Since childhood, we have been told about the amazing animals that inhabit our planet. The elephant is the largest land mammal on the planet, whose weight can reach 10 tons, the giraffe is the tallest animal in the world, it can calmly look through a fourth-floor window, the cheetah is the fastest animal, overtaking a car at short distances. We, of course, know about the amazing tiny hummingbirds that fly backwards, and about the swifts that can spend a year flying without rest. The chameleon is amazing - a lizard that easily changes the color of its body, adapting to the external background. But the world is huge, its diversity is impressive. In forests, steppes, the depths of the sea, high in the sky and underground there live such animals, birds and insects that many have never heard of. They are so amazing, as if they came from another world, sometimes it’s even hard to believe in their reality.

In this article we will look at the TOP 10 most amazing animals in the world.

1. Star-nosed

When you first look at this animal, it seems that you are looking at an alien creature. Instead of a muzzle, it has many movable red tentacles connected to form a kind of star (hence the name). The tentacles move and make an unpleasant impression. The star-nosed mole is actually a type of mole. The animal is harmless and lives in North America. Lives underground, feeds on worms, insects, larvae, and in times of famine does not disdain small fish and crustaceans. The skin growths around the nostrils are supersensitive organs of touch, with the help of which the starfish detects prey in a split second (!) and analyzes it for edibility. In one second, this animal is capable of studying 13-15 objects. The movements of its tentacles are so fast that the human eye is unable to catch them.

The second name of the animal is aye-aye. It's perfect unique creation. It is unlike any other animal in the world. There are only 47 little arms living on our planet! Therefore, the aye-aye is listed in the International Red Book and is under the close supervision of the global animal welfare community. Although poachers are unlikely to be interested in aye-aye: it has neither valuable fur, nor valuable meat or fat.

The first bat was discovered in 1780 by explorer Pierre Sonner, who worked with an expedition on the western coast of Madagascar. Apart from the tropical forests of this island, little arms are not found anywhere else. The animals have a small body up to 40-45 cm long, covered with hard dark hair with a thick undercoat (probably nature made a mistake when it placed an animal with such a warm coat in tropical forests Madagascar). Half meter fluffy tail, a wide head with huge ears, a small muzzle with large round eyes and sharp teeth - this combination has baffled scientists. There is still no consensus on which family the aye-aye is more suitable for: rodents, primates or lemurs.

But the most amazing thing is that aye-ayes don’t have paws, but arms and legs with fingers! This fact was confirmed by scientists by studying the structure of the limbs of the arm. It is interesting that on the animal’s hands the middle finger seems to have shrunk, but it is with its help that the aye-aye performs the main functions: it obtains food and pushes it deep into the throat.

There is such a miracle in nature. The scientific name is smallmouth macropinna. It was only discovered in 1939 by Wilbert Chelman. Lives at great depths (up to a kilometer) in northern waters Pacific Ocean. This small fish, up to 15 cm, would not have been noticed if not for one feature: it has a transparent head, inside of which bright green eyes float in liquid and the brain is visible. If you look at a photo of a fish, its eyes are “green leaves” inside the head, and what at first glance seems like the eyes of a fish are the olfactory organ. Moreover, the eyes always look up.

It is very difficult to study these amazing fish, because they live at great depths and die when the pressure changes, while the transparent head bursts and all the contents (brain and eyes) simply flow out.

Many, looking at this animal, will not agree that it is “the most amazing.” Either a beaver, or a muskrat, or an otter. Not quite clear. But the animal is truly amazing. Because it is a type of guinea pig! But it weighs up to 65 kg! The Indians respectfully called the capybara “lord of the herbs.” The giant rodent is the only one of its kind on our planet. He is harmless, good-natured and phlegmatic, and loves watermelons very much. Many exotic lovers keep capybaras as pets. Gigantic Guinea pigs By the way, they have good intelligence, behave civilly, don’t shit anywhere, and cuddle up to their owners like faithful dogs. The main thing is to provide capybaras with a decent-sized body of water where they can swim and dive, because without water the animals will get sick and die.

Jellyfish are amazing creatures in their own right. Scientists have been studying them for a long time, and often make amazing discoveries. For example, jellyfish do not have lungs, but they breathe through the skin; they also do not have circulatory, nervous or excretory systems. Jellyfish don’t even have a brain, yet their behavior proves that these creatures think, but with what?

Jellyfish are perfect hermaphrodites; depending on the circumstances, the same individual can be either a full-fledged “girl” or a full-fledged “boy”. They can reproduce both sexually and by budding or division.

The venom of some jellyfish is one of the most powerful in the world; just a few milligrams can kill a person in a matter of minutes. All this is interesting. But scientists were shocked when in the mid-1990s they found out that the jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula is immortal!

It turned out that she is able to control her genes and turn back time: become younger, and then relive her years, and so on ad infinitum. A jellyfish, which doesn’t even have a brain, can do this! The great discovery was made by accident, but since then scientists have been researching Turritopsis nutricula, hoping to find a formula for immortality for humans.

This is a wonderful monkey that lives exclusively on the island of Kalimantan (or Borneo) in Southeast Asia. One of the distinguishing features of the proboscis snake is the large nose of males, similar to a cucumber hanging down. It was probably this monkey that inspired Wilhelm Hauff to write the fairy tale “Dwarf Nose”. It’s interesting that this nose grows throughout one’s life and in old nose-nosed people it hangs below the chin.

Another characteristic feature of these animals is an absolutely white, very long tail, similar to a thin hose. Considering that all the animal’s fur is colored reddish, the snow-white tail seems unnatural, as if it was sewn on artificially. Proboscis monkeys are also considered one of the most amazing animals on Earth because of this unusual contrast.

Have you ever seen a pig with a trunk? Do you think this doesn’t happen and only elephants have a trunk? But no! The tapir is an amazing animal, very rare, on the verge of extinction, and outwardly it looks just like a pig with a short trunk. By the way, like an elephant, a tapir grabs food with its trunk and puts it in its mouth.

The animal is large, weighing from 150 to 300 kg. Lives in Central and South America, in Southeast Asia. Lives in the forest, but only near bodies of water. It feeds on grass, leaves, fruits and berries.

The animal received the status of "most amazing" for its amazingly cute appearance. This miniature desert fox from North Africa with huge ears and expressive eyes is really cute. Looks like a small fluffy cat. They are happy to keep the animal as a pet. Fenechs successfully combine feline affection with canine friendliness. Playful, inquisitive, great with children.

A "World's Most Amazing Animals" list wouldn't be complete without the blobfish, an incredible creature that looks like a sad alien hybrid. It lives only in the deep sea off the coast of Australia and Tasmania. The fish resembles a large piece of jelly, it is really a gelatinous mass without muscles. The density of its body is less than that of water, so the drop fish is carried along by the current, and food - small invertebrates - gets into its wide-open mouth. Another amazing fact: after laying eggs, the blob fish sits on it and hatches eggs like a hen!

This small monkey lives in Southeast Asia. Amazing characteristics make it unique:

• each of her huge eyes is as big as her brain,
• The tarsier can turn its head almost 360 degrees,
• is 100% carnivorous: eats birds, lizards, snakes, bats,
• communicate using ultrasounds,
• jumping like grasshoppers.

The top 10 most amazing animals is complete. But he demonstrates far from full list unusual creatures in the world. It can be supplemented with dozens more individuals: a maned wolf with unnaturally long legs, a leaf-tailed Madagascar gecko that surprises with its skillful mimicry, a European proteus that reproduces once every ten years, lampreys that look like an alien from the horror movie “Alien” and many others.

Unusual animals live everywhere. They hide from people underground and in the depths of the sea, in the hot sands of deserts and in impassable jungles, in mountain caves and swamps. Of course, all representatives of the animal world are amazing in their own way, but on our planet there are many truly mysterious and strange animals about which most people know almost nothing. Some creatures have such a strange appearance that you can’t help but wonder if these are aliens trying to get lost in the diversity of our fauna. Want to know more about them? Then we present to your attention a rating of the most amazing and unusual animals on our planet.

The naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is an extremely interesting rodent native to Africa.

The naked mole rat (also called the desert rat) lives in underground tunnels and rarely comes to the surface. The sausage-like creature is notable not only for its specific appearance, although the naked, sparsely haired, wrinkled pale skin, and especially the protruding teeth, you will agree, make an indelible impression. They say that with its sharp and hard, diamond-like teeth, the beast is able to gnaw through even concrete!

These animals are also unusual in that they have an exceptionally high life expectancy for rodents (up to 30 years). Naked mole rats do not have strokes, heart attacks, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, fatal liver or kidney diseases, and their organs and tissues do not wither at all over time. This is the only creature that practically does not feel pain. Another unique feature of the animal is that it can do without oxygen for up to 20 minutes! This ability makes naked mole rats similar to plants!

Naked mole rat Lately is under close attention of scientists. Perhaps someday, thanks to this very creature, gerontologists will be able to answer the question: How to slow down aging?

Herbivore Dracula

The herbivorous dracula (Sphaeronycteris toxophyllum) is an unusual bat, a very rare and little-studied species. Found in northern South America. Despite the terrifying name and specific appearance, these creatures are harmless. They feed exclusively on plant foods – ripe fruits and berries.

Gymnur

Gymnurs (lat. Galericinae) are the closest relatives of the prickly hedgehogs familiar to us, but their appearance is not at all like that of a hedgehog. These strange creatures are more reminiscent of possums, shrews or rats, but they are enormous in size - up to 45 centimeters in length, and a few tens of centimeters more on their hairless, rat-like tail. Gymnur even has a middle name - moon rat. But the most important thing is that they have no thorns at all!

Moon rats live in the tropical rainforests of Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia. If ordinary hedgehogs use spines as protection from enemies, then the gymnur is more original here: near the base of the moonrat’s tail there are glands that secrete a liquid with a strong unpleasant odor. They say that the animal smells very strongly of onions!

Madagascar bat

In the dry forests of Madagascar lives a very unusual lemur, completely different from its relatives. The little arm, or aye-aye (aye-aye) (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is a mammal from the order of prosimians, the only representative of the family of armlets. This is truly an amazing creature! Expressive orange-yellow or greenish eyes, huge leathery ears and a fluffy tail about 60 long are the main decoration of the little arm. The body of the animal, about 40 cm long, is covered with hard, straight dark hair. Distinctive feature animal - elongated thin fingers with long and slightly bent nails.

There have been heated debates among zoologists for a long time: which species should this amazing creature be classified as: rodents or lemurs? In the end, they nevertheless came to the conclusion that this was a lemur that had only deviated slightly in the course of evolution from the general trunk of the group. You can read more about the Madagascar monkey.

Cuban slittooth

The Cuban slittooth (Solenodon cubanus) is an extremely interesting relict animal. Scientists thought that it disappeared more than a hundred years ago, but it has appeared again! Compared to other insectivores, this animal is quite large - body length 28-35 cm plus a long bare tail, weight - no more than 1 kilogram. Externally, the slittooth looks like a rat, a shrew, and a hedgehog. This unusual animal lives in the mountain forests of Cuba. The animal's muzzle is elongated into a proboscis. The front paws are equipped with long, thick and hard claws that help it dig holes.

The animal was called a slit-tooth because in one of the lower front teeth it has a groove-slit, and poison passes through this groove! Few people find this animal dangerous, but its bite is poisonous! The poison is not fatal to humans, but poisoning of the body is guaranteed.

Poisonous mammals are extremely rare in nature - these are platypuses, some species of shrews and insectivorous gaptooths living in Cuba and Haiti. The venom of gap-toothed animals is not inferior in toxicity to that of snakes, but nature, having provided these cute animals with such a formidable weapon, played a truly cruel joke on them. The fact is that gaptooths are very temperamental, but at the same time they are not immune to their own poison and die en masse even from light bites received during mating fights.

When a gaptooth gets angry, the fur on its back stands on end, and the animal begins to squeal and grunt loudly, just like a pig. In general, this animal is a coward, and even an ordinary house cat can easily cope with it. That is why there are very few gaptooths left in nature; they hide well and are not so easy to find.

Muskrat

One of the rare and unusual animals rightfully includes the muskrat (Desmana moschata). This animal of the mole family has lived on Earth for more than 30 million years! Today it is found only in the basins of the Volga, Don, Dnieper and Ural rivers. Read more about muskrat.

Binturong

This mammal from the civet family can be found in the tropical forests of India, Nepal and Burma. Due to its appearance, it is also called the "bear cat" or "coon bear". Indeed, disheveled and massive, the binturong (Arctictis binturong) is very reminiscent of a round-headed bear cub, only with a long tail and squirrel-like tufts on its ears. The unusualness is enhanced by the clumsiness of the animal, as well as the grunting sounds it makes.

In its diet, consisting mainly of fruits, it also differs from other viverrids: it uses insects, birds, fish or carrion for food less often than its relatives. The animal sleeps all day in the treetops, and only when it gets dark does its active life begin. Weighing more than 10 kg, it is not at all convenient for the binturong to run and jump along branches on its short legs, so it moves slowly from branch to branch. In this he is helped by powerful legs, sharp claws and a tail reaching a length of 90 cm. With his tail, he can hold on to a branch like a hand. Also, thanks to its tenacious tail, the massive animal can hang upside down on a branch. This grasping tail is unique among Old World mammals.

Surprisingly, bunturong smells like popcorn! Under the tail there is a scent gland that secretes a secretion with which the binturong marks trees, thus transmitting information to its fellow tribesmen.

Sirichta

Sirichta (Tarsius syrichta), or as it is also called, the Philippine tarsier, is found in the Philippines - in rain forests or in bamboo thickets. This tiny animal, whose body length is about 15 cm, 8 of which is in the tail, and whose weight does not exceed 100 grams, leads an arboreal lifestyle. A distinctive feature of the sirikhita is that its eyes are simply huge for such a tiny thing; in addition, the eyes can glow in the dark! The animal's head can rotate almost 180 degrees on its neck. A wide mouth and large bare, very mobile ears give the appearance of this creature even more originality. Yes, it’s difficult to call him handsome; local residents are even a little afraid of tarsiers, considering them ghosts.

Tarsiers are famous for their jumping ability - they jump very far compared to their own size - up to a distance of 1 meter.

The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is found in marshy areas and wet grasslands of North America. It is unique in that on its face there are twenty-two skin growths (or tentacles) resembling a star. Star-nosed spends his entire life underground, where his eyes are completely useless, and his nose helps him find his way among the labyrinth of tunnels. The starnose feeds on worms, snails and insects, which it finds with its sensitive nose, using both its sense of smell and touch.

Platypus

The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) lives in streams, ponds and rivers in Australia. These animals usually reach a length of 30–40 centimeters and weigh about 2 kilograms.

The unusual thing about the platypus is that it combines the features of mammals, birds, reptiles and even fish. Looking at it, you won’t immediately understand whether it’s a bird or some kind of animal... In fact, these creatures are mammals, although they lay eggs. The platypus is a bit like a beaver, but with a soft beak covered with elastic skin, which is not found in any other animal. Underwater, the platypus closes its eyes and uses its beak, with which it senses weak electrical impulses emanating from its prey. Using its beak, the platypus digs through the mud in search of small fish, frogs and insects. Scientists are still arguing about the origin of this species, but only one thing is clear - this is a unique creation of Mother Nature, which differs from all other species currently living on planet Earth.

Male platypuses have poisonous spurs on their hind legs. The animal's venom is unlikely to kill a person, but it causes severe pain at the injection site. But for small animals this poison is often fatal.

Sloth

This unusual cat-sized mammal lives in the South and Central America. The sloth (Bradypodidae) became famous for its extraordinary slowness. He sleeps 15 hours a day, and he can do this while hanging on one leg, and his long claws help the animal stay on a branch. The rest of the time, he slowly moves from branch to branch, absorbing the leaves of tropical trees.

During the rainy season, a sloth can hang motionless for weeks, and blue-green algae multiply in its fur, giving the animal's skin a greenish color.

Pygmy marmoset

The pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) is the most amazing view monkeys living on planet Earth. The size of an adult animal is 11-15 cm plus a tail up to 22 cm long, weight does not exceed 150 grams. The little ones live in the forests of South America, settling on the edges of forests and along river banks. They spend almost all their time in trees, feeding mainly on tree sap, sometimes insects and fruits. They rarely descend to the ground.

fennec

This unusually cute creature is a tiny fennec fox. It lives in the deserts of North Africa. The fenech differs from its relatives in its miniature body size and disproportionately large ears. These huge ears, up to 15 cm in length, are not only a unique tool for catching the slightest rustle, but also for cooling the body, because the desert fox does not have sweat glands, and the extensive surface of the ears is a kind of thermoregulation tool. The animal's sensitive ears cannot tolerate sharp sounds.

The little fox is also famous for its jumping ability - the baby can easily jump 70 cm up and 120 cm forward. You can learn more about fennec in this article.

Okapi

The okapi (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), or forest giraffe, lives in the forests of the Congo. This animal is very rare, and the story of its discovery is one of the most notorious zoological sensations of the 20th century.

There is a sad donkey in front, a zebra in the back, and overall a forest giraffe. Okapi has such a long (up to 35 cm) tongue that it can clean its ears with it. The coloring is also very unusual: the body is reddish-brown, the legs are white with dark transverse stripes on the thighs; the tail ends in a tassel.

Zebu

Zebu (Bos taurus indicus) is a humpbacked bull native to Southeast Asia. This is the most ancient and mysterious representative of bovid ungulates. Scientists around the world are puzzling over its origin. The unusual animal has a high, prominent hump on its back and short, widely spaced horns.

The health of humpbacked bulls is excellent: they easily tolerate diseases that kill cattle of other breeds. Domesticated zebu are mainly used as draft and pack animals, and in some places in Southeast Asia, zebu racing is very popular. Of course, a humpbacked bull is not nearly as graceful as a thoroughbred horse, but it can compete with any racer.

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A selection of 30 of the most unusual creatures of our planet...
Based on materials from: wikipedia.org & animalworld.com.ua & unnatural.ru

Madagascar suckerfoot
Found only in Madagascar. At the bases of the thumbs of the wings and on the soles of the hind limbs, sucker bats have complex rosette suckers, which are located directly on the skin (unlike the suckers in sucker-footed bats). The biology and ecology of the suckerfoot has been virtually unstudied. Most likely, it uses rolled up leathery palm leaves as shelters, to which it sticks with its suckers. All suckers were caught close to the water.

Angora rabbit (ladies)
These rabbits look quite impressive; there are specimens whose fur reaches up to 80 cm in length. Their wool is extremely valuable, and a wide variety of things are made from it: stockings, scarves, gloves, just fabrics and even linen. One kilogram of this rabbit's wool is valued at about 10 - 12 rubles. One rabbit produces about 0.5 kg of this wool per year, but usually much less. Most often, Angora rabbits are bred by women, which is why they are sometimes called “ladies’ rabbits.” The average weight of such a rabbit is 5 kg, body length 61 cm, chest girth 35-40 cm, but other options are possible.

Monkey marmoset
This is the most amazing species of monkeys living on Earth. The weight of an adult does not exceed 120 g. When you look at this tiny creature the size of a mouse (10-15 cm) with a long tail (20-21 cm) and large Mongoloid eyes with a conscious gaze, you feel some embarrassment.

Coconut crab
This is one of the representatives of decapod crustaceans. The habitat of this animal is the western Pacific Ocean and islands in the Indian Ocean. This animal of the land crayfish family is quite large for representatives of its species. An adult can reach 32 cm in length and weigh up to 3-4 kg. For quite a long time, it was mistakenly believed that the palm thief could split coconuts with its claws in order to then eat them, but now scientists have definitely proven that this cancer, despite the enormous strength of its claws, is not capable of splitting a coconut, but can easily break your arm...

Coconuts that split when they fall constitute their main source of nutrition, which is why this crayfish was named the palm thief. However, he is not averse to enjoying other food - the fruits of plants, organic elements from the earth, and even God's creatures similar to themselves. His character, meanwhile, is timid and friendly.

The coconut crab is unique in its kind, its sense of smell is as developed as that of insects, and it also has olfactory organs that ordinary crabs lack. This feature developed after this species left the water and settled on land.

Unlike other crabs, they move forward rather than sideways. They don't stay in the water for long.

Sea cucumber. Holothuria
Sea cucumbers, egg capsules (Holothuroidea), a class of invertebrates such as echinoderms. The modern fauna is represented by 1,150 species, divided into 6 orders, which differ from each other in the shape of the tentacles and calcareous ring, as well as the presence of some internal organs. There are about 100 species in Russia. The body of sea cucumbers is leathery to the touch, usually rough and wrinkled. The body wall is thick and elastic, with well-developed muscle bundles. Longitudinal muscles (5 ribbons) are attached to the calcareous ring around the esophagus. At one end of the body there is a mouth, at the other there is an anus. The mouth is surrounded by a corolla of 10-30 tentacles, which serve to capture food, and leads into a spirally twisted intestine.

They usually lie “on their side”, raising the front, oral end. Holothurians feed on plankton and organic debris extracted from bottom silt and sand, which is passed through the digestive canal. Other species filter food from bottom waters with tentacles covered with sticky mucus.

Hell Vampire

This animal is a mollusk. Despite its external similarity to an octopus or squid, scientists separated this mollusk into a separate series, Vampyromorphida (lat.), because only it has retractable receptive whip-shaped filaments.

Almost the entire surface of the mollusk’s body is covered with luminescent organs - photophores. They appear as small white discs enlarging at the ends of the tentacles and at the base of the fins. Photophores are absent only on the inner side of the membraned tentacles. The hellish vampire has very good control over these organs and is capable of producing disorienting flashes of light lasting from hundredths of a second to several minutes. In addition, it can control the brightness and size of the color spots.

Amazonian dolphin
This is the world's largest river dolphin. Inia geoffrensis, as scientists have named it, can reach 2.5 meters in length and weigh up to 200 kg. Juveniles are light gray in color, but become lighter with age. The Amazonian dolphin has a full body, with a narrow snout and a thin tail. Round forehead, slightly curved nose and small eyes. You can meet the Amazonian dolphin in the rivers and lakes of Latin America.

Star-nosed
The star-nosed insect is an insectivorous mammal from the mole family. You can meet such an animal only in South-Eastern Canada and the north-eastern USA. Externally, the star-nosed snake differs from other animals of this family and from other small animals, only it is characterized by the structure of its snout in the form of a rosette or an asterisk made of 22 soft mobile fleshy naked rays. The size of the star-nosed ray similar to its European relative the mole. Its tail is relatively long (about 8 cm), covered with scales and sparse hair. When the starfish is looking for food, the rays on the stigma are constantly moving, with the exception of the two middle-upper ones, they are directed forward and do not bend. When he eats, the rays are pulled together into a compact lump; While eating, the animal holds the food with its front paws. When the starfish drinks, it immerses both the stigma and all the whiskers in the water for 5-6 seconds.

Fossa
These amazing animals live only on the island of Madagascar; there are nowhere else in the world, not even in Africa. The Fossa is a rare animal and the only member of the genus Cryptoprocta, with the Fossa being the largest predator found on the island of Madagascar. The appearance of the Fossa is a little unusual: it is something between a civet and a small puma. At times, the Fossa is also called the Madagascar lion; the ancestors of this animal were much larger and reached the size of a lion. The fossa has a strong build, a massive and slightly elongated body, its length can reach up to 80 cm (on average the fossa body reaches 65-70 cm). The fossa's paws are high, but rather thick, and the hind paws are longer than the front paws. The tail of this animal is very long, often reaching the length of the body and reaching up to 65 cm.

Japanese giant salamander
The largest amphibian found in the world, this salamander can reach 160 cm in length and weigh up to 180 kg. In addition, such a salamander can live up to 150 years, although the officially recorded longest age of a huge salamander is 59 years.

Madagascar crayfish (or Aye-Aye)
The Madagascar monkey (lat. Daubentonia madagascariensis) or aye-aye, is a mammal of the suborder of prosimians; the only representative of the family of arms. One of the rarest animals on the planet - there are only five dozen individuals, which is why it was discovered relatively recently. The largest animal of the nocturnal primates.

The body length of the arm is 30-37 cm without a tail, 44-53 cm with a tail. Weight - about 2.5 kg. The head is large, the muzzle is short; The ears are large and leathery. The tail is large and fluffy. The coat color ranges from dark brown to black. They live in the East and North of the island of Madagascar. They are nocturnal. They feed on the fruits of mango trees and coconut palms, the core of bamboo and sugar cane, tree beetles and larvae. They sleep in hollows or nests.

This animal is one of the most unique mammals on the planet; it has no similar features to any other animal. The little arm has a thick, wide head with large ears, which makes the head appear even wider. Small, protruding, motionless, and glowing eyes with smaller pupils than those of a nocturnal monkey. Its muzzle bears a close resemblance to the beak of a parrot, an elongated body and a long tail, which, like the whole body, is sparsely covered with long, stiff, bristle-like hair. And finally, unusual hands, and these are hands, their middle finger has the appearance of a withered one - all these features connected together give the aye-aye such a unique appearance that you involuntarily rack your brains in a vain zeal to find a related creature similar to this animal.” - this is what A.E. Bram wrote in his book “Animal Life”.

Listed in the “Red Book”, ay-ay is the most remarkable animal, over which a serious danger of extinction hangs. Daubentonia madagascariensis is the only representative of not only the genus, but also the family that has survived to this day.

Guidak
The photo shows the longest-living and at the same time the largest (up to 1 meter in length) burrowing mollusk in the world (the age of the oldest individual found is 160 years). The concept of Guidak was taken from the Indians and is translated as “deep-digging” - these gastropods can actually bury themselves quite deep in the sand. A “leg” protrudes from under the thin, fragile shell of the hyodac, which is three times larger than the shell (there have been cases where specimens with a leg length of more than 1 meter were found). The clam meat is very tough and tastes like abalone (this is also a clam, terribly tasteless, but with a very beautiful shell), so Americans usually cut it into pieces, beat it and fry it in butter with onions.

Liger
The liger (English liger from the English lion - “lion” and English tiger - “tiger”) is a hybrid between a male lion and a female tigress, looking like a giant lion with blurred stripes. The appearance and size are similar to the cave lion and its relative the American lion, which became extinct in the Pleistocene. Ligers are the largest big cats in the world today. The largest liger is Hercules from the interactive theme park Jungle Island.

Male ligers, with rare exceptions, have almost no mane, but unlike lions, ligers know how and love to swim. Another feature of ligers is that female ligers can give birth to offspring, which is unusual for feline hybrids. The extraordinary gigantism of ligers is due to the fact that ligers receive genes from their lion father that promote the growth of their offspring, while the tiger mother does not have genes that inhibit the growth of their offspring. While the tiger father does not have genes that promote growth, the lioness mother has genes that inhibit growth, which are passed on to her offspring. This explains the fact that the liger is larger than the lion, and the tiger lion is smaller than the tiger.

Imperial tamarin
The name of the species (“imperial”) is associated with the presence of fluffy white “whiskers” on these monkeys and is given in honor of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Body length - about 25 cm, tail - about 35 cm. Weight of adult individuals - 250-500 grams. Tamarins feed on fruits and lead a diurnal lifestyle. They live in small groups of 8-15 individuals.

Emperor tamarins are native to the Amazon rainforest and are found in northwestern Brazil, eastern Peru and northern Bolivia. In the east, the range is limited by the Gurupi River, in the upper reaches of the Amazon - by the Putumayo rivers in the north and Madeira in the south. Although the species lives in hard-to-reach places, it protective status assessed as vulnerable.

Cuban slittooth
Cuban slittooth, a strange creature similar to big hedgehog with a funny long-nosed muzzle, when it bites, it kills insects and small animals with poisonous saliva. The slit tooth is not dangerous for humans, quite the contrary. Until 2003, the animal was considered extinct until several specimens were caught in the forest. The slittooth has no immunity to its poison, so fights between males are usually fatal for all participants.

Kakapo parrot
The New Zealand kakapo parrot, also known as the owl parrot, is probably the most unusual parrot in the world. He never flies, weighs 4 kilograms, croaks in a nasty voice and is nocturnal. It is considered an extinct species in nature due to ecological imbalance caused by rats and cats. Experts hope to restore the kakapo population, but it is very reluctant to breed in zoos.

Cyclocosmia
This species of spider stands out from the representatives of its genus only by the very original shape of its abdomen. Cyclocosmia digs burrows 7-15 cm deep in the ground. Its abdomen, at the end, is as if chopped off and ends with a chitinized flat disc-shaped surface; it serves to close the entrance to the burrow when the spider is in danger. This method of defense is called Pragmosis (eng. Phragmosis) - a method of defense in which an animal, if threatened, hides in a hole and uses part of its body as a barrier, blocking the path of a predator.

Tapir
Tapirs (lat. Tapirus) are large herbivores from the order of equids, somewhat reminiscent of a pig in shape, but with a short trunk adapted for grasping.

The 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. Life expectancy in the wild is about 30 years, the cub is always born alone, pregnancy lasts about 13 months. Newborn tapirs have protective coloring consisting of spots and stripes, and although this coloring appears to be the same, different types there are some differences. The front paws of tapirs are four-toed, and the hind paws are three-toed; the toes have small hooves that help them move on muddy and soft ground.

Mixin
The common hagfish (lat. Myxini) lives at depths of 100-500 meters, its primary habitat is near the coast of North America, Europe, Iceland, and East Greenland. Sometimes it can be found in the Adriatic Sea. In winter, the hagfish sometimes descends to great depths - up to 1 km.

The size of this animal is small - 35-40 centimeters, although sometimes giant specimens are found - 79-80 centimeters. Naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who discovered this miracle in 1761, initially even included it in the class of worms because of its specific appearance. Although in fact hagfish belong to the class of cyclostomes, which are the historical predecessors of fish. The color of hagfish can vary, but the predominant colors are pinkish and gray-red.

A distinctive feature of hagfish is the presence of a number of holes that secrete mucus, which are located along the lower edge of the animal’s body. It should be noted that mucus is a very important secretion of hagfish, which is used by the animal to penetrate into the cavity of the fish chosen as a victim. Mucus also plays an important role in animal respiration. The hagfish is a real mucus-creating plant, in particular, if you put it in a bucket full of water, then after a while all the water will be converted into mucus.

The fins of hagfishes are actually not developed; they are difficult to distinguish on the long body of the animal. Organ of vision - the eyes see poorly; they are masked by light areas of skin in this area. The round mouth has as many as 2 rows of teeth, and there is also one unpaired tooth in the palate area. Hagfish “breathe through their nose”, and water enters the hole at the end of the snout - the nostril. The respiratory organs of hagfish, like all fish, are gills. The area where they are located are special cavities-channels running along the animal’s body. The hagfish hunts only those fish that are sick, weakened (for example, after spawning) or caught in gear or nets installed by humans. The attack process itself occurs as follows: the hagfish eats through the wall of the fish’s body with its sharp teeth, after which it enters the body, first consuming internal organs, and then muscle mass. If the unfortunate victim is still able to resist, then the hagfish passes into the gills and fills them with mucus, abundantly secreted by its glands. As a result, the fish dies from suffocation, leaving the hunter the opportunity to eat its body

Proboscis
The proboscis monkey, or Kahau (lat. Nasalis larvatus) is a monkey widespread in only one small area globe- valleys and coast of Borneo. The proboscis monkey belongs to the family of thin-bodied monkeys and received its name due to its huge nose, which is a distinctive feature of males.

It has not yet been possible to establish the exact purpose of such a large nose, but, obviously, its size plays a role in choosing a mating partner. The fur of these monkeys is yellowish-brown on the back and white on the belly, the limbs and tail are gray, and the face is not covered with hair at all and has a rather bright reddish tint, and in the cubs a bluish tint.

The size of an adult proboscis monkey can reach 75 cm, excluding the tail, and twice that size from the nose to the tip of the tail. The average weight of a male is 18-20 kg, females weigh almost half as much. Almost never moving away from the water, proboscis whales were known as excellent swimmers who could travel more than 20 meters underwater. In the open shallow waters of tropical forests, proboscis monkeys move, like most primates, on four limbs, but in the wild thickets of mangroves (the so-called tropical forests of Borneo) they walk on two legs, almost vertically.

Axolotl
Representing the larval form of Ambystoma, the axolotl is considered one of the most interesting objects for study. Firstly, axolotls do not need to reach adult form and undergo metamorphosis to reproduce. Surprised? The secret lies in neoteny - a phenomenon in which sexual maturity occurs in the axolotl even in “childhood” age. Note that the tissues of this larva react rather poorly to the hormone secreted by the thyroid gland.

Experiments have proven that lowering the water level during home breeding of these larvae promotes their transformation into adults. The same thing happens in cooler, drier climates. If an axolotl lives in your aquarium, and you want to turn it into an ambistoma, then be sure to add the hormone thyroidin to the larva’s food. A similar result can be achieved with an injection. As a rule, the transformation of an axolotl will take several weeks, after which the larva will change its body shape and color. In addition, the axolotl will permanently lose its external gills.

Literally translated from the Aztec language, axolotl is a “water toy,” which is quite consistent with its appearance. Once you see an axolotl, you are unlikely to forget its unusual, bizarre appearance. At first glance, the axolotl resembles a newt, but has a rather large and wide head. The smiling “face” of the axolotl deserves special attention - tiny beady eyes and an excessively wide mouth.

As for the amphibian’s body length, it is about thirty centimeters, and axolotls are characterized by the regeneration of lost body parts. Natural environment The axolotl's habitat is concentrated in Xochimailco and Cholco - mountain lakes in Mexico.

If you look closely at the amphibian's head, you will notice six long gills, symmetrically located on the sides of the head. The axolotl's gills externally resemble thin shaggy twigs, which the larva cleans from time to time of organic debris.

Thanks to their wide, long tail, axolotls are excellent swimmers, although they prefer to spend most of their lives at the bottom. Why bother with unnecessary movements if the food floats into your mouth by itself?

At first, biologists were quite surprised by the respiratory system of axolotls, which included both lungs and gills. For example, if the aquatic habitat of an axolotl is not sufficiently saturated with oxygen, the larva quickly adapts to such a change and begins to breathe with its lungs.

Naturally, the transition to pulmonary breathing negatively affects the gills, which gradually atrophy. And, of course, it is worth paying attention to the original coloring of the axolotl. Small black spots evenly cover the green body, although the axolotl's abdomen remains almost white.

Zoologists have made different assumptions as to what exactly attracts the candira to the human genitals. The most plausible assumption seems to be that the candiru are extremely sensitive to the smell of urine: it happened that the candiru attacked a person a few moments after he urinated in the water. It is believed that candiru are able to find the source of smell in water.

But the candiru does not always penetrate the victim. It happens that, having overtaken prey, the candiru bites through the skin of a person or the gill tissue of a fish with long teeth that grow in their upper jaw and begins to suck blood from the victim, causing the body of the candiru itself to swell and swell. Candiru hunt not only fish and mammals, but also reptiles.

Tarsier
Tarsier (Tarsier, lat. Tarsius) is a small mammal from the order of primates, the very specific appearance of which has created a somewhat ominous halo around this small animal weighing up to one hundred and sixty grams.

Particularly impressionable tourists say that the first time they see huge shining eyes looking at them without blinking, and the next moment the animal turns its head almost 360 degrees and you look straight at the back of its head, you feel, to put it mildly, uneasy. By the way, local aborigines still believe that the tarsier’s head exists separately from the body. Well, this is all speculation, of course, but the facts are obvious!

There are about 8 species of tarsier. The most common are the Bankan and Philippine tarsier, as well as a separate species - the ghost tarsier. These mammals live in Southeast Asia, the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and the Philippines, as well as in adjacent territories.

Externally, tarsiers are small animals, the size of which does not exceed sixteen centimeters, with large ears, long thin fingers and a long tail of about thirty cm, and at the same time with very little weight.

The animal's fur is brown or grayish, and its eyes are much larger compared to human proportions - about the size of an average apple.

In nature, tarsiers live in pairs or small groups of eight to ten individuals. They are nocturnal and feed exclusively on animal origin - insects and small vertebrates.

Their pregnancy lasts about six months and a small animal is born, which, within a couple of hours after birth, grasping the mother’s fur, will make its first journey. The average lifespan of a tarsier is about ten to thirteen years.

Narwhal
Narwhals (lat. Monodon monoceros) are a protected rare view, belonging to the unicorn family and listed due to its small number in the Red Book of Russia. The habitat of this marine animal is the Arctic Ocean, as well as the North Atlantic. The size of an adult male often reaches 4.5 meters, weighing about one and a half tons. Females weigh slightly less. The head of an adult narwhal is round, with a large, tuberous forehead, and there is no dorsal fin. Narwhals are somewhat reminiscent of beluga whales, although compared to the latter, the animals have a somewhat spotted skin and 2 upper teeth, one of which, growing, turns into a three-meter tusk weighing up to 10 kg.

The narwhal tusk, twisted to the left in the form of a spiral, is quite rigid, but at the same time it has a certain limit of flexibility and can bend up to thirty centimeters. Previously, it was often passed off as a unicorn horn, which had healing powers. It was believed that if you throw a piece of narwhal horn into a glass of poisoned wine, it will change its color.

IN given time There is a hypothesis, which is very popular in scientific circles, proving that the narwhal’s horn, covered with sensitive endings, is needed by the animal to measure water temperature, pressure and other parameters of the aquatic environment that are no less important for life.

Narwhals most often live in small groups of up to ten animals. The diet of narwhals, which, by the way, can hunt at depths of more than a kilometer, consists of cephalopods and bottom fish. The enemies of narwhals in nature can be called other inhabitants of these territories - polar bears and killer whales.

However, the greatest damage to the narwhal population was caused by people who hunted them for their delicious meat and horns, which are successfully used to make a variety of crafts. At this time, animals are under state protection.

Octopus Jumbo
Dumbo is a very small and unusual deep sea octopus, representative cephalopods. Lives only in the Tasman Sea.

Jumbo apparently received his name in honor of the famous cartoon character, the baby elephant Dumbo, who was ridiculed for his large ears (in the middle of the body, the octopus has a pair of rather long, paddle-shaped fins resembling ears). Its individual tentacles are literally connected to the ends by a thin elastic membrane called the umbrella. It, together 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.

The largest Jumbo was discovered in the Tasman Sea - half the size of a human palm.

Medusa Cyanea
Jellyfish Cyanea - considered the largest jellyfish in the world, found in the Northwest Atlantic. The diameter of the bell of the cyanea jellyfish reaches 2 meters, and the length of the thread-like tentacles is 20-30 meters. One of these jellyfish, washed ashore in Massachusetts Bay, had a bell diameter of 2.28 m, and its tentacles extended 36.5 m.

Each such jellyfish eats about 15 thousand fish during its life.

Piglet squid

This is a deep-sea marine inhabitant, which received the nickname “pig squid” because of its round body. The scientific name of piglet squid is Helicocranchia pfefferi. Not much is known about him. It is found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at a depth of about 100 meters. Swims slowly. And under the eyes (like many deep-sea animals) it has luminous organs - photophores.

“Little Pig”, unlike other squids, swims upside down, so its tentacles look like a tuft.

Snake Carla
There are currently 3,100 known species of snakes on our planet. But the snake Carla from the island of Barbados is the smallest of them. The maximum length it reaches in adulthood is 10 centimeters.

Leptotyphlops carlae was first officially described and identified as a new species in 2008. Blair Hedge, a biologist at Penn State, named the snake after his wife, herpentologist Carla Ann Hass, who was also part of the team that made the discovery.

It is believed that the Barbados thread, as this snake is also called, is close to the theoretically possible minimum size for snakes that evolution allows. If suddenly the snake happens to be even smaller, it simply will not be able to find food for itself and will die.

The snake Carla feeds on termites and ant larvae.

Due to its miniature size, the thread snake bears only one egg, but it is a large one. The size of the born snake at the moment of birth is half the mother’s body. However, this is normal for snakes. The smaller the snake, the proportionally larger its offspring - and vice versa.

Leptotyphlops carlae has so far been found only on the island of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea, and even then only in the east-central part of it. Most of Barbados' forests have been cleared. And since the thread snake lives only in the forest, it is assumed that the territory suitable for habitation of the strange creature is limited to just a few square kilometers. So the survival of the species is a concern.

Lamprey
Lampreys look like eels or huge worms, although they have nothing to do with either one. They have a naked body covered with mucus, which is why they are mistaken for worms. In fact, these are primitive vertebrates. Zoologists group them into a special class of cyclostomes. You can’t say about cyclostomes that they have a tongue without bones. Their mouth is equipped with a complex system of cartilage that supports the mouth and tongue. There are no jaws, so food is sucked into the mouth like into a funnel. Along the edges of this funnel and on the tongue there are teeth. Lampreys have three eyes. Two on the sides and one on the forehead.

Lampreys are predators and attack mainly fish. The lamprey attaches itself to the victim, gnaws through the scales, drinks the blood and snacks on the meat (from the area it bit into). In our country, lamprey fishing is carried out in the Neva and other rivers flowing into the Baltic Sea, as well as in the Volga. In Russia, lamprey is considered an exquisite delicacy. But in many countries, such as the USA, lampreys are not eaten.

Killer Clam
This curiosity lives on coral reefs at a depth of almost 25 meters. The mollusk weighs up to 210 kilograms with a body length of up to 1.7 meters. Life expectancy is up to 150 years. Due to its impressive size, it gave rise to many rumors and dark legends.

It is called Giant clam (from the English giant clam), Tridacninae, Tridacna. The giant clam is a delicacy in Japan, France, Southeast Asia and many Pacific Islands. Lives due to symbiosis with the algae that live on it. It also knows how to filter water passing through it and extract plankton from there.

It doesn’t actually eat people, but if a careless diver tries to touch the mollusk’s mantle with his hand, the shell flaps will reflexively close. And since the compression force of the tridacna muscles is enormous, a person risks dying from lack of oxygen. This is where the name “killer clam” comes from.

Red Wolf

The red wolf is a canid and is native to South and Southeast Asia. He is closer to wild dogs, lives in packs, and practices group hunting. They primarily hunt medium-sized ungulates, which they tire out in long chases. They are afraid of people, although they are brave enough to attack large and dangerous animals such as wild boar, buffalo and even a tiger.

Babirussa

The babirussa, or "pig-deer", is a member of the pig family and is found only on the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi, Togiyan, Sula and Buru. Babirussa constantly grinds down her “horns” because they grow without stopping. If they didn't do this, the horns could grow into the skull and pierce it.

Frilled armadillo

The frilled armadillo is approximately 10 centimeters in length. In seconds, the battleship turns into an impregnable fortress. It is a nocturnal animal, lives in burrows and feeds mainly on ants. It uses its large front claws to dig and is also a good swimmer.

Fossa

The Fossa is the largest mammalian predator on the island of Madagascar. She is the size of a puma. She has semi-retractable claws and flexible ankles that allow her to climb up and down trees head first.

Gerenuk

The gerenuk is also known as the Waller's gazelle. This is a long-necked antelope species that can be found in East Africa. Gerenuk means "giraffe neck" in Somali. Gerenuks have a relatively small head relative to their body, but their eyes and ears are proportionally very large. Gerenuks rarely graze; they mainly feed on acacia. In order to reach high branches, they often stand on their hind legs.

Naked mole rat

This creature has many characteristics that make it very important to humans. On the one hand, it is resistant to cancer. And they live up to 28 years, which is unheard of in a mammal of its size. At the same time, the seemingly naked mole rat has not aged at all during these 28 years. It is constantly being researched and trying to use it to find a cure for cancer and a means to stop aging.

Irrawaddy dolphin

These dolphins are a type of oceanic dolphin. They can be found near the sea coast and in estuaries, in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.

Genetically, the Irrawaddy dolphin is very close to the killer whale.

Markhor

Markhor is a species of mountain goat that is native to northeastern Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are no more than 2,500 of them left. Markhor is national symbol Pakistan.

By the way, markhor is not so simple. The foam that is produced during chewing helps people with the bites of poisonous snakes.

Yeti Crab

Also known as Kiwaidaye. But generally, they are called "Yeti Crabs" because they are completely white and appear very fluffy.

Rhinopithecus (or snub-nosed monkey)

Snub-nosed monkeys live in various parts Asia and got their name from their short nose and round face. Snub-nosed monkeys inhabit mountain forests and come down in winter. They spend most of their lives in trees and live in flocks of up to 600 individuals. They have a large vocal repertoire and love to perform solos.

Maned wolf

The maned wolf is the largest canid mammal in South America and looks like a large fox with reddish fur. This mammal lives in open and semi- open spaces. Long legs are a way of adapting to tall grass.

Indian muntjac

It was found in South Asia. He is omnivorous. It feeds on grass, fruits, shoots, seeds, bird eggs, as well as small animals and carrion. If he sees a predator he barks like a dog. Males are very similar in behavior to dogs. They bite like dogs and fight for territory and mates.

Cyphonia Clavata

It is a type of wood fly, but most closely resembles an ant. In fact, the part that most resembles an ant is an appendage that the fly is ready to easily part with in the event of an attack from a predator.

Sunda Colugo

Also known as the Sunda flying lemur, it is not actually a lemur and obviously does not fly. Instead, he jumps and glides among the trees. It lives only in trees, is active at night, and feeds on soft parts of plants, such as young leaves, shoots, flowers and fruits. It can be found throughout Southeast Asia, more specifically in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Tufted deer

The tufted deer has a black tuft of fur on its forehead and prominent fangs.

This is a close relative of the muntjac, but it lives a little further north, mainly in China. This is a timid, solitary animal.

Lamprey

Lampreys are a type of jawless fish that lives primarily in coastal and fresh waters. Adults are characterized by a serrated funnel mouth. They attach themselves to fish and suck their blood. The lamprey appeared on Earth more than 300 million years ago.

Raccoon dog

The raccoon dog, or Tanuki, is a native canid species to East Asia.

The raccoon dog is so named because of its strong resemblance to the raccoon, to which it is in no way related. By the way, they are very good climbers.

Patagonian Mara

The Patagonian Mara is a relatively large rodent native to parts of Argentina. This is a herbivore that is very similar to the rabbit, but has no relationship with it.

Amazonian royal flycatcher

The Amazonian royal flycatcher, as you might guess, lives only in the Amazon. They are very small and feed on flying insects.

For their size, they build very large nests, up to two meters in diameter. The nest hangs above the water, making it difficult for predators to reach.

Zebra duiker

Zebra duikers are small antelopes from Ivory Coast. They have golden or red-brown fur with the characteristic zebra stripes. Hence the name. They live in tropical forests and feed on leaves and fruits.

Star-nosed

The star-nosed mole is a mole that lives in humid areas in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It has 11 pairs of pink, fleshy appendages that are used as a sensory organ.