There are unusual creatures in them. Unusual creatures of our planet

A selection of 30 of the most unusual creatures of our planet...

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 one amazing view 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 part Pacific Ocean and islands in 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 largest in the world 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 animal 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 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 a withered appearance - 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
Liger (English liger from 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 entertainment "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, its conservation status is 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, in case of a threat, 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 odd-toed ungulates, 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 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, consuming first the internal organs and then the 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 that is widespread only in one small area of the globe - the valleys and coast of the island 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 open shallow water 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 the axolotl reaches sexual maturity while still in childhood. 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. The axolotl's natural 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 water environment The axolotl's habitat 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 the territory South-East Asia, the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and the Philippines, as well as in surrounding areas.

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

The animal's fur is brown or grayish, and its eyes are compared to human proportions much larger – 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 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.

At this time, there is a hypothesis that 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 a depth 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 tasty meat and horn, which is successfully used to make various crafts. At this time, animals are under state protection.

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

Jumbo apparently got his name in honor of the famous cartoon character, Dumbo the elephant, who was ridiculed for his big ears(in the middle of the body the octopus has a pair of rather long, oar-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, living 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. How smaller snake, the larger in proportion her offspring are – 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 just equipped complex system 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.

1. 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.

2. Marmoset monkey

This is the most amazing species of monkeys living on Earth.

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.

3. Palm thief

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...

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

4. 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.

In case of severe irritation, the back part of the intestine is thrown out through the anus along with the water lungs, scaring off or distracting the attackers; Lost organs are quickly restored. In some species, Cuvier's tubules containing toxins are also released. Sea cucumbers are preyed on by sea stars, gastropods, fish and crustaceans.

5. Hell's Vampire

6. 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.

7. Star-nosed

The star-nosed animal is an insectivorous mammal from the mole family. You can meet such an animal only in Southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States.

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 of 22 soft mobile fleshy naked rays.

The size of the star-nosed mole is 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.

8. Fossa

I think everyone has watched the cartoon “The Lion King” or “Madagascar”, these animals are very often found there.

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.

9. 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.

10. Madagascar cucumber

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.

11. Giodak/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.

Honestly, everyone is often interested in the fact that this mollusk is edible. Guidak is consumed in small quantities in the United States, but the main consumers are the Chinese and Japanese. It is fried in butter with onions, or scalded, skinned, entrails removed, cut into thin pieces and made into sashimi.

12. Liger

Liger (English liger from 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.

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.

13. 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.

14. Cuban slittooth

The Cuban slittooth, a strange creature that looks like a large hedgehog with a funny long-nosed muzzle, when it bites, 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.

15. 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.

In New Zealand they hope to restore the kakapo population, but it is very reluctant to breed in zoos.

16. Cyclocosmia

This species of spider stands out from the representatives of its genus only by the very original shape of its abdomen.

Cyclocosmia digs holes in the ground 7-15 cm deep.

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, in case of a threat, hides in a hole and uses part of its body as a barrier, blocking the path of a predator.

17. Tapir

Tapirs (lat. Tapirus) are large herbivores from the order of odd-toed ungulates, 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, there are some differences between species. 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.

18. Mixin

The 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 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, consuming first the internal organs and then the 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.

19. Nosy

The proboscis monkey, or Kahau (lat. Nasalis larvatus) is a monkey that is widespread only in one small area of the globe - the valleys and coast of the island 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.

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.

20. 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 the axolotl reaches sexual maturity while still in childhood. Note that the tissues of this larva react rather poorly to the hormone secreted by the thyroid gland.

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.

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.

21. VAMPIRE KANDIRU

22. 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.

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.

23. Narwhal

Narwhals (lat. Monodon monoceros) are a protected rare species belonging to the unicorn family and are listed in the Red Book of Russia due to their small numbers. 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, as it grows, turns into a three-meter tusk weighing up to ten kg.

24. Octopus Jumbo

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

Jumbo apparently got 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.

25. Medusa Cyanea

Jellyfish Cyanea - considered the largest jellyfish in the world, living 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.

26. Squid-pig

Painted balloon? Cartoon character? But no! 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.

27. Snake Carla - the smallest snake in the world

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.

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 larger proportionally its offspring - and vice versa.

28. 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.

29. 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.

In ancient times, sailors described the sea serpent as a monster with a horse's head and a flowing fiery red mane. An article in the California Monterey Peninsula Herald in 1925 reported the discovery of a writhing sea monster with bright red hair that flashed on the surface and went deeper, moving in smooth, wave-like movements.

Let us add that the herring king has no gastronomic value. The meat is not suitable for consumption; even animals do not eat it. I would like to hope that this mysterious animal will from time to time delight sea travelers, and will not become a victim of human greed and senseless sporting interest.

We often hear that now more and more animal species are becoming extinct or on the verge of extinction, and their complete disappearance is only a matter of time. Hunting, destruction of natural habitats, climate change and other factors have led to the fact that the rate of loss of animal species is 1000 times greater than the rate of restoration of the natural background. And although the extinction of animals is always sad, sometimes for us humans, it can even be beneficial.

From 12-metre-long megasnakes to giraffe-sized flying creatures, check out this list of 25 animals you wouldn't want to see next to.

(Total 25 photos)

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Source: list25.com

1. Pelagornis sandersi

With a wingspan of about 7 meters, Pelargonis sandersi was apparently the largest flying bird to ever exist on Earth. It looks like she could only fly by pushing off a cliff, and most spent her life above the ocean, relying on wind currents rising from the ocean to keep her afloat. Although compared to pterosaurs, whose wingspan was almost 12 meters, this bird was still quite “moderate” in size.

Similar to modern centipedes in shape and behavior, Euphoberia still had one significant difference - it was more than 90 cm in length! Although scientists aren't entirely sure what exactly it ate, we do know that some modern centipedes feed on birds, snakes and bats. If a 25-centimeter centipede could hunt birds, imagine what a nearly meter-long one could hunt!

3. Gigantopithecus

Gigantopithecus lived from 9 million to 100,000 years ago in modern Asia. It was the largest species of monkey on Earth. It is believed that this creature, up to 3 meters tall and weighing up to 540 kg, walked on four legs, like gorillas and chimpanzees, but some believe that it could walk on two limbs, like humans. The properties of their teeth and jaws suggest that these animals were able to chew coarse, fibrous food by cutting into it and grinding it.

4. Andrewsarchus

This cutie lived during the Eocene era, about 45-30 million years ago. Andrewsarchus was a huge carnivorous mammal. Given the skull and several bones found, paleontologists estimate that this predator could weigh up to 1,800 kg, making it the largest land mammal predator in history. However, the feeding behavior of this animal is not entirely understood, and some theories suggest that Andrewsarchus may have been omnivores or even scavengers.

5. Pulmonoscorpius

The scientific name of this creature translates to “breathing scorpion.” He lived during the Visean era (c. 345-330 million years ago) of the Carboniferous period. Relying on fossils found in Scotland, scientists believe that this species reached 76 cm in length. It lived on land and probably fed on small arthropods.

6. Megalania

Megalania lived in South Australia. It was a huge lizard that went extinct about 30,000 years ago, which means it may well have been encountered by the first Aborigines of Australia. Scientists disagree on the size of this lizard - it may have reached 7 meters in length, making Megalania the largest land lizard in history.

7. Helicoprion

One of the prehistoric centenarians (310-250 million years ago) - Helicoprion - is a genus of extinct shark-like creatures with an interesting jaw. Reached 4 m in length, but its closest living relatives - the chimaeras - can reach only 1.5 m in length.

8. Entelodons

Unlike their modern relatives, entelodons were boar-like mammals with a particular gourmet taste for meat. Probably one of the most fearsome-looking creatures in history, entelodons walked on four legs and were almost as tall as a man. Some scientists believe that entelodons were even cannibals. Well, if they ate each other, do you think they wouldn't want to eat a human?

9. Anomalocaris

Probably lived in all seas of the Cambrian period. Translated, its name means “abnormal shrimp.” This is a genus of marine animals, close relatives of arthropods. Scientists believe that it hunted solids sea creatures, including trilobites. They had unique eyes with 30,000 lenses - it is believed that these were one of the most “advanced” eyes in the history of the species.

10. Meganeura

Meganeura is a genus of extinct insects from the Carboniferous period. Resembles modern dragonflies (and is related to them). With a wingspan of up to 66 cm, it is one of the largest flying insects in the history of our planet. Meganeura was a predator, and its diet consisted mainly of other insects and small amphibians.

Attercopus was a genus of arachnid animal with a scorpion-like tail. For a long time, Attercopus was considered the prehistoric ancestor of modern spiders, but scientists who discovered its traces soon came to a different opinion. It is unlikely that Attercopus spun webs, although it may have been used to wrap eggs, lay frame thread, or build the walls of its burrow.

12. Deinosuchus

Deinosuchus is an extinct relative of modern alligator crocodiles that lived 80-73 million years ago. Although he was larger than any of them modern species, he looked almost the same. It reached 12 meters in length and had sharp large teeth capable of killing and devouring sea turtles, fish and even large dinosaurs.

13. Dunkleosteus

Living at the end of the Devonian period about 380-360 million years ago, Dunkleosteus was a huge super-predatory fish. Due to its terrifying size (up to 10 m in length and weighing almost 4 tons), it was the apex predator of its time. This fish had strong armor, which made it a relatively slow but very powerful swimmer.

14. Spinosaurus

Larger than Tyrannosaurus Rex, Spinosaurus is the largest carnivorous dinosaur of all time. It reached 18 m in length and weighed up to 10 tons. They ate tons of fish, turtles, and even other dinosaurs. If this horror were alive today, we most likely would not be alive.

15. Smilodon

Smilodon lived in North and South America during the Pleistocene era (2.5 million - 10,000 years ago). This is the best example of a saber-toothed cat. An excellent predator with particularly well-developed forelimbs and incredibly long, sharp fangs. The largest individual could weigh up to 408 kg.

16. Quetzalcoatlus

The wingspan of these creatures could reach an incredible 12 meters. This pterosaur was the largest creature ever to fly, including modern birds. However, it is very difficult to estimate the size and weight of these huge animals, because... No existing animal has the same body plan, so published results vary widely. One of the characteristic features of these animals was that they all had unusually long and rigid necks.

17. Hallucigenia

The name comes from the idea that these creatures are very strange, almost like a hallucination. These worm-like creatures were 0.5-3 cm in length and lacked some sensory organs on their heads, such as eyes and nose. Instead, Hallucigenia had seven tentacles on each side of its body, as well as three pairs of tentacles behind them. Say what it is strange creature- consider it an understatement.

18. Arthropleura

Inhabitant of the Upper Carboniferous period (340-280 million years ago). Lived in the territory of modern North America and Scotland. It was the largest species of terrestrial invertebrate in history. Despite their enormous length, up to almost 2.7 meters, Arthropleura were not predators; they fed on rotting forest plants.

19. Short-faced bear

The short-faced bear is an extinct species of bear that lived in North America in the Pleistocene era up to 11,000 years ago, making it the "most recent" extinct creature on our list. However, its size is truly prehistoric. Standing on its two hind legs, the bear reached 3.6 m in height and 4.2 meters if it raised its front paw up. It is believed that these giants weighed more than 1360 kg.

20. Megalodon

The name of this toothy monster translates as “big tooth.” This is an extinct species of huge shark that lived about 28-1.5 million years ago. With an incredible length of up to 18 meters, it is considered one of the largest and most powerful predators to ever live on Earth. Lived almost all over the world and looked like a larger and more terrifying version of the modern great white shark.

21. Titanoboa

Living approximately 60-58 million years ago during the Paleocene era, Titanoboa was the largest, longest, and heaviest snake in history. Scientists believe that individual representatives of the species reached 12 meters in length and weighed about 1133 kg. Their diet consisted of giant crocodiles and turtles, with which they shared the territory of modern South America.

22. Fororacoaceae

Also called "terror birds", these prehistoric creatures are an extinct genus of large birds of prey that were the largest species in South America during the Cenozoic period, approximately 60 million years ago. The largest flightless bird of prey to ever roam the Earth. They reached 3 meters in height, weighed up to half a ton and supposedly could run as fast as a cheetah.

23. Cameroceras

Lived during the Ordovician period 470-460 million years ago. This is the giant ancestor of modern squids and octopuses. Most characteristic feature This mollusk had a huge cone-shaped shell and tentacles with which it caught fish and other sea creatures. It is believed that the size of its shell varied from 6 to 12 meters.

Carbonemys is an extinct genus of huge turtles that lived about 60 million years ago, i.e. they survived the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. Fossils found in Colombia suggest they had a shell that reached almost 1.8 meters. Turtles were carnivores, with huge jaws powerful enough to eat large animals such as crocodiles.

25. Jaekelopterus

Jaekelopterus, without a doubt, can be called one of the largest arthropods in the world - its length reached 2.5 meters. It is sometimes called the "sea scorpion", but in fact it is more closely related to the lobsters that live in the freshwater lakes and rivers of modern Western Europe. This terrible creature lived about 390 million years ago, earlier than most dinosaurs.

Animals that inspire fear

Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only one in our solar system where life is possible. Life originated on our planet billions of years ago. All this time she was developing and improving. Some species died out and were replaced by others. Now our planet is home to a huge number of species and subspecies of a wide variety of animals. When looking at some animals, a feeling of tenderness and a smile involuntarily arises. The sight of others causes involuntary fear and horror.

Sabertooth

They started this list with a very small, only fifteen centimeters in length, deep-sea fish - Sabertooth (Anoplogaster cornuta). Despite its small size, it looks very menacing. Rough, thick armored skin. In front are four long and sharp teeth with which this fish kills its victims. There are special canals in the upper lip of this fish; the lower teeth fit into them like a sheath. Some peoples call this fish “man-eating fish.” But she becomes like this in adulthood. The “youth” are so strikingly different in appearance that for half a century scientists considered them to be a different species of fish.

Next on the list is deep sea fish again - Hagfish (Myxine glutinosa), also known as the “witch fish”. It lives at depths of about two thousand meters in large colonies. The diet consists of small fish. They also eat dying and dead fish. They climb into it and gnaw it out from the inside. The fry of this fish are practically copies of adult fish. In addition to their size, they are also distinguished by the presence of female and male genital organs. And as they grow older, they choose their gender themselves. This choice depends on who dominates the group. Males or females. The hagfish is one of the few surviving species of jawless fish. He has truly unique abilities. In terms of the amount of mucus it secretes, it surpasses any animal known on Earth. It can do something that no vertebrate can - curl up into a knot. She can also sneeze. This is how she clears mucus from her only nostril.

Madgascar Aye-Aye

Another terrible beast lives on the island of Madagascar. This Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), who is terribly reminiscent of Dobby the Elf from the Harry Potter story. Nature endowed this primate with teeth like a rodent. The middle finger on the paw is long. He uses it the same way a woodpecker uses its beak. And of course, in order to pick out food. The diet of this primate consists of nuts, larvae, and fruits, which it picks right on the move. Seeds and mushrooms are present in the diet. This primate has large incisors that grow throughout its life. The tail resembles a squirrel, and the muzzle resembles a rodent. The animal was considered extinct, but it was rediscovered in Madagascar in 1961. It is worth noting that this animal is one of the most amazing primates on Earth.

The giant squid is not a myth

Having missed one “land” mammal, the list again turns to the inhabitants of the deep sea - G giant squid (Architeuthis) in fourth place. Since time immemorial, sailors have been passing on legends about giant squids from mouth to mouth. From these legends arose the Norwegian myth of the “kreken”. But giant squids are not a myth at all. They really exist. The food of these giants consists of deep-sea fish and squid. The size of these monsters, according to unverified information, is up to 20 meters. If we rely on more stringent scientific information, then 9-10 meters.

Fish Idiakant

Another unique representative of the deep sea on this list is fish Idiacanthus. It is also called “Black Dragon Fish”. Lives at a depth of about two thousand meters. Long. The female individual reaches a length of forty centimeters. And very flexible. The eyes are small. It has a chin barbel and long teeth. She needs them to catch other fish. Unlike females, males are only five centimeters long and have nothing but small eyes and a non-functioning intestine. The larvae of these fish develop very interestingly. Their eyes hang on long antennae. As the larva grows, the antennae contract and reach the eye sockets.

Vampire Bat

According to scientists, life originated in water. In the ocean. And she came out of the ocean onto land. So our list left the sea inhabitants and turned again to the inhabitants of the land. In sixth place on the list is Vampire (Desmodontinae). Vampires are the bats, and they really are. They feed on the blood of animals. The sizes of these animals are small. To get an idea of their size, look at your thumb. This is exactly the size of these mice, and their wingspan reaches 0.2 meters. These animals not only fly, but also run well on the ground, reaching speeds of up to 2.2 m/sec.

Anaconda

For the vast majority of people, snakes cause truly superstitious fear. And this representative of the snake tribe took his rightful place - Anaconda (Eunectes murinus). This is truly a heavyweight, the weight of this snake often reaches 250 kg. This snake can stalk its prey while being almost entirely in the water. This is possible due to the fact that the anaconda's eyes and nostrils are located on the top of the head. In addition, it is one of the longest snakes in the world.

The eighth place was taken by a well-known predator - Wolf (Canis lupus). This predator has powerful jaws and strong body. Capable of long movements. A wolf can run several kilometers at a speed of up to 10 km/hour. Wolves hunt mainly in packs, which makes them many times more dangerous.

Tasmanian devil

The next representative of “land” horror stories was Tasmanian devil (Tasmanian Devil). The habitat of this predator is the island of Tasmania. But there was a time when this predator inhabited the entire mainland of Australia. Several animals always gather for a meal. When eating food, these animals make sounds that seem like eerie screams to humans.

Human and nature

And closes this top ten Human (Homo sapiens). It would seem incorrect to put humans on a par with animals; after all, they are intelligent creatures. But the way man treats his planet barbarously, the way he destroys his habitat, one can only be horrified. Environmental pollution with toxic waste, deforestation... and the list goes on and on.

At first glance, the list of animals presented in the list is quite controversial. After all, there are more powerful and formidable animals on Earth. But scientists from the World Wide Fund for Nature gave preference to these animals. And all because these are the most ancient representatives of the animal world. And their ability not only to survive, but also to fend for themselves, makes them very dangerous animals.

Mikhail Simonov, Samogo.Net

This selection contains unusual creatures that challenge our imagination. There are no prehistoric monsters here, the list only includes creatures of nature living in our time. These creatures aren't big or scary, but they look fantastic and deserve more attention than they usually get.

This topic is a continuation of the selection about the most unusual animals, only it includes smaller creatures that look no less amazing than their larger counterparts. Let's start with an unusual creature called Proteus anguinus. This amphibian lives in the deepest and most dark caves Europe (most common in Slovenia). In ancient times, it was mistaken for a baby dragon. Look at it - there is no doubt that it is one of the most bizarre creatures in the world

Proteus is completely blind, lacks pigmentation, and lives in its own sensory universe. It receives electrical signals and smells through receptors throughout its body, which help in finding small invertebrates on which it feeds. Its skin is very pale, but there are also black-skinned varieties that have vision

Next is the octopus Tremoctopus violaceus. In general, there is no such thing as a “normal octopus”. These extraordinary animals are like aliens from another planet who landed in our oceans and ended up loving them. Among the many strange features of octopuses, it is worth highlighting three hearts, poisonous saliva and a sharp beak. They are able to change the color and texture of their skin with incredible ease and speed (much faster than chameleons)

But there is also a more unusual octopus - the purple tremoctopus. The mere fact that the female is 40,000 times larger than the male already suggests that this creature is unique. The male does not reach more than 3 centimeters in length and leads a planktonic lifestyle, while the female reaches more than 2 meters in length. When she feels threatened, she expands her cape-like membrane, which gives her an even more menacing appearance. Another interesting fact– this octopus is invulnerable to the sting of the deadly Portuguese jellyfish, and moreover, it often tears off its tentacles using them as a weapon. After fertilization of the female, the male dies, having fulfilled his natural function

Our list of unusual creatures also includes a glass frog. What makes her so unusual? The answer to this question is simple - glass frogs have transparent skin, which turns this creature into a living anatomy lesson. Indeed, some of their internal organs, such as the heart, intestines and liver, are clearly visible from the underside of the frog. The glass frog does not differ in its structure from ordinary tree frogs

In eighth place is a gelatinous deep-sea fish with a sad face. This fish lives in the seas off Australia and Tasmania and leads a rather passive life, feeding only on what swims within its reach. This unusual creature lacks muscle mass and actually expends no energy because its body is less dense than water. The blob is often caught by fishermen and is therefore endangered

In the next position is an assassin spider from the Archidae family. This spider is only 2 mm long and, despite its name and creepy appearance, is completely safe for people. His long neck is powerfully developed to support the weight of his huge jaws, which are armed with poisonous fangs - with which the assassin captures other, smaller insects

In fifth place is another fish from the hatchet family. That's what they call it, the hatchet fish, it lives in peace great depths, different from ours. This deep-sea fish has been found in all oceans except the coldest areas. Like Proteus and the blobfish, the hatchetfish spends its entire life in almost complete darkness. On its skin there are special organs - photophores, which emit light and allow them to see the prey at least a little and avoid predators. The hatchet fish looks very unusual and scary, but does not pose any danger - its length is only a few centimeters

Have you ever held a crab in your hands? If you held it, imagine it covered with thick hair. Is it really an unusual sight? This is a hairy crab. Also called the yeti crab, its body is covered with chitinous processes, similar to the shell of shrimp. The Yeti Crab is blind and colorless and lives its entire life in the dark, just like its predecessors. It feels like nature sends such creatures into places where people are unlikely to see or reach them, on purpose.

And this is a leafy sea dragon. This sea fish, a relative of the seahorse, lives in the waters of southern and western Australia, usually in shallow waters. The dragon is unusual in that its body and head are completely covered with leaf-like shoots. These leaves look like fins, but they do not take any part in swimming, but serve to camouflage themselves from enemies and to hunt prey.

In second place is an unusual creature with a terrifying name - the satanic gecko. This gecko's tail looks like a fallen leaf. Body color varies from brown-gray to yellow, orange or clove color. There are individuals with red eyes. The satanic gecko lives in fallen leaves and under low bushes, in dimly lit places. At night, the gecko actively hunts insects on the forest floor, and during the day it can sit motionless for long hours, masquerading as fallen leaves.

The first place goes to the humble caterpillar, but it really deserves it. This snake caterpillar (Hemeroplanes caterpillar), an incredibly rare species found only in

There are unusual creatures in them. Unusual creatures of our planet

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