You might think you know all there is to know about the beautiful creatures that inhabit this earth. But the world is filled with a wide array of animal species, many of whom you’ve never seen or heard of. But if you love animals as much as we do, then you’ll fall head over heels in love with these magnificent oddballs you never knew existed.
Star-Nosed Mole
If you happen to stumble upon this strange underground creature, you’d probably think someone ripped its head off. This American species is extremely fast, as it can gobble down worms and insects in a quarter of a second. Now that’s pretty impressive considering this animal is almost blind. This stunning creature is able to smell underwater thanks to an odd technique: it blows air bubbles and sucks them right into its nose. The star-nosed mole is one of two animals in the entire world who can do this.
Golden Zebra
Instead of black and white stripes, these creatures sport gold and white stripes due to a condition called albinism. Albinism is a genetic condition that causes people and animals to have lighter skin tones and light-colored hair. The only golden Zebra that was kept in an animal reservation is named “Zoe”. She lived at the Three Ring Ranch Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Hawaii, but she passed away at the age of 19.
Ribbon Seals
Speaking of zebras, these ribbon seals kind of look like they’re zebras’ “sisters from another mister,” right? They’re not, of course! But their fur markings sure are similar! Ribbon seals, (also known as Histriophoca fasciata) are pretty hard to study as they spend most of their time floating on ice and swimming in open waters, far away from land. These beautiful animals can move across the ice as fast as the average human can run.
Dumbo Octopus
The dumbo octopus has two large fins that protrude from the side of its mantle-like Dumbo ears. Its overall size is eight inches and has an adorable bell-shaped body and super short arms. They flap their strong fins to propel themselves through the water. Their arm webbing also helps them to swim when looking for worms and snails to eat. Plus, it’s ridiculously adorable!
Snow White Giraffe
A pair of rare white giraffes were spotted for the first time ever in 2017 in the Ishaqbini Hirola Conservancy in Kenya. A mother and her baby were videotaped by conservationists after locals spotted them first. They get their unique coloring thanks to a condition known as leucism, which is a genetic condition similar to albinism.
Lamprey
The lamprey is a parasitic fish found in the northern and western Atlantic Ocean. They have no fins, gills or scales. But they do have a disc-shaped mouth that’s like a suction cup ringed with sharp teeth. Once a lamprey latches on to its prey, it uses its tongue to scrape off the fish’s flesh and feed on its blood and body fluids. Scary!
Tree Kangaroo
Most of us are familiar with regular kangaroos in Australia that hop through the Outback on their two hind legs. Tree kangaroos are shorter than a typical kangaroo and can be found in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea. They’re also pretty hard to spot, and Amateur botanist, Michael Smith, fears this monkey-bear hybrid could go extinct. He thinks they “could be genuinely extinct within a few years if things go wrong.”
Przewalski’s Horse
These horses are built like a cross between a donkey and a zebra. Przewalski’s horses were actually once extinct and today, these rare creatures are critically endangered. These are the last horses to be considered purely wild and they can be found in Mongolia.
Lemur Frog
Lemur frogs look like your run-of-the-mill tropical tree frog but they have big doe eyes that are eerily similar to lemurs. They were once very common but this rare species is critically endangered. These amphibians are native to Central America and can be difficult to find due to their camouflaging skills. During the day, their vibrant green color helps them blend in with rainforest foliage.
Blue Lobster
Imagine finding one of these striking-looking crustaceans on the beach! Some can be typically found in America, but the probability of finding a blue lobster is slim to none. Their beautiful bright blue shade is due to a genetic abnormality, which causes them to produce more of a certain protein than regular lobsters. According to experts, out of 200 million lobsters that get caught in the North Atlantic, only 100 of them turn out to be blue. Wow!
Clouded Leopard
Clouded leopards are named after their unique shaped spots. But these beautiful animals have been added to the list of endangered species by the
US Fish and Wildlife Service under the United States Endangered Species Act. These rare wild cats can be typically found throughout the deep forests of Southeast Asia where they remain hidden.
I am Camila – Serial tea drinker. Professional wig snatcher. Content creator and video script writer who may or may not be John Leguizamo’s body double. If you don’t like where you are, move. You’re not a tree.