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.