The Most Unusual Animals In The World

Aye-Aye
Does this slightly crazy-looking creature remind you the King Julian from "Madagaskar"? Guess what, aye-aye is actually an animal native to that African island. It is known as the largest night-active animal which really likes height: it spends most of the life on the top of the trees.

Babirusa
Baribusa is an independent species that belongs to the pig-family. This piggy with four horns on its nose is certainly not for keeping it on your farm. However, in Indonesia people might think differently: they use Baribusa as a gift for those, who visit their country.

Dumbo Octopus
Remember Dumbo? The elephant who could fly, created by the boundless imagination of Walt Disney? Well, scientifically called Grimpoteuthis, the animal was named Dumbo Octopus after this cartoon character. They have an unusual head-like body shape and the ear-like fins. They live extremely deep in the ocean: from 10,000 ft to 23,000 ft below the sea level.

Irrawaddy Dolphin
You might think that this is Photoshop, but it is actually the real species of dolphins. Though it is in many ways different to dolphins and is more similar to the killer whale, Irrawaddy are quite peaceful. They even help people in India to fish: people recall that dolphins bring fish to their nets themselves. The first notes about this species appeared in the second half of the 19th century.

Lamprey
You might not see it from this photo's foreshortening, but Lamprey is actually a fish. Its name from the Latin means "stone licker" and that corresponds to the Lamprey's absence of jaws and specific way of ingestion. Looking at the picture, you hardly would be surprised to know that some of the Lamprey's species are actually vampires: they drink the blood of other fish.

Maned Wolf
The South American largest canid is called the maned wolf or "aguará guazú," which in the Guaranian language means "large fox." It is kind of ironic that a wolf resembles a fox, don't you think? Apart from having a distinctive appearance, the animal also has a specific smell: that's why it was dubbed as "skunk" wolf.

Mudskipper
Mudskipper is one of the most unusual fish-species in the world. Yes, you got it right: it is a fish. A fish that can walk on the land with its legs and has fins looking like wings. It's a complete contradiction! The Mudskippers can only breathe on the land if they are moist.

Patagonian Mara
This animal is strictly Argentinian. Patagonian Mara seems to have a face of a rabbit with a beard and a body of a dog. Unlike rabbits and dogs, the Mara is monogamous: it is quite common for them to go for a walk with family, just like humans do.

Red-Lipped Batfish
This Marilyn-Monroe-lipped fish, which common name is the Galapagos fish, lives quite close to the sea level in the area of the Galapagos Islands. The reason for that is simple: they simply don't swim well. Seems like an insane idea? But yes, some fish prefer walking instead of swimming and red-lipped fish is among them.

Strawberry Poison Frog
Those who like the red color, you better cool down your passion, because this cute frog is not the one to mess around with. This species is a very toxic one. They also have a really wide range of colors: from 15 to 30. The colors can be natural breed and captivity breed ones.

Superb Bird-of-Paradise
You might meet this bird if you travel around the rain forests of New Guinea. The bird in the photo is male individual, while females usually have reddish-brown feathers. The bird might seem harmless to you, but don't you get deceived by its wonderful appearance: it can get rather angry when it comes to conquering the female, as there is a very low number of them.

The Giant Coconut Crab
Were you afraid of sharks or giant jellyfish, swimming around in the ocean, waiting for you to come in its waters? Guess what, you have one more reason to worry, and that is a giant coconut crab that inhabits Indian and Pacific Oceans. It can weigh up to 9 pounds, grow up to 3 feet long and live up to 60 years. Actually, they are not that monstrous: coconut crabs feed on fruits and coconuts, and on dead animals occasionally.

Tufted Deer
Well, this deer is far from looking like Bambi, right? Only if it's a vampire-Bambi, they resemble a little... Tufted deer are distinctive not only because of their fangs, which are the male-trait, but also because of the gray coat. The animals inhabit areas of central China and south-eastern Myanmar.

Umbonia Spinoza
Other names of this creature are "thorn bug" and "tree-hopper." They feed on the plant stems' sap, piercing it with their beaks. Looking at this picture, you realize how strange the Umbonia Spinoza looks-and so do the scientists, for whom this species is yet to be explored.

Zebra Duiker
Zebra Decker is not a hybrid or a result of the crossbreeding: it is an antelope that inhabits the lands of Africa and has a natural zebra-like coat. The species was discovered in 1838. Zebra Duiker is considered to be the vulnerable species: only 28,000 individuals inhabit the Earth today.