Our nature must have a good sense of humor if she brought such amazing, bizarre and uniquely looking creatures to life. From afro hair rabbits to dinosaur looking lizards, some of the animals inhabiting the planet Earth could well be counted among the Pandora's creatures.
1. Long-eared Jerboa
By
MFS
Did you know that the long-eared jerboa has been caught on camera only in 2007 for the first time? These bizarre creatures that can be found in the deserts of
China
and
Mongolia
hop like kangaroos and have almost no hair on their feet so they are able to jump along the sand. Among mammals, the jerboa has one of the biggest ear-to-body ratios.
2. Birgus Latro (Coconut Crab)
As the name implies, the coconut crab is able to crack coconuts with its strong pincers to eat it. This largest living arthropod in the world is of up to 40 cm (16 in) long with a leg span of almost one meter (3.0 ft). Another name for the crab is a palm thief as some of them are believed to steal shiny things from the houses. They live in areas from the Indian to the central Pacific Ocean, with Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean boasting the largest and best-preserved population on the globe.
3. Aye-Aye
If you want to see the Aye-Aye you have to head for
Madagascar
. By the way, the island is home to 5% of the world's plant and animal species, of which more than 80% are endemic to Madagascar. And the Aye-Aye is one of the numerous bizarre creatures inhabiting the island. This unusual lemur has an interesting method of dining out; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the tree and inserts its elongated middle finger to pull its dinner out.
4. Angora Rabbit
This afro hair rabbit is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbits in the world. Called Angora Rabbits, the animals originate in Turkey and are bred mainly for their long, silky and soft wool. In the mid 1700s the rabbits were popular pets among French royalty and in the early 1900s they first appeared in the
USA
.
5. Jackson's Chameleon
Like all chameleons, the Jackson's Chameleon is a beautiful colorful reptile able to look in two different directions at the same time and change its color depending on temperature and mood. The Jacksons, native to
Kenya
and
Tanzania
, have three horns on the front of their heads, and a maximum length of an adult totals to around 30 cm (12 inches).
6. Pink Fairy Armadillo
The torpedo-shaped Pink Fairy Armadillo is a "sand swimmer". It spends much of its time under the ground and thanks to its huge front claws it is able to agitate the sand to almost swim through the ground as if it was water. This little creature, 90-115 mm (3½-4½ inches) long, also known for having a bony armor shell, lives in
Argentina
on dry grasslands and sandy plains.
7. Pygmy Marmoset
The Pygmy Marmoset or Dwarf Monkey is the tiniest member of the monkey family. It is mere 14 to 16 cm (5.5 to 6.3 inches) long, excluding tail, and it weighs maximum 140 grams (4.9 oz). It can be found in some parts of
Brazil
,
Colombia
,
Ecuador
and
Bolivia
. The South Americans also call the monkey mono de bolsillo ("pocket monkey") or leoncito ("little lion").
8. Antennarius
Antennarius Maculatus aka Warty Frogfish is known for its extraordinary hunting strategy - it has its own built-in fishing rod, which is one of the three dorsal spines on its head. The fish also has amazing abilities of blending in with its surroundings and is able to consume fishes close to its own size (up to 15 cm / 5.9 inches) - so if you want to have it in your marine aquarium, better keep it with much larger creatures.
9. Sun Bear
The Sun Bear is a tropical version of the bear. It lives in the South-East Asia so it does not need to hibernate. Also thanks to favorable weather, its coat is the shortest and sleekest among the members of the bear family. Sun bears are tree huggers. During the day they spend much of their time resting and sunbathing (hence the name) and they feed during the night.
10. Tarsier
Sad but true, there are only between 5,000 and 10,000 Tarsiers left on the globe, and the only place they can be found are some parts of the
Philippines
. The Tarsier is the smallest primate in the world, of between 10 cm to 16 cm (3.5 inches to 6.25 inches) in length. All tarsier species are nocturnal thanks to their large eyes that give them very acute night vision, and their heads can swivel round 180 degrees which is quite helpful in hunting.
11. Magnificent Frigatebird
This amazing seabird is almost silent when flying, though it makes some sounds while resting in a nest. The Magnificent Frigatebird is around 100 cm (39 inches) long and its wingspan could be as wide as 215 cm (85 inch). It can be found in the tropical Atlantic, breeding in Florida, the Caribbean and Cape Verde Islands.
12. Proboscis Monkey
The Proboscis Monkey or simply long-nosed monkey has the longest nose among all primates - it can reach a length of a quarter of the body length (around 17.5 cm)! These weird creatures inhabit Borneo, an island located at the center of Maritime Southeast Asia. They usually live in a harem of one adult male, several females, and their offspring.
13. Komondor Dog
A long, corded coat is the most unique feature of the Komondor, a large Hungarian guardian dog. These dogs have a natural instinct to guard livestock and other property - they are fast and powerful and they can successfully guard sheep against wolves, bears and other predators. Still, Komondor is affectionate with its family, calm and steady when there's no danger.
14. Giant Anteater
Found in Central and South America, the Giant Anteater eats 35,000 ants and termites a day. Cleverly, the anteater never destroys a nest - just in case it would like to return and feed again. Apparently, mothers and their young communicate during fighting. Their language comprises snorts, sniffs, roars and hisses. The giant anteater's claws are big enough (10 cm/ 4 inches) to fight off a puma or jaguar.
15. Marine Iguana
The only place where you could find the Marine Iguana is the Galapagos Islands, located in the eastern Pacific Ocean and belonging to Ecuador. The iguana has this unique ability among lizards to live and forage in the sea. Though the marine iguana can spend only a limited time in the cold water, it is able to dive up to half an hour at depths of 15m and more.
What a funny world it is.
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