Are you looking for new things to learn? Well, you’re in the right place. come and join me and see the ten most weird and unique animals in the world.



1. The Hooded Seal 

dailymail.co.uk


Hooded seals can be found in coastal areas of the Atlantic and seasonally extend their range into the Arctic Ocean. They are successful divers that spend much of their time in the water. They usually dive to a depth of 600 m but can go as deep as 1000 m. (Kovacs and Lavigne, 1986; Perrin, et al., 2002) 

They have a light gray to blue-gray coloration with irregularly shaped light or dark blotches. Males inflate their red, balloon-like nasal septum until it protrudes out of one nostril. They did this to display aggressiveness and also to get the attention of female seals.

Females are slightly shorter than males in terms of length. But on the other hand, there are significant differences between their weight. Males usually weigh up to 300 kg while females only weigh up to 160 kg. They're solitary animals, except when breeding and molting season.


2. Saiga Antelope

Image: Mogens Trolle















The Saiga antelope or Saiga tatarica is a large migratory herbivore of Central Asia found in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. They belong to the Mammalia class and Bovidae family. They have an extremely unusual appearance with an oversized and flexible nose. This unusual nose acts as a dust filter during summer and warms up the freezing air before taking into their lungs during winter. This antelope population drastically decreases as people hunt them for their horns and illegally trade them. They were now under the study and protection of SCA or Saiga Conservation Alliance for over 15 years.

(see the link for support or donation http://saiga-conservation.org )



3. Macropinna Microstoma

Source © 2004 MBARI










Macropinna Microstoma is a genus of ray-finned fish belonging to Opisthoproctidae. This fish prefers the temperate waters of the ocean and exists at depths of 2,000-2,600 ft (600-800 m) in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. In 1939, marine biologists described that this fish's tubular eyes are very good at collecting light. Also, its eyes can rotate within the transparent, fluid-filled shield on its head. 



4. Tarsier 

Image: Ancel Pasinobo


 

Tarsier is the second smallest primate in the world next to Pygmy Marmosets. This animal can be found only on various islands of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. Tarsiers have a well-developed sense of smell. However, like monkeys and apes, they have a nose that is dry and hair-covered.

Tarsiers are also nocturnal and adept at climbing and grasping tree branches. It has a small, compact body, with slender fingers, padded toes, and sharp claws. It feeds chiefly on insects, lizards, and snakes and usually sleeps on branches, rarely using nests for shelter.



5. Axolotls

source: worldwildlife.org



Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) or also known as Mexican walking fish are amphibians belonging to the single living genus of the family Ambystomatidae.

The axolotl is a salamander that remains suspended in the larval stage and does not undergo metamorphosis like other salamanders. This condition, called neoteny which means it keeps its tadpole-like dorsal fin which is almost half the length of its body.


6. The Chevrotain ( Mouse Deer)

 

source: everywherewild.com


Chevrotain or also called mouse deer belongs to the family Tragulidae. This small, delicately built and hoofed mammal can be found in the warmer parts of Southeast Asia, India, and parts of Africa. Chevrotains are shy, solitary, evening- and night-active vegetarians. They stand about 30 cm (12 inches) tall at the shoulder and characteristically walk on the hoof tips of their slender legs.  These animals were soon treated as endangered species in the Philippines after several locals poached their meat, which is also considered a delicacy in parts of the Philippines.



7. Tonkin Snub-nosed Monkey   

source: fauna-flora.org


The Tonkin snub-nosed monkey is one of the most endangered and rarest primates on the planet, found only in a few isolated forests of northern Vietnam. They were first identified in 1912.

These species have a broad, short face with wide-set slanting eyes, protuberant pink lips, and a flat nose with forward-facing nostrils. This monkey has also been ruthlessly hunted, not only for bushmeat but also for its body parts. They are now under the study and care of an organization in Vietnam called FFI. In total, there are only 200 Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys left in the wild. ( visit the link below for inquiries or donations)

info@fauna-flora.org / +44 (0) 1223 571 000


8.Sea Pen       

Image: Chauncee Cavenaugh


Sea pens are marine cnidarians that belong to the order Pennatulacea. They are colonial organisms composed of specialized polyps. Sea pens are a type of coral, have hard internal skeletons, visible in these Pteroeides as thin white ribs in its branches. In addition to long skeletal elements, sea pens also have spicules, tiny calcium carbonate particles that give the animals shape and flexibility.

They feed on small organisms captured by the tentacles at the end of each polyp. Most sea pens glow when they are touched or otherwise stimulated.


 


9. Shoebill

Image: reddit.com

The Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) also known as Whalehead or Shoe-billed Stork, derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill. They live in tropical east Africa in vast swamps from Sudan to Zambia. Shoebill storks are diurnal, although they will occasionally hunt at night if the moonlight is bright enough. Aside from fish, they also prey on water snakes, frogs, monitor lizards, and young turtles. These animals are very docile with humans. Researchers studying these birds have been able to come within 6 feet of a shoebill stork on its nest. In a study released by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, there are only between 3,300 and 5,300 adult shoebills left in the world, and its population is going down. 

10.Sea Pig 

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Sea pigs (Scotoplanes globosa) are not actually pigs, but sea cucumbers. They earned their nickname from their puffy legs and plump, oval-shaped pinkish bodies which can fit in the palm of a human hand. These animals live in the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean and mostly eating decayed materials and dead carcasses they can find on the seafloor. Unlike most marine animals, sea pigs don't swim. Instead, they were using these five to seven pairs of enlarged tube feet to walk on the seafloor. Even though they were small, predators don't eat them because they ward them off with their poisonous skin.