09.28.2018 at 17:15 · Johnny · 23 830

10 most unusual animals in the world inhabiting our planet

Amazing creatures live everywhere. They inhabit distant Siberian lands, godforsaken Pacific lands and numerous Finnish ones. These beautiful creatures live on land, in water, underground and even in the mountains of Tibet, which, in the literal sense of the word, touches the heavens.

We have compiled a ranking of the top 10 most unusual in the world to show how beautiful and diverse the creatures living on our amazing planet Earth are. After all, in noisy cities we sometimes forget that besides people there are other forms of life.

10. Shoebill

Species: Birds
Subspecies: Storks
Average size: body length – 1-1.3 meters; wingspan – 2-2.5 meters
Habitat: Wetlands
Place of residence: Central Africa

This creature is a huge bird that lives in the wetlands of Central Africa. Shoebill(Royal Heron) is predominantly diurnal and feeds on marsh algae. It should be noted that this creature is particularly photogenic. Shoebill can stand in one position for a long time, which allows you to conduct an entire photo session with this beautiful creature.

9.

Type: Fish
Subspecies: Psycholutes
Average size: 30-60 centimeters
Habitat: seabed
Residence: Pacific Ocean

This blot is a living creature! Who would have thought! Really weird body shape drop fish has a completely reasonable explanation. The habitat of this unusual creature is located at a depth of up to 3,000 meters, where the fish’s swim bladder cannot function. Therefore, evolution gave this fish such a bizarre body shape to move around the sea. By the way, the density of fish is less than the density of water.

8. Madagascar suckerfoot

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Bat
Average size: 5-6 centimeters
Place of residence: Madagascar

Well, isn't he cute? Madagascar suckerfoot- a cute flying creature that has suction cups on its legs. These unusual animals are quite rare. It should be noted that the Madagascar suckerfoot is listed in. The main diet of this baby is small insects. The peculiarity of the Madagascar suckerfoot lies not only in the suckers on its legs, but also in the fact that this animal has practically not been studied by modern science.

7. Narwhal

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Cetaceans
Average size: 3.5-4.5 meters
Habitat: water
Place of residence: Arctic Ocean

It turns out that unicorns exist! AND narwhal is the only representative of this mythical animal. This is a fairly large mammal that can weigh up to 1.5 tons. The amazing narwhal eats almost any fish that it can find in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean.

6. Dumbo Octopus

Species: Octopus
Subspecies: Mollusk
Average size: 3-8 centimeters
Habitat: deep sea
Residence: Tasman Sea

It is not clear what this representative of the animal world looks like. Modern science knows practically nothing about this creature. The most interesting and remarkable in Dumbo Octopus- ears. In fact, these are tentacles that, during evolution, for some reason grew together.

5. Little Hand Aye-aye

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Primate
Average size: 30-50 centimeters
Habitat: tropical forests
Place of residence: Madagascar

This unusual creature is a direct relative of lemurs. Although it was previously believed that Madagascar little hand Aye-aye- semi-monkey. She is predominantly nocturnal. This nocturnal half-monster can weigh up to 3 kilograms. The animal is listed in the Red Book.

4. Axolotl

Species: Amphibians
Subspecies: Neotenic larva
Average size: 20-35 centimeters
Habitat: mountain rivers
Place of residence: Mexico

Few people know about the existence of an amphibian axolotl. The animal looks a bit like a smiling fish with legs. This animal is very interesting, because the axolotl does not have to become an adult to reproduce. If threatened, the animal can turn into an ambist (lizard-like) creature. In addition, the axolotl's body has a unique ability to regenerate. If this animal loses any part of its body, it will grow back after some time.

3. Star-nosed

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Moles
Average size: 9-15 centimeters
Habitat: forest
Residence: North America

After the axolotl, is it difficult for you to be surprised by anything? I doubt. Star-nosed- this creature looks like a monster from or some kind of alien creature. In fact, this animal is related to the European mole. He is quite incapable of harming a person in any way.

2. Sloth

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Incomplete edentates
Average size: 50-60 centimeters
Habitat: forest
Residence: Central America, South America

Many people know this animal from the famous cartoon Ice Age. Sloth– an animal that sleeps 15 hours a day. He practically never leaves the trees. Sloths move extremely slowly, which is why they got their name.

1. Angora rabbit

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Rodent
Average size: 70-80 centimeters
Habitat: pet

We are pleased to present the most unusual animal living on Earth - angora rabbit! It should be noted that this animal is a pet. The peculiarity of this creature is that it is completely covered with long hair. They can have so much fur that it is sometimes difficult to understand that they are even a living creature.

This video talks about 8 unusual animals, the existence of which you might not even know:

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The ocean is full of immortal (at least biologically immortal) creatures. Turritopsis dohrnii begins its life cycle in the form of small larvae, but as it matures it settles to the seabed and forms a colony of identical polyps. Ultimately, the polyps disintegrate and form a whole host of sexually mature jellyfish, which, by the way, love to feast on other jellyfish. When they grow old or get sick, they can again return to the “childish” form of the polyp and reproduce in new colonies. Theoretically, the processes of regression and metamorphosis can continue forever.

Genus Corvus, to which crows, rooks and jackdaws belong, is rightfully considered one of the most intelligent animals on Earth. Like primates, these birds are capable of making primitive tools, and in a number of numerous experiments, supported by real-life examples, they calmly solved entire systems of complex problems that allowed them to escape to freedom or get food for themselves. It comes to the point that Corvus representatives actively use the human environment as a large improvised tool, for example, placing nuts in front of car tires so that they crack while the car is moving.

Even the most sinister myths and legends about vampires do not convey even a tenth of the true awesomeness bats. Firstly, it is the only mammal capable of flight, and the wingspan of the largest known representative reaches 1.8 meters, which is greater than the height of the average person. At the same time, any vampire would envy the appetite of such a flyer: a brown bat can eat up to 1000 (!) mosquitoes per hour. They live in packs of up to a million individuals, and the lifespan of a mouse can reach 30 years, which is several times longer than the average lifespan of mammals of their size. At the same time, we have not even mentioned echolocation - a universal mechanism for orienting in space for creatures with poor vision.

Lophiiformes Anglerfishes or “sea devils” are a group of bony fish that live at great depths. Monstrous facial features and a “blob” full of bioluminescent bacteria, which grows on the females’ forehead and acts as a bait, already make them look like characters from Lovecraftian myths. But the process of their mating is much more interesting: the male tightly clings his teeth to the female and remains hanging on her all his life while she gradually absorbs him. The male’s body gradually grows into the female, and all that remains of him are the genitals, of which a particularly attractive “devil” can have up to 6 at a time.

Bees. It would seem that everything that can be said about bees, but in reality these unique creatures still conceal a lot of secrets. The analytical abilities of insects are admirable: scientists taught bees to play football, and the best players turned out to be those who watched other bees play for a long time before entering the field themselves. In addition, bees were able to recognize human faces, instantly calculate the shortest path from flower to flower while collecting nectar, and in their environment, despite the principles of absolute collectivization, each bee has a pronounced individuality.

Incredible facts

Looking at some representatives of the animal world, it is impossible not to be amazed at the imagination and ingenuity of Mother Nature.

Here are some examples of the most unusual and strange animals on our planet:

The most unusual animals

1. Angora rabbit

The Angora rabbit is one of the oldest breeds of rabbits, named after the capital of Turkey - the city of Ankara. These cute animals look like real fluffy clouds with ears, and were popular pets among the royal families of France in the 18th century.

2. Star-nosed

This unusual mole, native to North America, has a strange, fleshy nose. At the end of its muzzle there are 22 moving pink tentacles, which are very sensitive and are used by it as a kind of antenna. The mole also sports scaly paws and a thick, fluffy, water-repellent tail, where fat reserves are stored.

3. Aye-aye

The aye-aye is a rodent-like animal that lives in Madagascar. With squirrel-like teeth and a slender middle finger, the aye-aye forages for food from trees.

4. Pink Spadefish

Unlike most fish, this pink spadefish uses its fins to literally walk along the bottom of the sea. A strange species was discovered in Tasmania, Australia, but scientists found only four representatives.

5. Striped Tenrec

If you could cross a bumblebee and a hedgehog, they would probably end up with a striped tenrec. Found in Madagascar, this bristly animal is covered in stripes of yellow and brown spines, which they use to attack enemies.

6. Pacu fish

Pacu fish are related to piranhas and are distinguished by human teeth. Pacu feed mainly on plants and nuts, but there have been cases where they have bitten off the testicles of men.

7. Gerenuk

The gerenuk, also known as the giraffe gazelle, is a species of long-necked antelope that lives in the deserts of eastern Africa. Its thin and long neck helps it reach leaves that other antelopes cannot reach. Moreover, they are able to stand on their hind legs and become even taller.

8. Cassowaries

These flightless birds are among the most dangerous creatures in the world. Cassowaries take the defense of their territory very seriously, and in case of danger they will brutally deal with you with their razor-sharp claws. They can reach 2 meters in height.

Unusual animals of the world

9. Giant isopod

The giant isopod, which looks like a woodlice or Colorado potato beetle, grows to 19-37 cm in length and reaches a weight of about 1.7 kg. These incredible creatures live underwater at depths of 170 to 2000 meters. They lead a solitary life and are scavengers, feeding on dead whales, squid and fish. But they are also adapted to long periods of fasting, going without food for up to 8 weeks.

10. Snakehead

This scary-looking fish is called a snakehead. It has an insatiable appetite, eating almost all the fish in a pond or lake and even its own young. In addition, the snakehead can crawl on the ground and remain on land for up to 3 days in search of new food sources. Once they are on the ground, they are capable of eating any small animals in their path. There have even been cases of snakeheads attacking people.

11. Saiga

The saiga or saiga antelope is one of the world's oldest mammals, living on Earth along with saber-tooth tigers and woolly mammoths 250,000 years ago. Although at one time they were considered extinct, they are now often referred to as living fossils.

12. Australian snake-necked turtle

Looking at it, it looks like someone passed a snake through a turtle. This species of turtle has a neck so long that they cannot pull it back into its protective shell. However, they have a secret weapon, releasing a foul-smelling liquid when in danger.

13. Dumbo the Octopus

Grimpoteuthis, or as it is also called the octopus Dumbo, looks like the famous Disney character - the flying elephant Dumbo and is distinguished by funny ears. It lives at depths of 900 – 4900 meters below sea level and is considered the deepest-sea octopus ever discovered. There were cases when representatives of grimpoteuthys were found at a depth of 7000 meters.

14. Proboscis

The proboscis monkey is a medium-sized monkey that can only be found in the rainforests of Borneo. Male proboscis monkeys are the largest monkeys in Asia, and with their large, fleshy noses, they are probably the most unusual mammals.

15. Scorpion flies

From a distance, these insects look like ordinary dragonflies, but if you look at them under a microscope, you will see a real scorpion tail. Fortunately, it does not sting and is presented to females as a gift.

Unusual animals (photo)

16. Water deer

This miniature deer resembles a vampire when viewed closely, thanks to its large, curved, saber-shaped fangs that reach up to 8 cm in length. However, there is no need to worry, these deer are quite harmless and there have been no cases of them attacking people.

17. Blue Parrotfish

This strange but wonderful fish is considered a delicacy in many countries around the world. In Polynesia it is served raw and was once considered a "royal food". They are classified as parrotfish that are able to envelop themselves in clear mucus to protect themselves from predators. Males can grow up to 120 cm in length.

18. Red-lipped damselfish

It looks like this fish has decided to wear bright red lipstick. Red-lipped fish live at a depth of 30 meters in the Galapagos Islands. Interestingly, they are better suited to walking on the seabed rather than swimming. When the fish reaches maturity, it begins to use its dorsal fin to lure prey.

19. Axolotl

Axolotl refers to the larvae of the Mexican Ambistoma or Tiger Ambistoma. The larvae of this species do not undergo metamorphosis, and the adults remain aquatic and have gills. The axolotl is highly valued by scientists for its ability to regrow new limbs and even body parts, including a spine and part of the brain if they are lost.

20. Cyclops Shark

The Cyclops shark is one of the strangest creatures discovered by scientists in 2011. A large eyeball is the result of a disorder called cyclopia, which also occurs in humans. Researchers have found Cyclops shark embryos several times, but the fact that they have not been found outside the womb suggests that Cyclops sharks do not survive in the wild.

09.28.2018 at 17:15 · Johnny · 23 830

10 most unusual animals in the world inhabiting our planet

10. Shoebill

Species: Birds
Subspecies: Storks
Average size: body length – 1-1.3 meters; wingspan – 2-2.5 meters
Habitat: Wetlands
Place of residence: Central Africa

9.

Type: Fish
Subspecies: Psycholutes
Average size: 30-60 centimeters
Habitat: seabed
Residence: Pacific Ocean

8. Madagascar suckerfoot

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Bat
Average size: 5-6 centimeters
Place of residence: Madagascar

7. Narwhal

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Cetaceans
Average size: 3.5-4.5 meters
Habitat: water
Place of residence: Arctic Ocean

6. Dumbo Octopus

Species: Octopus
Subspecies: Mollusk
Average size: 3-8 centimeters
Habitat: deep sea
Residence: Tasman Sea

5. Little Hand Aye-aye

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Primate
Average size: 30-50 centimeters
Habitat: tropical forests
Place of residence: Madagascar

4. Axolotl

Species: Amphibians
Subspecies: Neotenic larva
Average size: 20-35 centimeters
Habitat: mountain rivers
Place of residence: Mexico

3. Star-nosed

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Moles
Average size: 9-15 centimeters
Habitat: forest
Residence: North America

2. Sloth

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Incomplete edentates
Average size: 50-60 centimeters
Habitat: forest
Residence: Central America, South America

1. Angora rabbit

Species: Mammals
Subspecies: Rodent
Average size: 70-80 centimeters
Habitat: pet

This video talks about 8 unusual animals, the existence of which you might not even know:

Readers' Choice:

On my website I regularly tell you about, for example, just a couple of days ago I published an article about. The rating of the article exceeded all my expectations and I decided to add more to this list 25 extraordinary animals.
1. Leafy Sea Dragon

What kind of animal: Sea fish, a relative of the seahorse.
Habitat: In the waters washing southern and western, often in shallow water, in moderately warm water.
Special features: Branches of the head and body, similar to leaves, serve only for camouflage. It moves using the pectoral fin located on the crest of the neck, as well as the dorsal fin near the tip of the tail. These fins are completely transparent.
Dimensions: grows up to 45 cm.
By the way: the leafy sea dragon is the official emblem of the state of South Australia.

2. Malayan bear or biruang

What kind of animal: Mammal of the bear family.
Habitat: From the northeast and the southern part through Myanmar, Thailand, the Indochina and Malacca peninsulas to Indonesia.
Special features: Stocky, strong animal with a short and wide muzzle. The ears are short and rounded. The limbs are high with disproportionately large paws; the claws are very large, curved. Feet are bare. The fangs are small. The biruang's fur is short, stiff and smooth. The color is black, on the face it turns into roan-yellow. On the chest there is usually a large whitish or red spot in the shape of a horseshoe, reminiscent in shape and color of the rising sun. A nocturnal animal, it often sleeps all day or sunbathes in the branches of trees, where it builds a kind of nest for itself.
Dimensions: The smallest representative of the bear family: it does not exceed 1.5 m in length (plus a 3-7 cm tail), height at the withers is only 50-70 cm; weight 27-65 kg.
By the way: Biruangs are one of the rarest species of bears.

3. Komondor

What kind of animal: The Hungarian Shepherd is a breed of dog.

Special features: When keeping a Komondor, special care is required for its coat, the length of which can reach almost a meter. It cannot be combed, but as it grows, the formed strands must be separated so that the hair does not fall off.
Dimensions: This “king of the Hungarian Shepherds” is one of the largest dogs in the world, the height at the withers of males is more than 80 cm, and the long white hair, curled into original laces, makes the dog even more massive and impressive.
By the way: Feeding this huge dog is not particularly difficult. Like any herding dog, they are very unpretentious and eat very little, a little more than 1 kg of food per day.

4. Angora rabbit

What kind of animal: A rodent-type mammal.
Habitat: Where its home is, since it is a pet. More precisely - everywhere.
Special features: This animal is indeed extremely impressive; there are specimens whose fur reaches a length of up to 80 cm. This wool is very valued, and a wide variety of useful things are prepared from it, even underwear, stockings, gloves, scarves and, finally, just fabrics. A kilogram of Angora rabbit wool is usually valued at 10 - 12 rubles. One rabbit can produce up to 0.5 kg of such wool per year, but usually produces less. The Angora rabbit is most often bred by ladies, which is why it is sometimes called “ladies’ rabbit”.
Dimensions: Average weight 5 kg, body length 61 cm, chest circumference 38 cm, but variations are possible.
By the way: These rabbits should be combed every week, because if you don't take care of their fur, they get a disgusting appearance.

5. Red Panda

What kind of animal: an animal of the raccoon family.
Habitat: China, northern Burma, Bhutan, and northeastern India. Not found west of Nepal. Lives in mountain bamboo forests at an altitude of 2000-4000 m above sea level in a temperate climate.
Special features: The fur of the red panda is red or hazel on top, dark, reddish-brown or black below. The hair on the back has yellow tips. The paws are glossy black, the tail is red, with inconspicuous lighter narrow rings, the head is light, and the edges of the ears and muzzle are almost white, and there is a mask-like pattern near the eyes. The red panda leads a predominantly nocturnal (or rather, twilight) lifestyle; during the day it sleeps in a hollow, curled up and covering its head with its tail. In case of danger, it also climbs trees. On the ground, pandas move slowly and awkwardly, but they climb trees very well, but, nevertheless, they feed mainly on the ground - mainly on young leaves and bamboo shoots.
Dimensions: Body length 51-64 cm, tail 28-48 cm, weighs 3-4.5 kg
By the way: Red pandas live alone. The female’s “personal” territory occupies an area of about 2.5 square meters. km, the male is twice as large.

6. Sloth

What kind of animal: A partially toothed mammal belonging to the Bradypodidae family.
Habitat: found in Central and South America.
Special features: Sloths spend almost all their time hanging on a tree branch with their backs down; sloths sleep 15 hours a day. The physiology and behavior of sloths is focused on strict energy savings, because... They feed on low-calorie leaves. Digestion takes about a month. In a well-fed sloth, ⅔ of its body weight may be food in its stomach. Sloths have long necks to reach leaves over a large area without moving. The body temperature of an active sloth is 30-34 °C, and at rest it is even lower. Sloths really don’t like to get out of trees, because on the ground they are completely helpless. In addition, it requires energy. They climb down to relieve their natural needs, which they do only once a week (that’s why they have a huge bladder) and sometimes to move to another tree, where, in order to further save energy, they often gather in groups in the forks of branches. There is an assumption that at the same time they mate lazily.
Dimensions: The body weight of different species of sloths varies from 4 to 9 kg, and the body length is about 60 centimeters.
By the way: Sloths are so slow that the moth often lives in their fur.

7. Imperial Tamarina

What kind of animal: Primate, prehensile-tailed monkey.
Habitat: In the rain forests of the Amazon River basin in areas of southeastern Peru, northwestern Bolivia and northwestern Brazil.
Special features: A distinctive feature of the species is a particularly long white mustache, hanging down to the chest and shoulders in two strands. The toes have claws, not nails, only the big toes of the hind legs have nails. They spend most of their lives in trees, where larger species of monkeys cannot climb due to their weight.
Dimensions: Body length is 9.2-10.4 inches, tail length is 14-16.6 inches. The weight of adults is 180-250 g.
By the way: Tamarins live in groups of 2-8 individuals. All members of the group have their own rank, and at the highest level is the old female. Therefore, males carry the cubs.

8. White-faced Saki

What kind of animal: Primate, broad-nosed monkey.
Habitat: They live in rain forests, drier forests and even the savannas of the Amazon, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
Special features: The coat color is black, the front of the head, forehead and throat of males are light, almost white. Sometimes the head is reddish in color. The fur is thick and soft, the tail is long and fluffy. The tail is not prehensile. Females have a general coloration of brown and uniform. There are lighter stripes around the nose and mouth.
Dimensions: Males weigh 1.5-2 kg and are slightly heavier than females. Body length 15 inches, tail 20 inches.
By the way: White-faced sakis spend their entire lives in trees. Sometimes they descend into the lower tier of the tropical forest (on the lower branches of trees and shrubs) in search of food. In case of danger, they make long jumps, while the tail serves as a balancer. Active during the day and night.

9. Tapir

What kind of animal: A large herbivore from the order of equids.
Habitat: In Central America, in warm places of South America and southeast Asia.
Special features: Tapirs are relatively ancient mammals: even among the remains of animals 55 million years old, you can find many tapir-like animals. The closest animals to tapirs are other odd-toed ungulates: equines and rhinoceroses. Their front legs are four-toed, and their hind legs are three-toed; their toes have small hooves that help them move on muddy and soft ground.
Dimensions: The sizes of tapirs differ from species to species, but, as a rule, the length of a tapir is about two meters, the height at the withers is about a meter, and the weight is from 150 to 300 kg.
By the way: Tapirs are forest animals that love water. In forests, tapirs feed on fruits, leaves and berries. Their main enemy is man, who hunts tapirs for their meat and skin.

10. Mixins

What kind of animal: an animal from the jawless class.
Habitat: They inhabit seas of temperate latitudes, staying near the bottom at a depth of up to 400 m. At salinity below 29% they stop feeding, and at 25% and below they die.
Special features: The hagfish's mouth opening lacks a suction disc and is surrounded by only two pairs of antennae. By gnawing into the skin of the victim with strong horny teeth, they inject enzymes that dissolve proteins. Hagfishes most often prey on weakened vertebrate and invertebrate animals, as well as carrion. Often they find skeletons of fish covered with skin, and inside there are hagfish that have eaten all their entrails and muscles.
Dimensions: Body length up to 80 cm.
By the way: In Japan and some other countries, hagfish are eaten.

11. Star-nosed

What kind of animal: Insectivorous mammal of the mole family.
Habitat: Found only in southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
Special features: Externally, the star-nosed snake differs from other members of the family and from other small animals only in its characteristic stigma structure in the form of a rosette or star of 22 soft, fleshy, mobile bare rays.
Dimensions: The star-nosed mole is similar in size to the European mole. The tail is relatively long (about 8 cm), covered with scales and sparse hair
By the way: When the starfish is looking for food, the fleshy rays on the stigma are in constant motion, with the exception of the two middle ones, which are directed forward and do not bend. When he eats, the rays are pulled together into a compact pile; While eating, the animal holds the food with its front paws. When the starfish drinks, it immerses both the stigma and the entire mustache in water for 5-6 seconds.

12. Proboscis

What kind of animal: A species of primates from the subfamily of slender-bodied monkeys within the family Ape.
Habitat: Distributed exclusively on the island of Borneo, where it inhabits coastal regions and valleys.
Special features: The most striking feature of the proboscis monkey is its large nose, similar to a cucumber, which, however, is only found in males. The fur of proboscis dogs is yellowish-brown on the upper side and white on the underside. The arms, legs and tail are gray, and the hairless face is red.
Dimensions: The size of the proboscis reaches from 66 to 75 cm, the tail is approximately as long as the body. The weight of males ranges from 16 to 22 kg, twice the weight of females.
By the way: Proboscis monkeys are excellent swimmers, jumping into the water directly from trees and able to overcome up to 20 meters while diving underwater. Of all primates, they are perhaps the best swimmers.

13. Lesser cape-bearer

What kind of animal: Family of mammals of the order edentates.
Habitat: Armadillos inhabit steppes, deserts, savannas and forest edges of Central and South America.
Special features: These are the only modern mammals whose body is covered on top with a shell formed by cutaneous ossifications. The shell consists of the head, shoulder and pelvic shields and a number of hoop-like stripes encircling the body from above and from the sides. The parts of the shell are interconnected by elastic connective tissue, which gives mobility to the entire shell.
Dimensions: Body length from 12.5 (frilled armadillos) to 100 cm (giant armadillo); weight from 90 g to 60 kg. Tail length from 2.5 to 50 cm.
By the way: The respiratory tract of armadillos is voluminous and serves as a reservoir of air, so these animals can hold their breath for 6 minutes. This helps them cross bodies of water (often armadillos simply cross them along the bottom). The air taken into the lungs compensates for the weight of the heavy shell, allowing the armadillo to swim.

14. Axolotl

What kind of animal: The larval form of an amphibian from the Ambystomidae family.
Habitat: In mountain ponds of Mexico.
Special features: Long, shaggy branches grow on the sides of the axolotl’s head, three on each side. These are gills. Periodically, the larva presses them to the body and shakes them to clean them of organic residues. The axolotl's tail is long and wide, which helps it when swimming. It is interesting that the axolotl breathes with both gills and lungs - if the water is poorly saturated with oxygen, then the axolotl switches to pulmonary breathing, and over time its gills partially atrophy.
Dimensions: Total length - up to 30 cm.
By the way: Axolotls lead a very calm, measured lifestyle, not bothering themselves with unnecessary expenditure of energy. They lie calmly on the bottom, sometimes, wagging their tail, they rise to the surface of the water “for a breath of air.” But this is a predator that attacks its prey from ambush.

15. Aye-aye

What kind of animal: the largest animal of their nocturnal primates.
Habitat: Eastern and northern Madagascar. Lives in the same ecological niche as woodpeckers.
Special features: It has a brown color with white speckles and a large fluffy tail; like woodpeckers, it feeds mainly on worms and larvae, although it was initially believed - because of their teeth - that they eat like rodents.
Dimensions: Weight – about 2.5 kg. Length – 30-37 cm without tail and 44-53 cm with tail.
By the way: One of the rarest animals on the planet - several dozen individuals, which is why it was discovered relatively recently.

16. Alpaca

What kind of animal: an animal of the camel family.
Habitat: Peru, Bolivia, Chile, at an altitude of over 3500-5000 meters.
Special features: Valued primarily for its wool (24 natural shades), which has all the properties of sheep, but is much lighter in weight. 5 kg of wool is sheared from one individual; they are sheared once a year. The absence of front teeth forces alpacas to pick up food with their lips and chew with their lateral teeth. A very good-natured, intelligent, inquisitive animal.
Dimensions: Alpaca height is 61-86 cm, and weight is 45-77 kg.
By the way: The Indians believed that in order for an alpaca's wool to be blessed, it was necessary to kill it by tearing its heart out of its chest. Nowadays this is considered barbaric, but cases when several men hold an alpaca while someone cuts out a heart from its chest still occur.

17. Tarsier

What kind of animal: a mammal from the genus of primates.
Habitat: Tarsiers live in Southeast Asia, primarily on the islands.
Special features: Tarsiers are especially distinguished by their long hind limbs, large head that can rotate almost 360°, and good hearing. The fingers are extremely long, the ears are round and bare. The soft wool has a brown or grayish tint. However, the most noticeable feature is the large eyes, up to 16 mm in diameter. When projected onto human height, tarsiers correspond to the size of an apple.
Dimensions: Tarsiers are small animals, their height ranges from 9 to 16 cm. In addition, they have a bare tail with a length of 13 to 28 cm. Weight varies from 80 to 160 grams.
By the way: In the past, tarsiers played a big role in the mythology and superstition of the peoples of Indonesia. The Indonesians thought that the heads of tarsiers were not attached to the body (since they could rotate almost 360°), and were afraid to encounter them, because they believed that the same fate could happen to people in this case.

18. Dumbo Octopus

What kind of animal: A small and peculiar deep-sea octopus, a representative of cephalopods.
Habitat: Found in the Tasman Sea.
Special features: Apparently he got his nickname in honor of the famous cartoon character - the baby elephant Dumbo, who was ridiculed for his large ears (in the middle of the body the octopus has a pair of rather long, paddle-shaped fins resembling ears). Its individual tentacles are literally connected to the ends by a thin elastic membrane called the umbrella. It, together with the fins, serves as the main mover of this animal, that is, the octopus moves like jellyfish, pushing water out from under the umbrella bell.
Dimensions: the found octopus is half the size of a human palm.
By the way: Little is known today about the varieties, habits and behavior of these octopuses. Watch on YouTube.

19. Frilled lizard

What kind of animal: A lizard from the agamidae family.
Habitat: Northwestern Australia and southern New Guinea. There it lives in dry forests and forest-steppes.
Special features: Coloration from yellow-brown to black-brown. It stands out for its long tail, which makes up two-thirds of the length of the frilled lizard's body. However, the most noticeable feature is the large collar-shaped fold of skin located around the head and adjacent to the body. The fold contains numerous blood vessels. The frilled lizard has strong limbs and sharp claws.
Dimensions: The length of the frilled lizard ranges from 80 to 100 cm, females are significantly smaller than males.
By the way: When in danger, it opens its mouth, sticks out its brightly colored collar (it can stand up to 30 cm from the body), stands on its hind legs, makes hissing sounds and hits the ground with its tail - which makes it seem scarier and more dangerous than it is.

20. Narwhal

What kind of animal: a unicorn, a mammal of the unicorn family.
Habitat: The narwhal lives in high latitudes - in the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic.
Special features: In the size and shape of the body, pectoral fins and dark coloration of the suckers, narwhals are similar to beluga whales, however, adult individuals are distinguished by spotting - grayish-brown spots on a light background, which sometimes merge - and the presence of only 2 upper teeth. Of these, the left one develops in males into a tusk up to 2-3 m long and weighing up to 10 kg, twisted in a left-hand spiral, while the right one usually does not erupt. The right tusk in males and both tusks in females are hidden in the gums and develop rarely, in about one case out of 500.
Dimensions: The body length of an adult narwhal is 3.5-4.5 m, newborns are about 1.5 m. The weight of males reaches 1.5 tons, of which about a third of the weight is fat; females weigh about 900 kg.
By the way: It’s not exactly clear why a narwhal needs a tusk, but not to break through a crust of ice. This tusk is a sensitive organ and presumably allows the narwhal to sense changes in pressure, temperature and relative concentration of suspended particles in the water. By crossing their tusks, narwhals apparently clear them of growths.

21. Madagascar suckerfoot

What kind of animal: Chiropteran mammal.
Habitat: Found only in Madagascar.
Special features: On the bases of the thumbs of the wings and on the soles of the hind limbs, sucker bats have complex rosette suckers, which are located directly on the skin (unlike the suckers on sucker-footed bats).
Dimensions: Small animal: body length 5.7 cm, tail 4.8 cm; weight 8-10 g.
By the way: The biology and ecology of suckerfoot has been practically unstudied. Most likely, it uses rolled up leathery palm leaves as shelters, to which it sticks with its suckers. All suckers were caught close to the water. Listed in the Red Book with the status “vulnerable”.

22. Pygmy marmoset

What kind of animal: One of the smallest primates, belongs to the broad-nosed monkeys.
Habitat: South America, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador.
Special features: The marmoset's nostrils are directed forward, and its nose is large and wide.
Dimensions: The weight of an adult does not exceed 120 g.
By the way: Lives well in captivity. When kept, it requires a constant temperature of 25-29 degrees, slightly higher humidity of 60%.

23. Drop fish

What kind of animal: fish, scientific name Psychrolutes marcidus.
Habitat: lives in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, found in deep waters (about 2800 m) of the coast of Australia and Tasmania.
Special features: Drop fish live at depths where the pressure is several tens of times higher than at sea level, and in order to maintain viability, the body of the drop fish consists of a gel-like mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows fish to swim above the seabed without expending energy to swim.
Dimensions: Maximum body length is about 65 cm.
By the way: Lack of muscles is not a disadvantage, since the blob fish feeds on prey that swims around it.

24. Platypus

What kind of animal: Aquatic mammal of the order Monotreme.
Habitat: Australia.
Special Features: Its most curious quality is that it has a duck’s beak instead of a normal mouth, allowing it to feed in the mud like birds.”
Dimensions: The body length of the platypus is 30-40 cm, the tail is 10-15 cm, it weighs up to 2 kg. Males are about a third larger than females.
By the way: The platypus is one of the few poisonous mammals; it is generally not fatal to humans, but it causes very severe pain, and swelling develops at the injection site, which gradually spreads to the entire limb; pain can last for many days or even months.

25. Shoebill or royal heron

What kind of animal: A bird of the wavy order.
Habitat: Africa.
Special features: The shoebill’s neck is not very long and thick. The head is large, with a small and, one might say, sloppy crest at the back of the head. The beak is massive and very wide, somewhat swollen. There is a hanging hook at the end of the beak. The shoebill's plumage is generally dark gray, with powdery down on the back, but no such down on the chest. The legs are long and black. The shoebill has a short tongue; There is no muscular stomach, but the glandular one is very large.
Dimensions: Shoebill is a large bird, in a standing position it has a height of 75-90 cm; wing length 65-69 cm.
By the way: This lethargic bird often stands completely still, holding its large beak on its chest. The shoebill feeds on various aquatic animals - fish, crocodiles, frogs and small turtles.

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Southern Federal University (SFU (RSU))