| Written by Shraddha Yawalkar | |
Top 10 Most Unusual Animals on Earth
There are a wide range of species of flora and fauna on Earth, most of
which aren’t even known to us, either due to their habitat or their way
of living. Here is a list of the Top 10 most wonderfully weird animals
on the planet.
1) Bumblebee bat
This tiny creatures competes with the Etruscan pygmy shrew for the
designation of the world’s smallest mammal. It is about 29 to 33 mm in
length. They are now considered as one of the 12 most endangered species
on the planet. It can be found in western Thailand and southeast Burma.
2) Giant Salamandar
The Giant salamander is the largest amphibian known today. It can grow
up to 6 feet long. They are usually found in ponds and brooks of China,
Japan and USA.
3) Tarsiers
Tarsiers are little apes which are found only in the islands of
Southeast Asia. However, they mostly live in Borneo. They are 4-6 inches
tall and their eyes are each the size of their brains. What makes these
primates so rare is the fact that they were completely carnivorous-they
eat bugs, birds, lizards, snakes and bats.
4) Leafy seadragon
The leafy seadragon gets its name from both its appearance as well
Chinese mythology. It gives the illusion of floating seaweed with long
leaf-like extensions all over the body. They are not for thrusting
itself through the water but only as a means of camouflage. The leafy
seadragon pushes itself by means of a pectoral fin on the edge of its
neck and a dorsal fin on its back closer to the tail end.
5) Angora rabbit
One of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, it is bred for its long,
soft hair. It originated in Ankara, Turkey, along with the Angora cat
and Angora goat. They are largely bred for their long wool, which may be
removed by shearing, combing or plucking. There are many individual
breeds of Angora rabbits, four of which are ARBA recognized: English,
French, Giant and Satin. Other breeds include German, Chinese, Swiss to
name a few.
6) Emperor Tamarin
Its named was intended as a joke as it was named after German emperor
Wilhem II, who sported a unique handlebar mustache during his reign. It
is found in southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia and in
the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas. It reaches a length of
24 to 26 cm with a 35 cm long tail.
7) Aye-aye
The aye-aye is a nocturnal lemur native to Madagascar. It is the world’s
largest nocturnal creature. It has prominent eyes, rodent like teeth
and a long bushy tail. It is renowned for its 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. It is the
only extant member of the genus, although it is currently an endangered
species. A second species, daubentonia robusta) appears to have become
extinct at some point within the last 1000 years.
8) Yangtze river dolphin
Also known as the Baiji, the Whitefin dolphin, it is found only in the
Yangtze River in China. Unfortunately, due to China’s industrialization,
this animal has been ‘functionally extinct’ and there are only between
0-13 yangtze dolphin’s left in the world.
9) Blobfish
The blobfish is a deep sea fish that inhabits the waters off the coasts
of Australia and Tasmania. It is rarely seen by humans due to the
detachment of its habitat. The flesh of the blobfish is primarily a
gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than water which helps the
fish to stay afloat without burning up all its energy on swimming. It
normally swallows edible matter that floats in front of it.
10) Platypus
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal. It is prevalent in eastern
Australia, including Tasmania. It is one of the five existing species of
monotremes, the only mamms that lay eggs instead of giving birth to
live young. It is also one of the few venomous mammals with the male
Platypus having a spur on the hind foot which delivers a poison capable
of causing severe pain to humans.
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