Bearded man
These beautiful birds live on Everest, the Himalayas and other mountainous regions in Europe and Asia. They were almost destroyed because people were afraid that bearded men would attack animals and children. Now there are only 10 of them left on Earth.
13. Pike blenny
They live in the waters off the western coast of America, can grow up to 30 cm in length and have intimidatingly large mouths. Their pike blennies demonstrate to each other as if they are kissing. Whoever has a larger mouth is more important.
12. Decorated tree kite
A living nightmare for many people: a snake that climbs trees and then jumps down. Before the jump, the reptile curls up into a spiral, and then abruptly turns around and throws itself into the air. In flight, it stretches out and lands smoothly on a lower branch or other tree. Fortunately, flying snakes do not pay attention to people, they are more interested in bats, frogs and rodents.
11. North American cahomizli
The homeland of this cute animal from the raccoon family is the arid regions of North America. They are so easy to tame that miners and settlers once kept them as companions and gave them the nickname "miner's cat".
10. Striped tenrec
It lives only in the tropical forests of Madagascar. The tenrec is somewhat porcupine-like, and the quills in the central back can vibrate. With their help, animals locate each other.
9. Pink sea cucumber
It looks like a character from a science fiction movie, but in reality it is a harmless creature. And it looks more like a jellyfish than its relatives holothurians. Around its red mouth are tentacles that dig up edible dirt from the bottom of the sea. From there, it enters the creature's intestines.
8. Rhinopithecus
Famed broadcaster and naturalist David Attenborough once remarked that these marvelous monkeys, with their stump noses and blue "masks" around their eyes, looked like "elves." And you can, looking at them, say that "plastic surgery has gone too far." Rhinopithecus live in Asia, at altitudes up to 4000 meters and are rarely seen by humans.
7. Mantis shrimp
The colorful stomatopod or mantis shrimp spends most of its life hiding in burrows. Able to break through the walls of aquariums by moving at speeds up to 80 km per hour. During mating games, mantis shrimp actively fluoresce, with the wavelength of the fluorescence corresponding to the wavelength that the pigments in their eyes can perceive.
6 Panda Ant
Among the most unusual animals on the planet is a fluffy panda-colored creature. In fact, this is not an ant, but a wingless wasp that lives in South America. It is very similar in appearance to an ant, but, unlike it, has a powerful sting.
5. Leaf-tailed gecko
The master of disguise hails from Madagascar. Thanks to its leaf-shaped tail, it can fit into the "interior" of the local jungle.
4. Gerenuk
It is hard to believe that this long-necked charmer is not a mini-giraffe, but a real African gazelle. In order to reach the high branches, the gerenuk lacks only the length of the neck. You still have to stand on your hind legs.
3 Chinese Giant Salamander
It can grow up to 180 cm long and weigh up to 70 kg. If you are in China and see such a creature in a local reservoir, then you should know that the water in this reservoir is very clean and cold.
2. Angora rabbit
Looks like the result of an experiment on crossing Bigfoot with a kitten. Angora rabbits were exceptionally popular in the 17th and 18th centuries among European nobility. They were not eaten, but kept as pets.
1. Goblin shark (aka goblin shark)
Number one on our top 25 strangest creatures is the rare shark, sometimes referred to as a "living fossil". This is the only surviving representative of the Scapanorhynchus family, whose pedigree is about 125 million years old. Goblin sharks live all over the world at depths of more than 100 m, so they are not dangerous for swimmers.
