On my website, I regularly tell you about, for example, just a couple of days ago I published an article about. The rating of the article exceeded all my expectations and I decided to add more to this list 25 extraordinary animals.
1 Leafy Sea Dragon

What kind of animal: Sea fish, a relative of the seahorse.
Habitat: In the waters surrounding southern and western, more often in shallow water, in moderate warm water.
Distinguishing Features: The leaf-like appendages of the head and body serve only as a camouflage. Moves with the help of the pectoral fin located on the crest of the neck, as well as the dorsal fin in the region of the tip of the tail. These fins are completely transparent.
Dimensions: grows up to 45 cm.
By the way: the leafy sea dragon is the official emblem of the state of South Australia.

2. Malayan bear or biruang


What kind of animal: A mammal of the bear family.
Location: Northeast and the southern part through Myanmar, Thailand, the peninsulas of Indochina and Malacca to Indonesia.
Distinguishing Features: Stocky, strong animal with a short and broad muzzle. Ears are short and rounded. The limbs are high with disproportionately large paws; claws very large, curved. Feet are bare. The fangs are small. The fur of the biruang is short, hard and smooth. The color is black, on the muzzle it turns to roan-yellow. On the chest there is usually a large whitish or reddish spot in the form of a horseshoe, reminiscent of the shape and color of the rising sun. A nocturnal animal, often sleeping or sunbathing in the branches of trees for days on end, where it builds a kind of nest for itself.
Dimensions: The smallest representative of the bear family: it does not exceed 1.5 m in length (plus 3-7 cm tail), the height at the withers is only 50-70 cm; weight 27-65 kg.
By the way: Biruangs are one of the rarest types of bears.

3. Komondor


What kind of animal: The Hungarian Shepherd is a breed of dog.

Special signs: When keeping a Komondor, special care is required for its coat, the length of which can reach almost a meter. It is not subject to combing, but, as it grows, the formed strands must be separated so that the wool does not fall off.
Dimensions: This "King of the Hungarian Shepherd Dogs" is one of the largest dogs in the world, the growth at the withers of males is more than 80 cm, and the long white coat, folded into original shoelaces, makes the dog even more massive and impressive.
By the way: Feeding this huge dog is not difficult. Like any shepherd dogs, they are very unpretentious and eat very little, a little more than 1 kg of food per day.

4. Angora rabbit


What kind of animal: A mammal from the breed of rodents.
Habitat: Where his home is, since this is a pet. More precisely, everywhere.
Special signs: This animal is really extremely impressive, there are specimens in which wool reaches a length of up to 80 cm. This wool is very much appreciated, and a wide variety of useful things are prepared from it, even linen, stockings, gloves, scarves and, finally, just fabrics. A kilogram of Angora rabbit wool is usually valued at 10 - 12 rubles. One rabbit can deliver up to 0.5 kg of such wool per year, but usually delivers less. The Angora rabbit is bred most often by ladies, which is why it is sometimes called "ladies".
Dimensions: Average weight 5 kg, body length 61 cm, chest girth 38 cm, but options are possible.
By the way: These rabbits should be combed every week, because if you do not take care of their hair, they get a disgusting appearance.

5. Lesser panda


What kind of animal: an animal of the raccoon family.
Habitat: China, northern Burma, Bhutan, and northeastern India. Not found west of Nepal. Lives in mountain bamboo forests at an altitude of 2000-4000 m above sea level in a temperate climate.
Distinguishing Features: Red or hazel on top, dark, tan or black underneath. The hair on the back has yellow tips. The paws are glossy black, the tail is red, with inconspicuous lighter narrow rings, the head is light, and the edges of the ears and muzzle are almost white, and a pattern in the form of a mask near the eyes. The small panda leads a predominantly nocturnal (or rather, twilight) lifestyle, during the day it sleeps in a hollow, curled up and covering its head with its tail. In case of danger, it also climbs trees. On the ground, pandas move slowly and awkwardly, but they climb trees very well, but, nevertheless, it feeds mainly on the ground - mainly young leaves and bamboo shoots.
Dimensions: body length 51-64 cm, tail 28-48 cm, weight 3-4.5 kg
By the way: Red pandas live alone. The "personal" territory of the female occupies an area of ​​​​about 2.5 square meters. km, the male - twice as much.

6. Sloth


What kind of animal: A toothless mammal belonging to the Bradypodidae family.
Habitat: found in Central and South America.
Special signs: Sloths spend almost all the time hanging on a tree branch with their backs down, 15 hours a day sloths sleep. The physiology and behavior of sloths is oriented towards energy austerity, as they feed on low-calorie leaves. Digestion takes about a month. In a well-fed sloth, ⅔ of its body weight can be food in the stomach. sloths Long neck to get leaves from a large area without moving. The body temperature of an active sloth is 30-34 ° C, and even lower at rest. Sloths really do not like to get down from trees, because on the ground they are completely helpless. In addition, it requires energy costs. They climb down to perform natural needs, which they do only once a week (therefore bladder they are huge) and sometimes to move to another tree, where, in order to save energy, they often gather in groups in the forks of branches. There is an assumption that at the same time they lazily mate.
Dimensions: Sloth body weight different types varies from 4 to 9 kg, and the body length is about 60 centimeters.
By the way: Sloths are so slow that a moth often lives in their fur.

7. Imperial Tamarina


What kind of animal: Primate, chain-tailed monkey.
Habitat: In the rainforests of the Amazon Basin in areas of southeast Peru, northwest Bolivia and northwest Brazil.
Distinguishing Features: A distinctive feature of the species is a particularly long white mustache hanging down to the chest and shoulders in two strands. The fingers have claws, not nails, only the big toes of the hind legs have nails. They spend most of their lives in trees, where they can no longer climb because of their weight. large species monkeys.
Dimensions: Body length is 9.2-10.4 inches, tail length is 14-16.6 inches. The mass of adults is 180-250 g.
By the way: Tamarins live in groups of 2-8 individuals. All members of the group have their own rank, and the old female is at the highest level. Therefore, the cubs are carried by males.

8. White-faced saki


What kind of animal: Primate, broad-nosed monkey.
Habitat: They live in rain forests, more arid forests, and even in the savannas of the Amazon, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
Distinguishing features: The color of the coat is black, the front of the head, forehead and throat in males are light, almost white. Sometimes the head is reddish. The coat is thick and soft, the tail is long and fluffy. The tail is not grasping. In females, the general color is brown and solid. There are lighter stripes around the nose and mouth.
Dimensions: Males have a mass of 1.5-2 kg and are somewhat heavier than females. Body length 15 inches, tail 20 inches.
By the way: White-faced saki spend their whole lives on trees. Sometimes they descend into the lower tier of the tropical forest (on the lower branches of trees and shrubs) in search of food. In case of danger, they make long jumps, while the tail serves as a balancer. Active during the day and at night.

9. Tapir


What kind of animal: A large herbivore from the order of equids.
Habitat: In Central America, in warm places of South America and in southeast Asia.
Special features: Tapirs are relatively ancient mammals: even among the remains of animals 55 million years old, you can find many tapir-like animals. Closest to tapirs are other odd-toed ungulates: horses and rhinos. Their front legs are four-toed, and their hind legs are three-toed, with small hooves on their fingers, helping to move along the dirty and soft ground.
Sizes: Sizes of tapirs differ from species to species, but, as a rule, the length of a tapir is about two meters, the height at the withers is about a meter, and the weight is from 150 to 300 kg.
By the way: Tapirs are forest animals that love water. In the forests, tapirs feed on fruits, leaves, and berries. Their main enemy is a man who hunts tapirs for their meat and skin.

10. Mixins


What kind of animal: an animal from the jawless class.
Habitat: Inhabit the seas of temperate latitudes, keeping near the bottom at a depth of up to 400 m. At salinity below 29% they stop feeding, and at 25% and below they die.
Distinguishing Features: The mouth opening of the hagfish is devoid of a suction disk and is surrounded by only two pairs of antennae. Biting into the skin of the victim with strong horny teeth, they inject enzymes that dissolve proteins. The prey of hagfish are most often weakened vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as carrion. Often they find skeletons of fish covered with skin, and inside - hagfish that have eaten away all the insides and muscles.
Dimensions: Body length up to 80 cm.
By the way: In Japan and some other countries, hagfish is eaten.

11. Starship


What kind of animal: An insectivorous mammal of the mole family.
Habitat: Occurs only in Southeastern Canada and the Northeastern United States.
Special features: Outwardly, the star-nosed star differs from other members of the family and from other small animals only by its characteristic structure of the stigma in the form of a rosette or a star of 22 soft, fleshy, mobile bare rays.
Dimensions: The size of the starship is similar to the European mole. The tail is relatively long (about 8 cm), covered with scales and sparse hair.
By the way: When the stellate is looking for food, the fleshy rays on the stigma are in constant motion, with the exception of the two middle upper ones, which are directed forward and do not bend. When he eats, the rays are drawn together in a compact pile; while eating, the animal holds food with its front paws. When the star-bearer drinks, it immerses both the stigma and all the whiskers for 5-6 seconds in water.

12. Nosach


What kind of animal: A species of primates from the subfamily of thin-bodied monkeys as part of the marmoset family.
Habitat: Distributed exclusively on the island of Borneo, where it inhabits coastal regions and valleys.
Distinguishing Features: The most conspicuous feature of the proboscis is its large, cucumber-like nose, which, however, is found only in males. The coat of proboscis is yellowish-brown on the upper side, on the underside it is colored in White color. The arms, legs and tail are grey, and the hairless face is red.
Dimensions: The size of the proboscis reaches from 66 to 75 cm, the tail is about as long as the body. The weight of males ranges from 16 to 22 kg - twice as much as the weight of females.
By the way: Nosachi are excellent swimmers, jumping into the water directly from the trees and able to overcome up to 20 meters diving under water. Of all the primates, they are perhaps the best swimmers.

13. Small cloak-bearer


What kind of animal: A family of mammals of the edentulous order.
Habitat: Armadillos inhabit steppes, deserts, savannas and forest edges of Central and South America.
Distinguishing Features: These are the only modern mammals whose body is covered on top with a shell formed by dermal ossification. The carapace consists of head, shoulder and pelvic shields and a number of hoop-shaped bands encircling the body from above and from the sides. Parts of the shell are interconnected by elastic connective tissue, which gives mobility to the entire shell.
Dimensions: Body length from 12.5 (frilled armadillos) to 100 cm ( giant armadillo); weight from 90 g to 60 kg. Tail length from 2.5 to 50 cm.
By the way: Armadillo airways are voluminous and serve as a reservoir of air, so these animals can hold their breath for 6 minutes. This helps them to move through the reservoirs (often armadillos simply cross them along the bottom). The air drawn into the lungs compensates for the weight of the heavy shell, allowing the armadillo to swim.

14. Axolotl


What kind of animal: A larval form of an amphibian from the ambistom family.
Habitat: In mountain ponds of Mexico.
Distinguishing features: On the sides of the axolotl's head grow long, shaggy twigs, three on each side. These are gills. Periodically, the larva presses them to the body, shakes them to clear them of organic residues. The tail of the axolotl is long and wide, which helps it well when swimming. It is interesting that the axolotl breathes with both gills and lungs - if the water is poorly oxygenated, then the axolotl switches to pulmonary breathing, and over time, its gills partially atrophy.
Dimensions: Total length - up to 30 cm.
By the way: Axolotls lead a very calm measured lifestyle, not bothering themselves with unnecessary expenditure of energy. They lie quietly at the bottom, sometimes, wagging their tail, rise to the surface of the water "for a breath of air." But this is a predator attacking the victim from an ambush.

15. Ay-ay


What kind of animal: the largest animal of their nocturnal primates.
Habitat: Eastern and northern Madagascar. Lives in the same ecological niche as woodpeckers.
Distinguishing features: It has a brown color with white specks and a large fluffy tail; it feeds, like woodpeckers, mainly on worms and larvae, although it was originally thought that they eat like rodents because of their teeth.
Dimensions: Weight - about 2.5 kg. Length - 30-37 cm without a tail and 44-53 cm with a tail.
By the way: One of the rarest animals on the planet - several dozen individuals, and therefore discovered relatively recently.

16. Alpaca


What kind of animal: an animal of the camel family.
Habitat: Peru, Bolivia, Chile, at an altitude of over 3500-5000 meters.
Distinctive features: Valued primarily for its wool (24 natural shades), which has all the properties of sheep, but is much lighter in weight. From one individual, 5 kg of wool is sheared, they are sheared once a year. The absence of front teeth forces alpacas to pick up food with their lips and chew with their side teeth. Very good-natured, intelligent, inquisitive animal.
Dimensions: Alpaca height - 61-86 cm, and weight - 45-77 kg.
By the way: The Indians believed that in order for the alpaca wool to be blessed, it was necessary to kill it by tearing the heart out of the chest. Now this is considered barbaric, but there are still cases when several men hold an alpaca, and someone cuts a heart out of its chest.

17. Tarsier


What kind of animal: a mammal from the genus of primates.
Habitat: Tarsiers live in South-East Asia especially on the islands.
Distinguishing Features: Tarsiers have long hind limbs, a large head that can turn almost 360°, and good hearing. The fingers are extremely long, the ears are round and bare. Soft wool has a brown or grayish tint. However, the most noticeable feature is the large eyes, up to 16 mm in diameter. In projection to human height, tarsiers correspond to the size of an apple.
Dimensions: Tarsiers are small animals, their height is from 9 to 16 cm. In addition, they have a bare tail 13 to 28 cm long. Weight varies from 80 to 160 grams.
By the way: In the past, tarsiers played a big role in the mythology and superstition of the peoples of Indonesia. The Indonesians thought that the heads of tarsiers were not attached to the body (since they could rotate almost 360 °), and were afraid to collide with them, because they believed that the same fate could happen to people in this case.

18. Dumbo Octopus


What kind of animal: Small and peculiar deep-sea octopus, representative cephalopods.
Habitat: Found in the Tasman Sea.
Distinguishing features: He got his nickname, apparently, in honor of the famous cartoon character, Dumbo the elephant, who was ridiculed for his large ears (in the middle of the body, the octopus has a pair of rather long, paddle-like fins resembling ears). Its individual tentacles are literally connected to the ends by a thin elastic membrane called an umbrella. She, along with the fins, serves as the main mover of this animal, that is, the octopus moves like jellyfish, pushing water out from under the umbrella bell.
Dimensions: the found octopus is half the size of a human palm.
By the way: Little is known today about the varieties, habits and behavior of these octopuses. Watch on YouTube.

19. Frilled Lizard


What kind of animal: A lizard from the Agam family.
Habitat: Northwest of Australia and south of New Guinea. There she lives in dry forests and forest-steppes.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Yellow-brown to black-brown. Distinguished by its long tail, which is two-thirds of the body length frilled lizard. However, the most noticeable feature is a large collar-like skin fold located around the head and adjacent to the body. The fold contains numerous blood vessels. The frilled lizard has strong limbs and sharp claws.
Dimensions: The length of the frilled lizard is from 80 to 100 cm, females are much smaller than males.
By the way: In case of danger, it opens its mouth, sticks out its brightly colored collar (it can stand up to 30 cm from the body), stands on its hind legs, makes hissing sounds and beats its tail on the ground - which makes it seem scarier and more dangerous than it is.

20. Narwhal


What kind of animal: a unicorn, a mammal of the unicorn family.
Habitat: Narwhal lives in high latitudes - in the waters of the Arctic Ocean and in the North Atlantic.
Special features: The size and shape of the body, pectoral fins and dark color of suckers are similar to beluga whales, however, adults are spotted - grayish-brown spots on a light background, which sometimes merge - and the presence of only 2 upper teeth. Of these, the left one develops in males into a tusk up to 2-3 m long and weighing up to 10 kg, twisted in a left spiral, and the right one usually does not cut through. The right tusk in males and both tusks in females are hidden in the gums and rarely develop, in about one in 500 cases.
Dimensions: The body length of an adult narwhal is 3.5-4.5 m, newborns are about 1.5 m. The weight of males reaches 1.5 tons, of which about a third of the weight is fat; females weigh about 900 kg.
By the way: Why the tusk of a narwhal is not exactly clear, but just not in order to break through a crust of ice. This tusk is a sensitive organ and supposedly allows the narwhal to sense changes in pressure, temperature, and the relative concentration of suspended particles in the water. Crossing tusks, narwhals, apparently, clear them of growths.

21. Madagascar Suckerfoot


What kind of animal: Chiropteran mammal.
Habitat: Found only in Madagascar.
Special Features: At the bases of the thumbs of the wings and on the soles of the hind limbs, the suckers have complex rosette suckers, which are located directly on the skin (unlike suckers in sucker-footed bats).
Dimensions: Small animal: body length 5.7 cm, tail 4.8 cm; weight 8-10 g.
By the way: The biology and ecology of sucker-foot is practically not studied. Most likely, it uses folded leathery palm leaves as shelters, to which it clings with its suckers. All suckers were caught near the water. Included in the Red Book with the status of "vulnerable".

22. Dwarf marmoset


What kind of animal: One of the smallest primates, belongs to the broad-nosed monkeys.
Habitat: South America, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador.
Distinctive Features: The nostrils of the marmoset are directed forward, and the nose is large and wide.
Dimensions: The weight of an adult does not exceed 120 g.
By the way: It lives great in captivity. When kept, it requires a constant temperature of 25-29 degrees, a slightly higher humidity of 60%.

23. Drop fish


What kind of animal: fish, scientific name Psychrolutes marcidus.
Habitat: lives in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, found in deep waters (about 2800 m) of the coasts of Australia and Tasmania.
Special signs: Drop fish live at depths where the pressure is several tens of times higher than at sea level, and in order to maintain viability, the body of a drop fish consists of a gel-like mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows the fish to swim above the seafloor without expending energy in swimming.
Dimensions: The maximum body length is about 65 cm.
By the way: The lack of muscles is not a disadvantage, since the blob fish feeds on the prey that swims around it.

24. Platypus


What kind of animal: A waterfowl mammal of the monotreme order.
Habitat: Australia.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Its most curious quality is that instead of a normal mouth, it possesses a duck's beak, which allows it to feed in the mud like birds.
Dimensions: The body length of the platypus is 30-40 cm, the tail is 10-15 cm, it weighs up to 2 kg. Males are about a third larger than females.
By the way: The platypus is one of the few poisonous mammals, it is generally not fatal for humans, but it causes very severe pain, and edema develops at the injection site, which gradually spreads to the entire limb, pain can last for many days or even months.

25. Kitoglav or royal heron


What kind of animal: Ankle-legged bird.
Habitat: Africa.
Distinguishing features: The neck of the shoebill is not very long and thick. The head is large, with a small and, one might say, sloppy crest on the back of the head. The beak is massive and very wide, somewhat swollen. There is a hanging hook at the end of the beak. The plumage of the shoebill is generally dark gray, and there is powder down on the back, but there is no such down on the chest. Legs are long and black. The tongue of the shoebill is short; there is no muscular stomach, and the glandular one is very large.
Dimensions: Kitoglav is a large bird, in a standing position it is 75-90 cm tall; wing length 65-69 cm.
By the way: This sluggish bird often stands completely still, holding its large beak on its chest. The whalehead is fed by various aquatic animals - fish, crocodiles, frogs and small turtles.

1. leafy sea dragon

What kind of animal: Sea fish, a relative of the seahorse.
Habitat: In the waters surrounding southern and western Australia, often in shallow, warm temperate waters.
Distinguishing Marks: The leaf-like appendages of the head and body serve only as a camouflage. Moves with the help of the pectoral fin located on the crest of the neck, as well as the dorsal fin in the region of the tip of the tail. These fins are completely transparent.
Dimensions: grows up to 45 cm.
By the way: the leafy sea dragon is the official emblem of the state of South Australia.

2. Malayan bear or biruang

What kind of animal: A mammal of the bear family.
Habitat: From the northeast of India and the southern part of China through Myanmar, Thailand, peninsulas of Indochina and Malacca to Indonesia.
Distinguishing Features: Stocky, strong animal with a short and broad muzzle. Ears are short and rounded. The limbs are high with disproportionately large paws; claws very large, curved. Feet are bare. The fangs are small. The fur of the biruang is short, hard and smooth. The color is black, on the muzzle it turns to roan-yellow. On the chest there is usually a large whitish or reddish spot in the form of a horseshoe, reminiscent of the shape and color of the rising sun. A nocturnal animal, often sleeping or sunbathing in the branches of trees for days on end, where it builds a kind of nest for itself.
Dimensions: The smallest representative of the bear family: it does not exceed 1.5 m in length (plus 3-7 cm tail), the height at the withers is only 50-70 cm; weight 27-65 kg.
By the way: Biruangs are one of the rarest types of bears.

3. Komondor

What kind of animal: The Hungarian Shepherd is a breed of dog.
Special signs: When keeping a Komondor, special care is needed for its coat, the length of which can reach almost a meter. It is not subject to combing, but, as it grows, the formed strands must be separated so that the wool does not fall off.
Dimensions: This "King of the Hungarian Shepherd Dogs" is one of the largest dogs in the world, males are more than 80 cm tall at the withers, and the long white coat, folded into original shoelaces, makes the dog even more massive and impressive.
By the way: Feeding this huge dog is not difficult. Like any shepherd dogs, they are very unpretentious and eat very little, a little more than 1 kg of food per day.

4. angora rabbit



What kind of animal: A mammal from the breed of rodents.
Habitat: Where his home is, as this is a pet. More precisely - everywhere.
Special signs: This animal is really extremely impressive, there are instances in which wool reaches a length of up to 80 cm. This wool is very much appreciated, and a wide variety of useful things are prepared from it, even linen, stockings, gloves, scarves and, finally, just fabrics. A kilogram of Angora rabbit wool is usually valued at 10 - 12 rubles. One rabbit can deliver up to 0.5 kg of such wool per year, but usually delivers less. The Angora rabbit is bred most often by ladies, which is why it is sometimes called "ladies".
Dimensions: Average weight 5 kg, body length 61 cm, chest girth 38 cm, but options are possible.
By the way: Every week these rabbits should be combed, because if you do not take care of their hair, they get a disgusting appearance.

5. Little panda

What kind of animal: an animal of the raccoon family.
Habitat: China, northern Burma, Bhutan, Nepal and northeastern India. Not found west of Nepal. Lives in mountain bamboo forests at an altitude of 2000-4000 m above sea level in a temperate climate.
Distinguishing Features: Red or hazel on top, dark, reddish-brown or black underneath. The hair on the back has yellow tips. The paws are glossy black, the tail is red, with inconspicuous lighter narrow rings, the head is light, and the edges of the ears and muzzle are almost white, and a pattern in the form of a mask near the eyes. The small panda leads a predominantly nocturnal (or rather, twilight) lifestyle, during the day it sleeps in a hollow, curled up and covering its head with its tail. In case of danger, it also climbs trees. On the ground, pandas move slowly and awkwardly, but they climb trees very well, but, nevertheless, it feeds mainly on the ground - mainly young leaves and bamboo shoots.
Dimensions: Body length 51-64 cm, tail 28-48 cm, weight 3-4.5 kg
By the way: Red pandas live alone. The "personal" territory of the female occupies an area of ​​​​about 2.5 square meters. km, the male - twice as much.

6. Sloth

What kind of animal: A toothless mammal belonging to the Bradypodidae family.
Habitat: found in Central and South America.
Special signs: Sloths spend almost all the time hanging on a tree branch with their backs down, sloths sleep 15 hours a day. The physiology and behavior of sloths is oriented towards energy austerity, as they feed on low-calorie leaves. Digestion takes about a month. In a well-fed sloth, ⅔ of its body weight can be food in the stomach. Sloths have a long neck to get leaves from a large area without moving. The body temperature of an active sloth is 30-34 ° C, and even lower at rest. Sloths really do not like to get down from trees, because on the ground they are completely helpless. In addition, it requires energy costs. They climb down to perform natural needs, which they do only once a week (therefore, their bladder is huge) and sometimes to move to another tree, where, in order to save energy, they often gather in groups in the forks of branches. There is an assumption that at the same time they lazily mate.
Dimensions: The body weight of sloths of different species varies from 4 to 9 kg, and the body length is about 60 centimeters.
By the way: Sloths are so slow that a moth often lives in their fur.

7. Imperial Tamarina

What kind of animal: Primate, chain-tailed monkey.
Habitat: In the rainforests of the Amazon Basin in areas of southeast Peru, northwest Bolivia and northwest Brazil.
Distinguishing features: A distinctive feature of the species is a particularly long white mustache hanging down to the chest and shoulders in two strands. The fingers have claws, not nails, only the big toes of the hind legs have nails. They spend most of their lives in trees, where larger species of monkeys cannot climb because of their weight.
Dimensions: Body length is 9.2-10.4 inches, tail length is 14-16.6 inches. The mass of adults is 180-250 g.
By the way: Tamarins live in groups of 2-8 individuals. All members of the group have their own rank, and the old female is at the highest level. Therefore, the cubs are carried by males.

8. white-faced saki

What kind of animal: Primate, broad-nosed monkey.
Habitat: They live in rain forests, more arid forests and even in the savannas of the Amazon, in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
Distinguishing features: The color of the coat is black, the front of the head, forehead and throat in males are light, almost white. Sometimes the head is reddish. The coat is thick and soft, the tail is long and fluffy. The tail is not grasping. In females, the general color is brown and solid. There are lighter stripes around the nose and mouth.
Dimensions: Males have a mass of 1.5-2 kg and are somewhat heavier than females. Body length 15 inches, tail 20 inches.
By the way: White-faced saki spend their whole lives on trees. Sometimes they descend into the lower tier of the tropical forest (on the lower branches of trees and shrubs) in search of food. In case of danger, they make long jumps, while the tail serves as a balancer. Active during the day and at night.

9. Tapir

What kind of animal: A large herbivore from the order of equids.
Habitat: In Central America, in warm places of South America and in southeast Asia.
Special Features: Tapirs are relatively ancient mammals: even among the remains of animals 55 million years old, you can find many tapir-like animals. Closest to tapirs are other odd-toed ungulates: horses and rhinos. Their front legs are four-toed, and their hind legs are three-toed, with small hooves on their fingers, helping to move along the dirty and soft ground.
Sizes: Sizes of tapirs differ from species to species, but, as a rule, the length of a tapir is about two meters, the height at the withers is about a meter, and the weight is from 150 to 300 kg.
By the way: Tapirs are forest animals that love water. In the forests, tapirs feed on fruits, leaves, and berries. Their main enemy is a man who hunts tapirs for their meat and skin.

10. Mixins

What kind of animal: an animal from the jawless class.
Habitat: They inhabit the seas of temperate latitudes, keeping near the bottom at a depth of up to 400 m. At a salinity below 29%, they stop feeding, and at 25% and below they die.
Distinguishing features: The mouth opening of the hagfish is devoid of a suction disk and is surrounded by only two pairs of antennae. Biting into the skin of the victim with strong horny teeth, they inject enzymes that dissolve proteins. The prey of hagfish are most often weakened vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as carrion. Fish skeletons covered with skin are often found, and inside there are hagfish that have eaten away all the entrails and muscles.
Dimensions: Body length up to 80 cm.
By the way: In Japan and some other countries, hagfish is eaten.

11. starship

What kind of animal: Insectivorous mammal of the mole family.
Habitat: Found only in southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
Special signs: Outwardly, the star-nosed star differs from the rest of the family and from other small animals only by its characteristic structure of the stigma in the form of a rosette or a star of 22 soft, fleshy, moving bare rays.
Dimensions: In size, the star-nosed is similar to the European mole. The tail is relatively long (about 8 cm), covered with scales and sparse hair.
By the way: When the stellate is looking for food, the fleshy rays on the stigma are in constant motion, with the exception of the two middle upper ones, which are directed forward and do not bend. When he eats, the rays are drawn together in a compact pile; while eating, the animal holds food with its front paws. When the star-bearer drinks, it immerses both the stigma and all the whiskers for 5-6 seconds in water.

12. nosach

What kind of animal: A species of primates from the subfamily of thin-bodied monkeys as part of the marmoset family.
Habitat: Distributed exclusively on the island of Borneo, where it inhabits coastal regions and valleys.
Distinguishing features: The most conspicuous feature of the proboscis is its large nose, similar to a cucumber, which, however, is only found in males. The coat of the proboscis is yellowish-brown on the upper side, it is colored white on the underside. The arms, legs and tail are grey, and the hairless face is red.
Dimensions: The size of the proboscis reaches from 66 to 75 cm, the tail is about as long as the body. The weight of males ranges from 16 to 22 kg - twice as much as the weight of females.
By the way: Nosachi are excellent swimmers, jumping into the water directly from trees and able to overcome up to 20 meters diving underwater. Of all the primates, they are perhaps the best swimmers.

13. Small frillbearer

What kind of animal: A family of mammals of the edentulous order.
Habitat: Armadillos inhabit the steppes, deserts, savannas and forest edges of Central and South America.
Special features: These are the only modern mammals whose body is covered on top with a shell formed by skin ossification. The carapace consists of head, shoulder and pelvic shields and a number of hoop-shaped bands encircling the body from above and from the sides. Parts of the shell are interconnected by elastic connective tissue, which gives mobility to the entire shell.
Dimensions: Body length from 12.5 (frilled armadillos) to 100 cm (giant armadillo); weight from 90 g to 60 kg. Tail length from 2.5 to 50 cm.
By the way: The airways of armadillos are voluminous and serve as a reservoir of air, so these animals can hold their breath for 6 minutes. This helps them to move through the reservoirs (often armadillos simply cross them along the bottom). The air drawn into the lungs compensates for the weight of the heavy shell, allowing the armadillo to swim.

14. Axolotl

What kind of animal: The larval form of an amphibian from the ambistom family.
Habitat: In mountain ponds of Mexico.
Distinguishing features: Long, shaggy branches grow on the sides of the axolotl's head, three on each side. These are gills. Periodically, the larva presses them to the body, shakes them to clear them of organic residues. The tail of the axolotl is long and wide, which helps it well when swimming. It is interesting that the axolotl breathes with both gills and lungs - if the water is poorly saturated with oxygen, then the axolotl switches to pulmonary breathing, and over time, its gills partially atrophy.
Dimensions: Total length - up to 30 cm.
By the way: Axolotls lead a very calm, measured lifestyle, without bothering themselves with an extra expenditure of energy. They lie quietly at the bottom, sometimes, wagging their tail, rise to the surface of the water "for a breath of air." But this is a predator attacking the victim from an ambush.

15. Ay-ay

What kind of animal: the largest animal of their nocturnal primates.
Habitat: Eastern and northern Madagascar. Lives in the same ecological niche as woodpeckers.
Special signs: It has a brown color with white specks and a large fluffy tail, it feeds, like woodpeckers, mainly on worms and larvae, although it was originally believed that they eat like rodents because of their teeth.
Dimensions: Weight - about 2.5 kg. Length - 30-37 cm without a tail and 44-53 cm with a tail.
By the way: One of the rarest animals on the planet - several dozen individuals, and therefore discovered relatively recently.

16. Alpaca

What kind of animal: an animal of the camel family.
Habitat: Peru, Bolivia, Chile, at an altitude of over 3500-5000 meters.
Distinguishing features : Valued primarily for its wool (24 natural shades), which has all the properties of sheep, but is much lighter in weight. From one individual, 5 kg of wool is sheared, they are sheared once a year. The absence of front teeth forces alpacas to pick up food with their lips and chew with their side teeth. Very good-natured, intelligent, inquisitive animal.
Dimensions: Alpaca height - 61-86 cm, and weight - 45-77 kg.
By the way: The Indians believed that in order for the alpaca wool to be blessed, it was necessary to kill it by tearing its heart out of the chest. Now this is considered barbaric, but there are still cases when several men hold an alpaca, and someone cuts a heart out of its chest.

17. Tarsier

What kind of animal: a mammal from the genus of primates.
Habitat: Tarsiers live in Southeast Asia, primarily on the islands.
Distinguishing features: Tarsiers are distinguished by long hind limbs, a large head that can turn almost 360 °, and good hearing. The fingers are extremely long, the ears are round and bare. Soft wool has a brown or grayish tint. However, the most noticeable feature is the large eyes, up to 16 mm in diameter. In projection to human height, tarsiers correspond to the size of an apple.
Dimensions: Tarsiers are small animals, their height is from 9 to 16 cm. In addition, they have a bare tail 13 to 28 cm long. Weight varies from 80 to 160 grams.
By the way: In the past, tarsiers played a big role in the mythology and superstition of the peoples of Indonesia. The Indonesians thought that the heads of tarsiers were not attached to the body (since they could rotate almost 360 °), and were afraid to collide with them, because they believed that the same fate could happen to people in this case.

18. Dumbo Octopus

What kind of animal: A small and peculiar deep-sea octopus, a representative of cephalopods.
Habitat: Found in the Tasman Sea.
Special signs: He got his nickname, apparently, in honor of the famous cartoon character, Dumbo the elephant, who was ridiculed for his large ears (in the middle of the body, the octopus has a pair of rather long, paddle-like fins resembling ears). Its individual tentacles are literally connected to the ends by a thin elastic membrane called an umbrella. She, along with the fins, serves as the main mover of this animal, that is, the octopus moves like jellyfish, pushing water out from under the umbrella bell.
Dimensions: found octopus - half the size of a human palm.
By the way: Little is known today about the varieties, habits and behavior of these octopuses.

19. frilled lizard

What kind of animal: A lizard from the Agam family.
Habitat: North-west of Australia and south of New Guinea. There she lives in dry forests and forest-steppes.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Yellow-brown to black-brown. It is distinguished by its long tail, which is two thirds of the body length of the frilled lizard. However, the most noticeable feature is a large collar-like skin fold located around the head and adjacent to the body. The fold contains numerous blood vessels. The frilled lizard has strong limbs and sharp claws.
Dimensions: The length of the frilled lizard is from 80 to 100 cm, females are much smaller than males.
By the way: In case of danger, it opens its mouth, sticks out its brightly colored collar (it can stand up to 30 cm from the body), stands on its hind legs, makes hissing sounds and beats its tail on the ground - which makes it seem scarier and more dangerous than it is.

20. Narwhal

What kind of animal: unicorn, a mammal of the unicorn family.
Habitat: Narwhal lives in high latitudes - in the waters of the Arctic Ocean and in the North Atlantic.
Special features: The size and shape of the body, pectoral fins and dark color of suckers are similar to beluga whales, however, adults are spotted - grayish-brown spots on a light background, which sometimes merge - and the presence of only 2 upper teeth. Of these, the left one develops in males into a tusk up to 2-3 m long and weighing up to 10 kg, twisted in a left spiral, and the right one usually does not cut through. The right tusk in males and both tusks in females are hidden in the gums and rarely develop, in about one in 500 cases.
Dimensions: The body length of an adult narwhal is 3.5-4.5 m, newborns are about 1.5 m. The weight of males reaches 1.5 tons, of which about a third of the weight is fat; females weigh about 900 kg.
By the way: Why the tusk of a narwhal is not exactly clear, but just not in order to break through a crust of ice. This tusk is a sensitive organ and supposedly allows the narwhal to sense changes in pressure, temperature, and the relative concentration of suspended particles in the water. Crossing tusks, narwhals, apparently, clear them of growths.

21. Madagascar Suckerfoot

What kind of animal: Chiropteran mammal.
Habitat: Found only in Madagascar.
Special signs: At the bases of the thumbs of the wings and on the soles of the hind limbs, the suckers have complex rosette suckers, which are located directly on the skin (unlike suckers in sucker-footed bats).
Dimensions: Small animal: body length 5.7 cm, tail 4.8 cm; weight 8-10 g.
By the way: The biology and ecology of sucker-foot is practically not studied. Most likely, it uses folded leathery palm leaves as shelters, to which it clings with its suckers. All suckers were caught near the water. Included in the Red Book with the status of "vulnerable".

22. pygmy marmoset

What kind of animal: One of the smallest primates, belongs to the broad-nosed monkeys.
Habitat: South America, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador.
Special signs: The nostrils of the marmoset are directed forward, and the nose is large and wide.
Dimensions: The weight of an adult does not exceed 120 g.
By the way: It lives great in captivity. When kept, it requires a constant temperature of 25-29 degrees, a slightly higher humidity of 60%.

23. drop fish

What kind of animal: fish, scientific name Psychrolutes marcidus.
Habitat: lives in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, found in deep waters (about 2800 m) of the coasts of Australia and Tasmania.
Special signs: Drop fish live at depths where the pressure is several tens of times higher than at sea level, and in order to maintain viability, the body of a drop fish consists of a gel-like mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows the fish to swim above the seafloor without expending energy in swimming.
Dimensions: The maximum body length is about 65 cm.
By the way: The lack of muscles is not a disadvantage, since the blob fish feeds on the prey that swims around it.

24. Platypus

What kind of animal: A waterfowl mammal of the monotreme order.
Habitat: Australia.
Distinguishing Characteristics: Its most curious quality is that it has a duck's beak instead of a normal mouth, allowing it to feed in the mud like birds.
Dimensions: The body length of the platypus is 30-40 cm, the tail is 10-15 cm, it weighs up to 2 kg. Males are about a third larger than females.
By the way: The platypus is one of the few poisonous mammals, it is generally not fatal for humans, but it causes very severe pain, and edema develops at the injection site, which gradually spreads to the entire limb, pain can last for many days or even months.

25. Kitoglav or royal heron

What kind of animal: Ankle-legged bird.
Habitat: Africa.
Special features: The neck of the shoebill is not very long and thick. The head is large, with a small and, one might say, sloppy crest on the back of the head. The beak is massive and very wide, somewhat swollen. There is a hanging hook at the end of the beak. The plumage of the shoebill is generally dark gray, and there is powder down on the back, but there is no such down on the chest. Legs are long and black. The tongue of the shoebill is short; there is no muscular stomach, and the glandular one is very large.
Dimensions: Kitoglav is a large bird, in a standing position it is 75-90 cm tall; wing length 65-69 cm.
By the way: This sluggish bird often stands completely still, holding its large beak on its chest. The kitoglav feeds on various aquatic animals - fish, crocodiles, frogs and small turtles.

SCHELEZUB- a mammal from the order of insectivores, divided into two main species: the Cuban flint tooth and the Haitian. Relatively large, relative to other types of insectivores, the beast: its length is 32 centimeters, and the tail, on average, 25 cm, the weight of the animal is about 1 kilogram, the physique is dense.

MANED WOLF. Lives in South America. The long legs of the wolf are the result of evolution in matters of adaptation to the habitat, they help the animal overcome obstacles in the form of tall grass growing on the plains.

AFRICAN CIVETA- the only representative of the same genus. These animals live in Africa in open spaces with high grass from Senegal to Somalia, southern Namibia and eastern regions South Africa. The dimensions of the animal can visually increase quite strongly when the civet raises its hair when excited. And her fur is thick and long, especially on the back closer to the tail. The paws, muzzle and end of the tail are completely black, most of the body is spotty-striped.

MUSKRAT. The animal is quite famous, thanks to its sonorous name. It's just a good photo.

PROEKHIDNA. This miracle of nature usually weighs up to 10 kg, although larger specimens have also been noted. By the way, the length of the body of the prochidna reaches 77 cm, and this is not counting their cute five to seven centimeter tail. Any description of this animal is based on comparison with the echidna: the paws of the echidna are higher, the claws are more powerful. Another feature of the appearance of the prochidna is the spurs on the hind legs of males and the five-fingered hind limbs and the three-fingered forelimbs.

CAPIBARA. Semi-aquatic mammal, the largest of modern rodents. It is the only representative of the capybara family (Hydrochoeridae). There is a dwarf variety of Hydrochoerus isthmius, sometimes considered as a separate species (capybara).

SEA CUCUMBER. Holothuria. Sea-pods, sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea), a class of invertebrates of the echinoderm type. Species eaten are collectively called "trepang".

PANGOLIN. This post just couldn't do without it.

HELL VAMPIRE. Mollusk. Despite its obvious similarity with the octopus and squid, scientists have identified this mollusk in a separate order Vampyromorphida (Latin), because as soon as it has retractable sensitive bee-shaped filaments.

AARDVARK. In Africa, these mammals are called aardvark, which means "earth pig" in Russian. In fact, the aardvark in appearance very much resembles a pig, only with an elongated muzzle. The ears of this amazing animal are very similar in structure to those of a hare. There is also a muscular tail, which is very similar to the tail of such an animal as a kangaroo.

JAPANESE GIANT SALAMANDRA. To date, this is the largest amphibian that can reach 160 cm in length, weigh up to 180 kg and can live up to 150 years, although the officially registered maximum age of a giant salamander is 55 years.

BEARDED PIG. In different sources, the bearded pig species is divided into two or three subspecies. These are the curly-haired bearded pig (Sus barbatus oi), which lives on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, the Bornean bearded pig (Sus barbatus barbatus) and the Palawan bearded pig, which, judging by the name, live on the islands of Borneo and Palawan, as well as in Java , Kalimantan and small islands of the Indonesian archipelago in Southeast Asia.

SUMATRAN RHINO. They belong to the equine-hoofed animals of the rhinoceros family. This species of rhinoceros is the smallest of the entire family. The body length of an adult Sumatran rhinoceros can reach 200 - 280 cm, and the height at the withers can vary from 100 to 150 cm. Such rhinos can weigh up to 1000 kg.

SULAWESI BEAR CUSCOUS. An arboreal marsupial living in the upper tier of lowland tropical forests. The coat of the bear couscous consists of a soft undercoat and coarse guard hairs. Color ranges from gray to brown, with a lighter belly and limbs, and varies by geographic subspecies and age of the animal. The prehensile, hairless tail is about half the length of the animal and acts as a fifth limb, which makes it easier to move through the dense rainforest. Bear couscous is the most primitive of all couscous, retaining primitive tooth growth and skull features.

GALAGO. Its large fluffy tail is clearly comparable to that of a squirrel. And the charming muzzle and graceful movements, flexibility and insinuation, clearly reflect his feline trait. The amazing jumping ability, mobility, strength and incredible agility of this animal clearly show its nature as a funny cat and elusive squirrel. Of course, it would be where to use their talents, because a cramped cage is very poorly suited for this. But, if you give this little animal a little freedom and sometimes allow him to walk around the apartment, then all his quirks and talents will come true. Many even compare it to a kangaroo.

WOMBAT. Without a photograph of a wombat, it is generally impossible to talk about strange and rare animals.

AMAZONIAN DOLPHIN. It is the largest river dolphin. Inia geoffrensis, as scientists call it, reaches 2.5 meters in length and weighs 2 centners. Light gray juveniles lighten with age. The body of the Amazonian dolphin is full, with a thin tail and a narrow muzzle. A round forehead, a slightly curved beak and small eyes are the features of this species of dolphins. Meets Amazonian dolphin in rivers and lakes Latin America.

FISH-MOON or MOLA-MOLA. This fish can be over three meters long and weigh about one and a half tons. The largest specimen of the moonfish was caught in New Hampshire, USA. Its length was five and a half meters, data on weight are not available. In shape, the body of the fish resembles a disk, it was this feature that gave rise to the Latin name. The moonfish has thicker skin. It is elastic, and its surface is covered with small bony protrusions. Fish larvae of this species and juveniles swim in the usual way. adults big fish swim on their side, quietly moving their fins. They seem to lie on the surface of the water, where they are very easy to notice and catch. However, many experts believe that only sick fish swim in this way. As an argument, they cite the fact that the stomach of fish caught on the surface is usually empty.

TASMANIAN DEVIL. Being the largest of modern predatory marsupials, this animal is black in color with white spots on the chest and sacrum, with a huge mouth and sharp teeth, has a dense physique and a severe disposition, for which, in fact, it was called the devil. Emitting ominous cries at night, massive and clumsy Tasmanian devil superficially resembles little bear: front legs slightly longer than the hind legs, big head, the muzzle is blunted.

LORI. A characteristic feature of the loris is the large size of the eyes, which can be bordered by dark circles, there is a white dividing strip between the eyes. The muzzle of a lory can be compared to a clown mask. This most likely explains the name of the animal: Loeris means "clown" in translation.

GAVIAL. Of course, one of the representatives of the detachment of crocodiles. With age, the muzzle of the gharial becomes even narrower and longer. Due to the fact that the gharial feeds on fish, its teeth are long and sharp, located with a slight inclination for the convenience of eating.

OKAPI. FOREST GIRAFFE. Traveling through Central Africa, journalist and explorer of Africa Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904) more than once encountered local natives. Having once met an expedition equipped with horses, the natives of the Congo told the famous traveler that they had wild animals in the jungle, very similar to his horses. The Englishman, who had seen a lot, was somewhat puzzled by this fact. After some negotiations in 1900, the British were finally able to purchase parts of the skin of a mysterious beast from the local population and send them to the Royal Zoological Society in London, where they gave the unknown animal the name "Johnston's Horse" (Equus johnstoni), that is, they identified it as a member of the horse family. . But what was their surprise when, a year later, they managed to get a whole skin and two skulls of an unknown animal, and discover that It looked more like pygmy giraffe times ice age. Only in 1909 was it possible to catch a live specimen of Okapi.

VALABY. WOOD KANGAROO. To the genus Tree kangaroos - wallabies (Dendrolagus) include 6 species. Of these, D. Inustus or bear wallaby, D. Matschiei or Matchish wallaby, which has a subspecies D. Goodfellowi (Goodfellow wallaby), D. Dorianus - Doria wallaby, live in New Guinea. In Australian Queensland, there are D. Lumholtzi - Lumholtz's wallaby (bungari), D. Bennettianus - Bennett's wallaby, or tharibina. Their original habitat was New Guinea, but now wallabies are also found in Australia. tree kangaroos live in tropical forests mountainous areas, at an altitude of 450 to 3000m. above sea level. The body size of the animal is 52-81 cm, the tail is from 42 to 93 cm long. Wallabies weigh, depending on the species, from 7.7 to 10 kg males and from 6.7 to 8.9 kg. females.

WOLVERINE. Moves quickly and dexterously. The animal has an elongated muzzle, a large head, with rounded ears. The jaws are powerful, the teeth are sharp. Wolverine is a “big-legged” beast, the feet are disproportionate to the body, but their size allows them to move freely through the deep snow cover. Each paw has huge and curved claws. Wolverine climbs trees perfectly, has sharp eyesight. The voice is like a fox.

FOSS. On the island of Madagascar, such animals have been preserved that are not found not only in Africa itself, but throughout the rest of the world. One of the rarest animals is Fossa - the only representative of the genus Cryptoprocta and the largest predatory mammal living on the island of Madagascar. The appearance of the fossa is a bit unusual: it is a cross between a civet and a small cougar. Sometimes the fossa is also called the Madagascar lion, since the ancestors of this animal were much larger and reached the size of a lion. Fossa has a squat, massive and slightly elongated body, the length of which can reach up to 80 cm (on average it is 65-70 cm). The legs of the fossa are long, but thick enough, with the hind legs higher than the front ones. The tail is often equal to the length of the body and reaches 65 cm.

MANUL approves of this post and is only here because it should be. Everyone knows him.

FENEC. STEPPE FOX. He agrees with the manula and is present here in so far as. After all, everyone saw him.

THE NAKED DIGGER puts the manula and the fennec fox in karma and invites them to organize a club of the most feared animals in Runet.

PALM THIEF. A representative of the decapod crustaceans. The habitat of which is the western part Pacific Ocean and tropical islands in the Indian Ocean. This animal from the family of land crayfish is quite large for its species. The body of an adult individual reaches a size of up to 32 cm and a weight of up to 3-4 kg. For a long time, it was erroneously believed that with its claws, it can even crack coconuts, which it then eats. To date, scientists have proven that cancer can only eat already split coconuts. They, being its main source of nutrition, gave the name palm thief. Although he is not averse to eating other types of food - the fruits of Pandanus plants, organic matter from the soil, and even their own kind.


The name of this fish in Latin sounds too boring, because it is easier to call it FISH WITH TRANSPARENT HEAD. She has a transparent head through which she can see with her tubular eyes. The head through which the fish watches prey helps protect the eyes. First opened in 1939. It lives at a much greater depth, so it has not been fully studied. In particular, the principle of fish vision was not entirely clear. It was believed that she must experience very great difficulties in view of the fact that she can only look up. Only in 2009 was the structure of the eye of this fish fully studied. Apparently, when trying to study it earlier, the fish simply could not stand the change in pressure.

ECHIDNA. well, that's all.

RED PANDA. red panda today natural environment habitats can only be found in the mountainous bamboo forests of the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan, in the north of Burma, in Bhutan, Nepal and in northeast India.

SIFACA. Monkey of the indriev family. A relatively new genus of primates, discovered only in 2004. Silky sifakas live in the eastern part of the island of Madagascar. The range is approximately 2.2 thousand square meters. km. The distribution area is limited in the north of the skeleton by the Marojejy Massif region, and in the south it reaches Anjanahari. Adult individuals have a body length with a head from 45 to 55 cm, a tail 45-51 cm long. Weight 5-6.5 kg.

SLOTH. Very interesting view mammals, possessing a number distinguishing features that make it unlike any other existing view. It lives mainly in Central and South America.

PLATYPUS. Basically, known to everyone. But this photo deserves attention...

ANT-EATER. It won't surprise anyone either. But the frame is great...

TARSIER. small mammal from the order of primates, the very specific appearance of which created a somewhat ominous halo around this small animal weighing up to one hundred and sixty grams. So, the indigenous population of Indonesia and the Philippine Islands tied an absurd appearance tarsiers with tricks of evil spirits. However, many of our contemporaries, who see the tarsier for the first time in its native habitat, remain amazed at its non-standard appearance.

MARGAY. From the "relatives" of these wild cats distinguish the size and proportions of the body, as well as lifestyle. So, for example, margay is very similar to his own close relative- an ocelot, which, moreover, is quite often found in the same place where the margay lives. It is not difficult to distinguish between these cats - the ocelot is noticeably larger, because it prefers to hunt on the ground, and the margay has more long paws and tail, due to life mainly on trees.

SLUD JUMPER. It is found in intertidal areas and in areas such as tropical swamps, which form in places where mangroves grow. Especially mudskippers like to settle in places where fresh water meets sea water. And although from a scientific point of view they are fish, many perceive them as amphibians. Well, in a sense, it is.

HERBIVORE DRACULA. Bats ("Sphaeronycteris toxophyllum" lat.) This species lives in the north of South America (Amazon basin and mountains). These the bats, oddly enough, are herbivores.

BELTTAIL. The habitat of belttails extends to the rocky regions of Africa, which have an arid climate, mainly on the south side of the Sahara desert. In addition, belttails live in a certain amount on the island of Madagascar. There are more than forty species of belttails in the world. The sizes of the belttails are quite different and range from 12 to 70 centimeters in length. The entire body of the girdletail is covered with rectangular plates - scales that cover the bone base of the reptile.

I think it's modest.

PURPLE FROG. Some animals have managed to adapt to these, at first glance, very difficult conditions and have even learned to benefit from the change of seasons. Here is the indigenous inhabitant of India, the purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis), which as a species was discovered quite recently - in 2003, uses the monsoon time to good use - to continue its kind.

ISOPOD. Giant woodlice isopods about 30 cm long live on sea ​​depths ah about 1.6 km.

SUNNY BEAR. The Malayan biruang bear, or, as it is also called due to its characteristic color, the sun or honey bear, lives in India, Myanmar, as well as on the islands of Borneo, Java and Sumatra. It is of great interest to both zoologists and wildlife lovers, as this species is one of the smallest, most aggressive and smallest representatives of the entire bear family. By the way, it was precisely the threatening small number of this genus that caused the Biruangs to be included in the Red Book.
An adult sun bear has a very difficult character. However, quite a lot of interest in his person is caused not at all by his place of residence, and not by his character, but by his amazing appearance, which immediately catches the eye from any photo.

TIBETAN FOX. Found in Tibet in northwestern India and northern Nepal at high altitudes.

JELLYFISH. Just a giant jellyfish.

GOLDEN TIGER. That is what tigers with a similar color are called. The reason for the unusual color is that one of the genes did not work. Count like an albino...

AY-AY. ARMY. The Madagascar arm or ah-ah, a mammal of the semi-monkey suborder; the only representative of the family of rukonoki. Body length 40 cm, tail 60 cm. The head is large, the muzzle is short; ears are large, leathery. The tail is fluffy. Fur color is dark brown to black.

GUIDAK. A large gastropod mollusk weighing up to one and a half kilograms. Found in west coast USA. From under the thin fragile shell of the guidac (about 20 cm long) a “leg” protrudes, which is three times larger than the shell. The English name for this mollusk (geoduck, gweduck) appeared in late XIX century, is derived from the name of these mollusks in the language of the Nisqual Indians (which is why it is pronounced "guidac") and means "digging deep" - these mollusks really dig quite deep into the sand.

MASSAGED WOLF. Is extinct marsupials and the only member of the thylacine family. This animal is also known under the name "marsupial tiger" and "Tasmanian wolf". At the beginning of the Holocene and the end of the Pleistocene, the marsupial wolf was found on the Australian mainland and the island of New Guinea. About 3,000 years ago, aboriginal settlers brought the wild dog dingo to the island, as a result of which the marsupial wolf disappeared from the area. In the XVIII-XIX centuries. Tasmania was considered the main habitat of the marsupial wolf, but in the thirties of the XIX century, the mass extermination of the animal began, which was mistakenly considered the exterminator of domestic sheep. In addition, the thylacine was credited with hunting poultry and exterminating game caught in traps. Most of these legends turned out to be false.

STAR CARRIER. An insectivorous mammal of the mole family. Outwardly, the star-nosed star-nosed differs from other members of the family and from other small animals only in its characteristic structure of the stigma in the form of a rosette or a star of 22 soft, fleshy, mobile bare rays. In size, spade-shaped forelimbs, thick velvety fur (black or dark brown) it is similar to the European mole.

1) African civet- the last representative of the genus of the same name. Such animals live in Africa. In most cases, they are located in areas with high herbage. The fur of the civet is very thick and long. The muzzle, the end of the tail and paws are completely black, most of the body is spotty-striped.

2) Angora rabbit- a beautiful breed of rabbits. Breeding this species began hundreds of years ago in Turkey with the special goal of obtaining angora wool. Today, there are such breeds of rabbits: French (French), English (English), German (German), Atlas (Satin), Giant (Giant). The mass of Angora rabbits is up to 7 kg, life expectancy is about 7 years.

3) Desman- a very famous animal, thanks to its name. Their body is 16-22 cm long, their tail is 16-22 cm long and their weight is about 500 g.

4) Octopus Dumbo- one of the representatives of cephalopods. It lives in the ocean at a depth of up to 6-7 thousand meters. He got such a nickname for his big ears, he also swims with the help of them. The largest octopus of this kind was recorded at a length of 180 cm and weighing about 6 kg.

5) Capybara- most large rodent. This semi-aquatic mammal is the only member of its capybara family.

6) Kakapo- an owl parrot, which is widespread in New Zealand. The parrot is very unusual, it is nocturnal, belongs to flightless birds and sometimes barks like a dog. This type of parrot is listed in the Red Book and due to human fault it is on the verge of extinction.

7) Hell Vampire- This is a mollusk that has some similarities with squid and octopus.

8) Human fish- lives in underground rivers and lakes from Slovenia to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The length is about 30 centimeters and the weight is not more than 20-25 grams. She got her name because of the similarity of color with the color of the human body. On average, a human fish lives about 68 years, this species is forbidden to catch.

9) Aardvark- in Africa they are also called aardvark, which means "earth pig". The animal has ears that are very similar to those of a hare, as well as a muscular tail that is similar to that of a kangaroo.

10) Matamata turtle - lives in South America. It has a shell no longer than 45 centimeters long and weighs up to 16 kilograms. These turtles feed mainly on fish, sometimes frogs and tadpoles.

11) Sumatran Rhinos- equine animals of the rhinoceros family. The body length of an adult Sumatran rhinoceros is about 260 cm, and the height is up to 150 cm. The weight of an adult reaches up to 1000 kg.

12) Fish with a transparent head Can look backward, up or forward. So she can easily be afraid of predators, catch prey or look at food.

13) Wombat are herbivores that love to dig holes. Outwardly, they resemble small bears.

14) Darwin's Spider- discovered in 2001 on the island of Madagascar. Males are no more than 6 mm long, while females reach about 18 mm. The main feature of spiders is giant webs that can reach up to 30 meters.

15) Lori- an animal with big eyes. The muzzle of a lory is sometimes compared to a clown mask.

In this collection you will learn about the strangest and most mysterious animals of the Earth, with unusual appearance, amazing adaptations and reliable methods of survival in terrible conditions

We have already written about the most unusual animals on the planet, as well as about the most unusual creatures. This collection will be a continuation and addition to this theme, supplementing it with new creatures and interesting facts. First, let's dive into the mysterious depths of the world's oceans, in the darkness of which many strange creatures still lurk. There we will meet the Dumbo octopus, living at extreme depths from 1300 to 9800 meters. To a depth of 1300 meters, it rises from the depths of the sea only to catch prey and again hide in the ocean abyss



What follows is a creature that looks more like a monster from a low-budget horror movie of the 70s - a saber-toothed fish, one of the deepest in the ocean. It has intimidatingly large teeth, characteristic of many deep-sea species. This allows her to prey on anyone. marine life even larger than it



Next on the list is one of the strangest animals, Harbour porpoise, or tardigrade. The creature behaves like a snail, but is essentially a sea cucumber. Where the name pig came from is unknown, perhaps because of its Pink colour


Now let's turn our attention to amphibians, a favorite among which will be the star-nosed mole, which lives in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. This creature has 22 movable fleshy tentacles in its nose that it uses to detect food as it crawls underground.


Next on the list is the magical pink armadillo. Armadillos are strange creatures in their own right, but this species exceeds any expectations. Also known as Pichichego, it lives in central Argentina and is critically endangered.


Without a doubt, the prize for strangeness will go to Tabargan. These creatures do not drink water at all, deriving moisture solely from the food they consume. An experiment was conducted during which the tabargan lived for three years eating exclusively dry seeds.


The amazing mantis-orchid also made it to our list. Thanks to his amazing camouflage, he looks like a gem. Each of its paws is like a leaf of an orchid, it lures prey while in ambush and catches it with lightning speed. Read more about how these creatures hunt in a separate article about praying mantises.

It is worth adding to our list also the giant Chinese salamander, which grows to an incredible length of 6 feet. She is the largest salamander on the planet. This salamander lives high in the mountains, in the mountain streams and lakes of China. Now this species is endangered, as it is considered a delicacy by the Chinese.



We recently wrote about the smallest chameleon in the world that fits easily on a match head:


It should also not be forgotten that there are mythical creatures, elusive, whose existence has not been proven. For example, Bigfoot of the Himalayas, Chupacabra, or Mongolian killer worm. There is only vague, fuzzy evidence for their existence, more like myths.