Top 25 most unusual animals on the planet

The variety of shapes, colors and sizes of creatures that inhabit our planet exceeds even the most fertile imagination. We are pleased to introduce 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.

25. Octopus Dumbo

A 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 worm-like on the seabed. The octopus got its name, reminiscent of a baby elephant with large ears, thanks to two unusual fins.

24. Darwin's Bat

Bats are found in the waters around the Galapagos Islands. They are terrible swimmers and have instead learned to walk the ocean floor on their fins.

23. Chinese Water Deer

This animal received the nickname "Vampire Deer" for its outstanding fangs, which are used in battles for territory.

22. Star-nosed

The small North American mole gets its name from a circle of 22 pink, fleshy tentacles at the end of its snout. They are used to identify star-nosed 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 "aye". This native of Madagascar is distinguished by his unique method of finding food; he knocks on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood and inserts an elongated middle finger to pull the prey out.

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. Fish pacu

Freshwater fish with human teeth are found in rivers in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, as well as in Papua New Guinea. The nightmare of local fishermen who are afraid to swim in the water due to the fact that pacu confuse male testicles with nuts falling from trees into the water.

18. Drop Fish

One of the strangest animals in the world. By the outward appearance of this creature, we can say that it is despondency embodied. It lives in deep waters off the coast of Australia and Tasmania.

A drop 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-necked turtle

These turtles can be found all over Australia.Their wonderful necks can be up to 25 cm long.

16. Surinamese pipa

The leaf-like appearance of the Surinamese pipa is a natural defense against predators. These toads have a unique breeding method: the female lays eggs while the male releases sperm at the same time. The female dives down and the eggs fall on her back, in the cells, where they are, until it is time for the young pip to be born.

15. Crab Yeti

In the "hairy" claws of this crustacean living in the depths of the southern part The Pacific, contains many filamentous bacteria. They are needed to neutralize toxic minerals from the water and, possibly, serve as food for their host.

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 feared that the bearded men would attack animals and children. Now there are only 10 thousand of them left on Earth.

13. Pike blend

They live in the waters off the west coast of America, can grow up to 30 cm in length and have frighteningly large mouths. Their pike blend dogs show each other as if they are kissing. Whoever has a bigger mouth is more important.

12. Decorated tree kite

Many people's nightmare revived: a snake that climbs trees and then jumps down. Before jumping, the reptile curls up in a spiral, and then sharply turns around and throws itself into the air. In flight, it stretches out and smoothly lands on a lower branch or other tree. Fortunately, bats do not pay attention to people, they are more interested in bats, frogs and rodents.

11. North American kamicli

The homeland of this cute raccoon animal is the arid regions of North America. Some 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 needles in its central back can vibrate. With their help, animals locate each other.

9. Pink sea cucumber

Looks like a character in a science fiction movie, but in fact - a harmless creature. And it looks more like a jellyfish than its relatives sea cucumbers. Around its red mouth are tentacles that scoop edible mud from the bottom of the sea. From there, it enters the creature's intestines.

8. Rhinopithecus

Famed TV presenter and naturalist David Attenborough once remarked that these marvelous monkeys with a stubby nose and a blue "mask" around their eyes looked like "elves." Or, looking at them, you can say that "plastic surgery has gone too far." Rhinopithecus live in Asia, at altitudes up to 4000 meters and are rarely seen by people.

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 shrimps actively fluoresce, and the fluorescence wavelength corresponds to the wavelength that the pigments in their eyes can perceive.

6. Panda Ant

Among the most unusual animals on the planet is a furry creature with a panda coloration. 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 him, it has a powerful sting.

5. Leaf-tailed gecko

The master of disguise is from Madagascar. With its leaf-shaped tail, it can blend in with the local jungle.

4. Gerenuk

It is hard to believe that this long-necked adorable is not a mini-giraffe, but a real African gazelle. In order to reach the tall branches, the gerenuk lacks only the length of the neck. You still have to get up 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 a Bigfoot / Kitten crossing experiment.Angora rabbits were extremely popular in the 17th and 18th centuries among the European nobility. They were not eaten, but kept as a pet.

1. Goblin shark (aka goblin shark)

The first number in our top 25 strange creatures is the rare shark, which is sometimes called the "living fossil". It is the only surviving member of the Scapanorhynchidae family, with a genealogy of about 125 million years. Goblin sharks live all over the world at depths of more than 100 m, so they are not dangerous for swimmers.