From massive sea creatures to animals that can live in zero oxygen...Stay tuned to number
1 to find out which is the strangest animal walking this planet!
Number 10: Pink Fairy Armadillo.
To kick off our list, here is the smallest member of the armadillo family...the pink
fairy armadillo.
This strange-looking animal lives in the grasslands of Argentina, and it's nocturnal by nature.
This little guy was first scientifically noted and described in 1825 by one of the famous
nature scientists of the time, Richard Harlan.
What makes the pink fairly armadillo funny is that, at first sight, the creature doesn't
even look like an armadillo at all!
It's more like a combination of a mole and a platypus, along with the head of a hamster...and
this is not an overstatement!
They have really small eyes, and a long pink-colored shell on their back, which is connected to
their body by a gentle membrane.
This part of the body probably evolved as some kind of a defense mechanism, to protect
the animal from constant attacks in the open air.
On top of all this, there are shovel-like paws with big claws, and a funny-looking tail.
All in all, the pink fairly armadillo is one of the greatest weirdoes out there.
Number 9: Pangolin.
The next item on the list is an animal living in a much larger region than its predecessor.
And compared to this animal, a regular armadillo looks like a weakling.
The pangolin is characterized by massive scales, covering its entire body, and it looks more
like an armadillo in a knight's armor, prepared for a mediaeval battle or a tournament.
But unfortunately, its story is not that romantic at all.
Pangolins belong to the groups of the most illegally hunted animals on the planet, and
they amount to around one quarter of the world's animal black market.
What makes pangolins amazing, though, is that they are the only type of mammal with keratin
based scales covering their body.
No other animal has this biological feature.
They are also nocturnal animals, with a very humble diet: they only consume termites and
ants, grabbing them with their long tongues, like anteaters, but they also have a strong
sense of smell, which helps them track down food.
Pangolins are pretty solitary, and they only get together for the mating season.
They can be found in Africa, as well as India and Southeast Asia.
Number 8: Japanese Spider Crab.
Well, this explains many of the Japanese manga creations!
No wonder the Japanese animators have a vivid imagination, with all the weird-looking animals
that can be found in the country!
All jokes aside, the Japanese spider crab is really something, like it came directly
out of a sci-fi movie set.
This arthropod has the largest leg span (5.5 meters), and it also had relatives dating
into prehistoric times, as two similar fossils have been found, and both of them belong to
the same genus the spider crab comes from.
The interesting thing is that the Japanese name for this animal is "taka-ashi-gani,"
which can literally be translated as "tall legs crab."
They have strong exoskeleton, which prove valuable for survival, because the spider
crab can protect itself from many predators, including big octopuses, but they also protect
themselves by camouflage, blending into the rocky ocean floor or wrapping in sponges or
other animals and plants.
The Japanese spider crab is an omnivore, but also a scavenger, eating the remains of dead
animals and plants.
These crazy crabs live quite deep...from 150 to 300 meters below the ocean surface.
Before we move on...don't forget to like this video and subscribe for more videos by Zero2Hero!
Number 7: Gobi Jerboa.
It looks like a mouse, but it's not a mouse.
It looks like a rabbit, but it's not a rabbit.
So, what is it, then?
It's Gobi Jerboa, a rodent living in the regions of present-day Mongolia and China.
This strange animal was first discovered in 1925, living in the famous Gobi desert.
Its diet mainly consists of all kinds of seeds and roots, as well as some insects.
Its tail helps it run very fast, and thanks to its long ears...it can hear very well and
sense any kind of danger.
The ears are so big that they exceed the size of the animal's head almost two times.
Another very important function of the ears is to help cool the animal's body after a
long day in the hot desert.
That's evolution for you...everything happens for a reason, even when you have enormous
ears!
Number 6: Colugo.
Colugo is a mammal living in the region of Southeast Asia.
It belongs to the famous group of gliding mammals, such as flying squirrels or flying
lemurs, using the skin between the legs to leap around and glide.
No, it's not really flying, but at least it's something!
Not only that they are one of the few gliding mammals, but they are, in fact, the world's
best gliding mammals of all!
In some areas, they also go by the name of lemurs, but as a matter of fact...they just
picked up the nickname because of the resemblance.
These animals predominantly live in the trees, which is why they have developed their gliding
skills, and use them to a large extent.
The amazing thing is that a Colugo barely loses altitude when jumping from tree to tree,
because the membrane between their legs is very effective.
On the other hand, they are pretty lousy climbers, and the only way for them to climb a tree
is through a series of small-sized hops, because their hands are just too weak for regular
climbing.
And to make things even stranger (otherwise, why would the animal be on this list), let's
also mention this: colugos belong to the group of placental mammals, but they are raised
in a marsupial-like fashion; the mother curls her tail around the young, making an improvised
pouch.
Here's to Colugos, those awesome weirdoes!
Number 5: Dumbo Octopus.
As the name suggests, this octopus resembles Dumbo, the character from the eponymous Disney
classic and, although the species has a proper, scientific name (grimopoteuthis)...the name
Dumbo octopus has stick to this day.
No wonder why though, as the name itself is so catchy!
The Dumbo correlation comes from its elephant ear like fins above the eyes.
But, just to be clear on this...they are not ears, they are fins!
And these fins actually play a crucial role, because the Dumbo octopus uses them for swimming.
These fins serve as propellers, which the animal flaps in order to gain speed.
And they are pretty effective, because this animal can move in all directions and even
hover above the seabed.
Number 4: Giant Soft-Shell Turtle.
Well, you can figure this one by yourself.
A turtle isn't a turtle unless it has a hard shell...expect this one!
This is a real species of turtle, and it's named "soft shell" because of obvious reasons.
It lives in the region of Southeast Asia and it's one of the biggest freshwater turtles.
The animal is characterized by a broad, yet quite small head and tiny eyes.
Its shell is soft and smooth.
The absolute crazy thing about it is that it remains motionless for 95% of the time,
and only moves in order to breathe some air and eat, otherwise spending time buried in
the sand.
Unfortunately, due to various reasons, the future of this amazing animal is uncertain,
and it has been classified as endangered.
Fingers crossed, soft-shelled!
Number 3: Naked Mole-Rat.
As if a regular rat wouldn't be gross enough, we give you...the naked mole-rat.
This not-so-pretty rodent lives in East Africa, where it is known as the sand puppy.
Although it really doesn't look nice, it's truly a wonder of nature, in the evolutionary
sense of the word.
The naked mole-rat is the only animal from the mammalian kingdom that is a thermoconformer,
meaning it has the ability to adapt its body temperature to any kind of environment, in
spite of the predominant temperature.
Furthermore, it has low metabolic and respiratory rates, and it has practically no pain sensors
in its skin.
This animal doesn't have strong vision, but it can move quite fast, backwards and forwards,
and it's very effective when it comes to living below ground and digging up tunnels.
This is absolutely necessary, because it spends most of its life underground; it can be deprived
of fresh air for quite a long time, being able to survive several hours in a place where
there is only 5% oxygen.
And in an environment without any oxygen, it can survive more than 15 minutes.
All of this makes naked mole-rat the ultimate survivor.
Number 2: Aye-Aye.
Probably one of the ugliest, if not THE ugliest land creature, the Aye-Aye is an animal from
the lemur species, and finds its native natural habitat in Madagascar.
Apart from being on the opposite side of the word "beautiful," aye-aye is also the largest
nocturnal primate in the world.
This animal has also been the subject of a lot of debate, when it comes to its origin
and biological classification.
Because of its incisor teeth, some classify it as a rodent, but on the other hand...because
of the shape of its eyes, ears and nostrils, it's also very similar to the cat family.
The Aye-Aye spends most of its life high up in the trees, where they eat, sleep and mate.
Number 1: Long-Beaked Echidna.
This is one of the strangest creatures on the planet, and it lives in New Guinea.
As you might have guessed, there is also a relative called the short-beaked echidna,
but the long-beaked version is far stranger looking.
If we were to describe the animal in one short sentence, it would be: the combo between an
aardvark and a hedgehog.
Long-beaked echidna belongs to the group of egg-laying mammals, which is known under the
name of monotremes.
The eggs are kept in a pouch, like a marsupial's, as they incubate.
The long-beaked echidnas are also interesting because they are the world's mammal with the
lowest body temperature.
Many scientists are of belief that these animals are the remains of the earliest mammals that
walked the planet, thus offering us a glimpse into what it was like to be a mammal millions
of years ago, where they were slowly evolving into a group of their own, quite separate
from reptiles.
Tell us what you thought was the strangest animal in the comments below and...take care!
No comments:
Post a Comment