How amazing would it be to witness an extremely rare animal with our eyes? Well, a lot. Even though we could argue that humans have made great progress and have uncovered and explored all of the planet, it would be completely wrong to even say that we are almost there. Almost every day, scientists discover a new plant, animal, insect, or a piece of new information for their quest for knowledge. This clearly proves that we are quite far from discovering a whole lot of indigenous wildlife. The list below mentions and gives information about the strangest animal species that are known to us to date. Keep reading to find out more about them:
- Pink Fairy Sushi Armadillo
The first one to top our list of the strangest animal species ever, is the Pink Fairy Armadillo, which highly resembles the world-famous Japanese dish Sushi. It is, in fact one of the 10 most recently animal species discovered. Beautiful in its own terms, this petite creature was discovered in the Latin American country, Argentina. Shy in nature, the sushi armadillos are difficult to spot and are limited only to some regions of the country. Usually, they tend to burrow the ground to make space for residence. With up to 4.5 inches in length, the Pink Fairy Armadillos can very easily fit in a human hand.
2. Capybara
Another species located in the lands of South America, Capybara can be very easily spotted across much of the Latin American continent. Being the largest living rodents on the planet, they have quite an unusual appearance. Scientists have observed that Capybaras tend to reside next to the water bodies in huge groups of approximately 100 creatures involved. For about five minutes, these animals can stay underwater in order to hide from the predators. Moreover, birds are often spotted resting themselves on the animal’s bodies. Although rare, Capybaras are shockingly fast and can even take on a horse in a race!
3. Black Sea Devil
Belonging to the family of Melanocetidae, Black Sea Devils is one of its five known species. They are exceptionally small in size. They can be mostly spotted in and around tropical to temperate water bodies of the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. With a gaping mouth and a startled expression, Black Sea Devils are quite scary to look at for the first time. Their teeth are considered to be as sharp as that of a needle. Honestly put, with some of its striking features, the black sea devil looks like a tailor-made creature.
4. Dancing Frogs
Next up on our list are the cute little dancing frogs. Scientists have discovered around fourteen new ‘dancing frogs’ species over the past few years. They belong to the Micrixalidae family that is native to India’s the Western Ghats. At first, these animals were spotted in the jungles of Western India, where one can now easily find the dancing frogs in their action! Researchers, even after locating the strange species were unable to find its tadpoles for years. Only recently have they discovered that these tadpoles grew and resided underground.
5. Pangolins
Native to Asia and Africa, Pangolins are truly distinct in the way they look. They hold a great resemblance with armored anteaters. And it is for this reason that they are even named ‘scaly anteaters’ by the scientists. A shocking fact about these creatures is, that they are much more closely related to cats, dogs, and seals than to the resembling armadillos or anteaters. With their big feet and beady eyes, Pangolins come across as a cute animal species. When feeling threatened, they curl up into a ball. Due to extensive poaching and hunting, Pangolins have become an endangered species.
6. Calico Lobster
Calico Lobster, an extremely rare yellow-colored lobster with blackish-brown markings on its shell is a relatively new animal species known to us. It came into light when a fisherman in New Hampshire captured the creature and showcased it to the world. They come in a variety of colors including brownish green and the two-toned blue color. Calico Lobsters are highly difficult to spot and can only be found by some lucky people. They only stand a chance of being discovered once in a hundred million attempts. Such animals show that we are far from close in decoding the animal kingdom!
7. Armadillo Girdled Lizard
The aboriginal animal species of the South African continent, Armadillo Girdled Lizard appear to be a tiny dragon! One can easily spot them in the Northern and Western Cape provinces of South Africa. They have the ability to roll themselves as a safety mechanism when a predator approaches. In fact, the armadillo lizard uses this same technique in facing a number of dangerous situations. It is because of this reason that they got their name as the ‘girdled’ lizards. A shocking phenomenon that the scientists have noticed in these creatures is that only one in a few lizards are capable to reproduce their younger ones.
8. Fossa
Hailing from the magical world of Madagascar, Fossa happens to be one of the weirdest animal species the scientists have ever observed. Measuring up to four feet in length, these cat-like creatures are restricted to only some regions of the earth. They have long bodies along with short legs and petite rounded ears, which makes them one of their kind. Fossa is believed to be closely related to the mongoose and other similar animals for most of its features. Also, they highly resemble cougars in the physical appearance. Fossa feeds on lemurs and happens to be the only carnivorous animals in Madagascar to eat away adult lemurs.
9. Maned Wolf
South America is a land full of some really bizarre animals. And one of those is the Maned Wolf. Although these animals are named wolves, they are not really the kind. Scientists believe that they have a totally separate genus of their own that are only related to foxes, wolves, dogs, and some canid species, but is highly independent. Maned Wolves have exceptionally noticeable long legs and huge ears. Also, unlike other hunters, they are an omnivore, making them a consumer of both vegetables and other animals. One can specifically locate Maned Wolves in parts of Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
10. Magnificent Frigatebird
Last but definitely not least, the Magnificent Frigatebird is an extremely noticeable animal species known to us. It can only be located in the Galapagos Islands. This creature is sometimes referred to as ‘man-o-war’ birds as they are likely to attack other birds when in flight. Magnificent Frigatebird even tries to steal food from other creatures. They can fly up as high as 2,500 meters above sea level. What actually makes them distinct is the big red-colored sac on their chests.
