Did you know that there are 1,367,555 species of animals inhabiting the Earth today?
And that number doesn’t even include insects!
So, it’s hardly surprising that there are some strange animals among them that you simply wouldn’t have heard of.
An even more mind numbing figure is that the variety of animal species still in existence represents only 1% of all the animal species that have ever lived!
Which might raise the question in some minds on what basis did Noah make his very limited selection?
Scientists are still discovering new species every year and admit that there are yet more to be found.
Our Life Daily team has put together a selection of some of the most bizarre examples of creatures you have probably never heard of.
These strange animals have names such as Dumbo Octopus, Star-Nosed Mole, Aye-Aye, and Axolotl.
Just one more thing; they are not really what you would call cute and cuddlesome.
But here they are:
1. Leafy Seadragons
These resemble a piece of drifting seaweed as they float in seaweed-filled water. The Leafy seadragon, with green, orange and gold hues along its body, is covered with leaf-like appendages, making it remarkably camouflaged. Only the movement of tiny fins or its independently swiveling eye, reveals its presence.
2. The Sloth
Sloths are medium-sized mammals which have adapted well to a tree browsing lifestyle. Their main food source of leaves provide very little energy or nutrition, and do not digest easily. In fact, the digestive process can take as long as a month or more to complete.
As much as two-thirds of a well-fed sloth’s body-weight consists of the contents of its stomach.
3. The Emperor Tamarin
The name of this Tamarin started as a joke, because its long fluffy moustache resembed that of the German emperor Wilhelm II.
It lives in the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia and in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas.
4. The White-faced Saki Monkey
This is a species of saki monkey, a type of New World monkey, found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. It feeds on fruits, but also nuts, seeds, and insects.
5. The Hagfish
In spite of their name, there is some debate about whether they are strictly fish; they belong to a much more primitive lineage than any other group that is commonly defined fish.
When captured, they escape by secreting a fibrous slime, and then tying themselves in an overhand knot which works its way from the head to the tail of the animal, scraping off the slime as it goes.
6. The Star-nosed Mole
This is a small North American mole found in eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States.
The Star-nosed Mole’s most distinctive feature is a circle of 22 mobile, pink, fleshy tentacles at the end of the snout. These are used to identify food by touch, such as worms, insects and crustaceans.
7. The Axolotl
This is the best known of the family of Mexican salamanders. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate most body parts, ease of breeding, and large embryos.
They are commonly kept as pets in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and Japan.
8. The Aye-aye
This animal is native to Madagascar and combines rodent-like teeth with a long, thin middle finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker. It has a unique method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood and inserts its elongated middle finger to pull the grubs out.
9. The Dumbo Octopus
These octopuses are nicknamed “Dumbo octopuses” because of the ear-like fins protruding from the top of their “heads” (actually bodies), resembling the ears of Walt Disney’s flying elephant. They live at extreme depths, and are some of the rarest of the Octopoda species.
10. The Frill-necked Lizard
Sometimes called the Frilled Dragon, it has a large ruff of skin which usually lies folded back against its head and neck. When the lizard is frightened, it gapes its mouth showing a bright pink or yellow lining, and the frill flares out, displaying bright orange and red scales.
11. The Blobfish
This fish inhabits the deep waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania. Due to the inaccessibility of its habitat, it is rarely seen by humans.
Blobfish are found at depths where the pressure is several dozens of times higher than at sea level. The flesh of the blobfish is primarily a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than water.
12. The Yeti Crab
This crustacean was only discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean. It is notable for the quantity of silky blond setae (resembling fur) covering its legs and claws). Its discoverers dubbed it the “yeti lobster” or “yeti crab.”
It was found at a depth of 2,200 m (7,200 feet), living on hydrothermal vents along the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge. The animal has strongly reduced eyes that lack pigment, and is thought to be blind.
Were these animals strange enough for you?
Which was your favorite? Did any of them appeal to you as a pet?
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