We take a look at some of the weird animals on the planet.
The star-nosed mole's snout has 22 fleshy tentacles that are used to
identify food by touch. Often found in North America, it lives in wet
lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and
molluscs
The
Hispaniolan solenodon, a strange looking shrew-like creature with a
long snout and specialised teeth capable of delivering venom. Only two
solenodon species exist today, one in Haiti and the Dominican Republic,
and the other in Cuba
Seapigs live on, or just underneath, the bottom of the ocean and feed on the mud of the seafloor. Scientists haven't yet worked out how they are such a successful deep-sea creature
The
blobfish is a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than that of
the water it occupies. This helps it maintain buoyancy. Hovering just
above the sea-floor, the blobfish gobbles edible matter that floats
past it
Discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean, this creature was dubbed the "yeti lobster" or "yeti crab". It lives at a depth of 2,200 metres on hydrothermal vents along the Pacific-Antarctic
The
white turtle, whose creamy colour is offset by a few hints of pink,
features prominently in Chinese culture - a character in Journey to the
West is turned into one for his wrongdoings
The long eared jerboa is a nocturnal mouse-like rodent found in the deserts of China and Mongolia. It has a long tail, long legs and extremely large ears. Being such a rare creature, it is in danger of extinction
The aye-aye shares a lot in common with the woodpecker - it taps trees to find grubs. When food is located it uses its rodent-like teeth to gnaw a hole, then digs them out with its long middle finger
The saiga's unusually over-sized, and flexible, nose warms up the air in winter and filters out the dust in summer
With their unusual feeding habits and slime-producing capabilities, the hagfish has been dubbed the most "disgusting" of all sea creatures
Leafy sea dragons are covered with leaf-like appendages, making them remarkably camouflaged. Found in Australia, they inhabit calm, cold water and have been protected by the government since 1982
The
slender loris inhabits tropical moist lowland forests found in India or
Sri Lanka. The species is threatened by habitat loss
The
Indian gharial is a critically endangered species and one of the
longest of all living crocodilians, sometimes measuring over 20 feet
Hairy frogfish walk along the seabed hunting for food. This rare creature can be found in Indonesia
Living at extreme depths, and among the rarest of octupuses, the Dumbo octupus gets its name from its ears which loosely resemble those of the Disney character, Dumbo
A viper fish is a deep water fish with long, needle-like teeth and hinged lower jaws. It is one of the fiercest predators in the very deep part of the sea and is believed to attack its prey by luring its victim with a light producing organ
The
shoebill is a very large bird found in tropical swamps of eastern
Africa. It stands at an average of four feet with a wingspan of over
seven feet. The species was only discovered by ornithologists in the
19th century
The Axolotl is a Mexican neotenic mole salamander. The species originates from the lake underlying Mexico City. Axolotls are used extensively in scientific research due to their ability to regenerate most body parts
The guinea fowl puffer, from the Pacific Ocean. When fully expanded, it can reach 50 cm in length
The frill-necked Lizard, so called because of the large ruff of skin around its neck, runs on its hind-legs when frightened. This behaviour has earnt it the name 'bicycle lizard' in Australia
The long-beaked echidna was named among the top-ten "focal species" in 2007 by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered project. Echidnas are one of two types of mammals that lay eggs
Although the tarsier was once more widespread, all the species living today are found on the islands of Southeast Asia. Each eyeball is approximately16 mm in diameter and is as large as their entire brain
The red panda is a herbivorous mammal about the size of a cat. It has semi-retractible claws and thick fur on its soles to protect it from the cold and to hide its scent
The most distinctive trait of the proboscis monkey is the male's large protruding nose. It has been suggested that the female proboscis monkey prefers big-nosed males
The Pygmy Marmoset is a monkey native to the rain forest canopies of western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, and eastern Peru. They are omnivorous, feeding on fruit, leaves, insects, and sometimes even small reptiles
The Sun Bear is found primarily in the tropical rain forests of Southeast Asia. At only four feet tall, it is the smallest member of the bear family, and it is often called the dog bear
The Komondor, a large Hungarian dog breed, has a long, thick, strikingly corded white coat and has been declared one of its nation's national treasures
Similiarto the komondor, the Hungarian puli also has a coat of dread lock-type cords. The breed rarely moults and is deceptively fast and acrobatic
Hairless cats have been described in many regions of the world, but the first successful breed was the Sphynx. The earliest Sphynx, named Prune, was born in 1966
