On planet Earth, there are about 9 million species of living things and microorganisms that are officially registered. Most of them are not really studied by scientists, let alone ordinary people who do not even suspect they exist.
We all know how tigers, elephants, giraffes look, we know their physical characteristics and habits. But what do you know about amphibians and mammals of the "other" unknown animal kingdom? We present to you 15 strange animals that you did not know about!
1. Narwhal
Perhaps some of you know that narwhals exist. But for many this species of mammals is completely unknown. Narwhals are "sea unicorns." External appearance is similar to a reduced copy of a whale or fur seal. They have a "dome" on their head - a frontal hillock - used instead of sonar for communicating with their brethren. As such, there is no transition from the head to the trunk, the neck has a streamlined shape. The males have a long tusk with a slope in the counterclockwise direction. The females do not have this "horn", but there have been cases when small tusks also grew in them.
2. Herenuk
Other names of this animal are African antelope, giraffe gazelle or Waller gazelle. Thanks to a particularly long and thin neck, long limbs, gerenuka is hardly confused with a gazelle. Herenuk has a reddish-brown coat on the sides and a white belly. Horns are found only in males. Inhabits this is not very sociable animal in dry savannah, overgrown with thorny bushes. A feature of the herenock organism is its ability to easily tolerate pressure drops (it can rise to the mountains up to 2000 m) and dispense for a long time without water. Like giraffes, the herenocks feed on leaves from the crown of shrubs, but because of insufficient growth they have to stand on their hind legs, leaning against the trunk on the forelegs.
3. The giant isopod
If you are interested in unusual species of creatures, then you probably want to look at the giant isopod. This kind of crustaceans is so strange that you can even get scared. Feeding on benthic organisms, he crawls on the ocean floor in search of food. The giant isopod grows large because of the "deep-sea gigantism" - a phenomenon where deep-sea creatures are much larger than similar creatures in shallow water.
4. Toothed fish
Paku, a relative of piranhas, has human-like teeth! Toothed fish was originally found in South America, and now lives in most of the rivers in the Amazon basin. Unlike piranhas, the pack is omnivorous, but prefers vegetable food more. Square teeth help this individual to gnaw vegetables and fruits that fall from branches to the river. Fish is considered dangerous, as there have been cases when a pack was attacked by men, confusing them with fruits.
5. Praying mantis
Not only that the very combination of shrimp and mantis is amazing, this alien creature has a very interesting superpower. The protruding eyes of the mantis shrimp have 16 susceptible cones, which are capable of recognizing up to 10 times more color shades than humans. Even ultraviolet can not escape from the sharp eye of this creature. In addition, the eyes of the mantis cancer can move in any direction separately, allowing it to completely control the environment.
6. Darwin's bat
With a look reminiscent of a modern fashionista, with painted bright red pouting lips, Darwin's bat is more like the shape of a stingray than a fish. Due to poorly developed fins, Darwin's bat is mostly floating on the ocean floor, capturing prey with his mouth.
7. The Blue Dragon
This tiny creature looks absolutely insane. At first glance, it is more like a Pokemon than a real biological animal. But, as you know, a blue slug or blue dragon is really an existing species. And if you visit near South Africa, Mozambique or Australia, you will be able to see this floating creature with your own eyes.
8. The Striped Tenrek
Tenrek is a small mammal with a relatively long muzzle and limbs and a rudimentary tail. This kind of porcupine, as a rule, is found only in Madagascar. It has one interesting feature - if the tenrek has retired from its pack, it can use sound vibrations to communicate and communicate its location.
9. Shark-house
Almost all information about this species of shark reflects the severity of the dark underwater world off the coast of Japan, which became a home for this fish. The shark-house has a soft skeleton, and her skin is nothing but a thin transparent shell with a minimum pigment content. Unlike ordinary sharks, the shark-house has protruding jaws, with which it can swallow small fish.
10. Indian purple frog
The Indian violet frog was not first discovered in the mountain ridge of India in Sahyardi. A new species, called the purple frog, has a bulbous body covered in purple skin, bluish-green eyes and a pig's nose. The individual evolved, so the main habitat - underground caves and water.
11. Okapi
Looking at this strange artiodactyl creature, the idea of a zebra immediately comes to mind. In fact, this is a mistaken opinion. Okapi is the only living relative of a giraffe. They have very long tongues, with which they can reach the tasty leaves of shrubby trees. The species is listed in the red book.
12. Jaguarundi
Jaguarundi is a strange South American cat with a thin body and a flat head. Unlike a jaguar, it does not have spots, but its wool differs in a variety of shades, which is not typical for this kind of cat. Jaguarundi was nicknamed an otter cat because of the similarity of the color of the wool with the otter and the ability to swim well. Jaguarundi lives in forest and clean regions, especially near water: from South America to the southwestern United States. Jaguarundi lives alone, can be active at any time of the day or night. It hunts birds and small mammals.
13. Whitewash
Whalebill is one of the most impressive birds in Africa. A mysterious inhabitant of impassable swamps, this tall swamp bird has a bluish-gray feathering, wide wings and a muscular neck. An impressive greenish-brown beak is huge and powerful. The whale is not fastidious, so it feeds on fish, other birds, frogs, water snakes and even small mammals.
14. Moloch
Moloch is a small species of lizard, originally from Australia. The body of the moloch has a very rigid structure. It's amazing that between the cone-shaped spines small channels are formed that allow it to collect water. Milk has a kind of "head" on the back of the head, which is used to mislead predators. It feeds mainly on ants and collects the necessary moisture at night. Despite the small size, on the day of the moloch you need to eat about a thousand ants, which is difficult to imagine by looking at this lizard.
15. Grimpotevtis
Dwelling at a depth of 13,000 feet (3,663 m), octopus-perch is a relatively small animal that hovers on the ocean floor in search of food-snails or worms. Has a translucent body "U" or "V" -shape. Some individuals have suckers on all tentacles. Other species of octopus are more similar to traditional octopuses, but with blue or multi-colored "ears".
The animal world remains one of the least studied, despite advances in science. Mother Nature does not get tired of creating new unusual species of animals. We just have to be surprised and admire these beautiful creatures!