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22 of the world’s weirdest animals





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Louis Armstrong was right when he thought to himself “what a wonderful world” we live in. It’s also a weird world. As with humans, it would be a dull planet if every animal looked and behaved exactly the same. A bit of ‘strange’ or ‘different’ is a good thing.

Take giraffes, for example. They’re such a common sight on many safaris that we take for granted just what a bizarre animal they are, with a towering neck and a tongue that can strip leaves from thorny branches. These animals grow to such a great height that they need to splay their legs to bend low enough to drink water, a system of valves kicking in to stop too much blood rushing to their head.

But giraffes are just one example of the wonderful species that travellers can discover on their journeys. From Australia to Scotland to Venezuela, it’s possible to find frogs, fish, birds, primates and other creatures large and small that stand out for their incredible colourings, patterns and physical characteristics, and remarkable behaviours and abilities. Here, we celebrate some of the most striking and unusual animals that live on Earth, and share advice on where and how to find them.

1. Manatee

Manatees are also known as ‘sea cows’ (Alamy)


Too much time at sea (or on the rum) must do something to the mind, as sailors across history apparently mistook manatees – large, slow-moving, aquatic mammals – for ‘women of the sea,’ or mermaids. Also known as sea cows, these herbivorous hulking creatures feed mainly on sea grass, scoffing more than a tenth of their bodyweight each day. They have a flat, paddle-shaped tail and come up for air every few minutes.

Where to see? Florida’s Crystal River is a known hotspot, with manatee-spotting tours and the chance to snorkel with them. Belize is also known to have good opportunities to spend time with manatees, which are also found in Costa Rica, Mexico and Jamaica. Manatees are not to be confused with their cousins, dugongs, another sea cow species found around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Thailand and elsewhere.

2. Tarsier

Tarsiers have massive eyes (Alamy)


The tarsier’s an animal that seems to be taking the phrase ‘eyes bigger than your stomach’ as a literal challenge. The little, leaping primates have massive eyes, long, thin alien-like fingers and heads that rotate like they’re auditioning for a part in a remake of The Exorcist. Sadly, their cuteness has made them popular over the years as pets or as props forced to pose for tourist photos, causing them distress.

Where to see? The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists more than a dozen species of tarsier across South-East Asia, including the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, several of which are Endangered or Critically Endangered. Bohol in the Philippines is a good place to see tarsiers; try one of the local sanctuaries, such as Tarsier Conservation Area.

3. Kākāpō

Owl parrots are flightless (Alamy)


New Zealand’s birds must love the ground. The round-faced kākāpō, also known as an owl parrot, is another species of endemic flightless bird, the only flightless parrot on Earth. It’s wings help with balance and to ‘parachute’ when jumping from tall trees to the forest floor. The birds are known to freeze when they feel threatened, to blend into the forest greenery and escape predators. Māori and European settlers used to keep the birds as pets. They’re now listed as Critically Endangered, largely due to habitat loss and predatory invasive species.

Where to see? The small number of remaining kākāpō exist on a handful of predator-free, sanctuary islands, under close supervision, mostly near Stewart Island, Fiordland and Little Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf. The general public’s currently unable to view this species in the wild, due to restrictions on protected habitats.

4. Rock Agama

Rock agamas have striking colours (Graeme Green)


If any creature looks like it doesn’t really belong to this planet, it’s the rock agama. The Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat of the lizard world is more like something from an alien world in a cartoon. Its bright orange or red head gives way to a luminous blue, mosaic-patterned body and tail, although female rock agamas are a duller brown.

Where to see? Rock agamas are found across Sub-Saharan Africa, including Zambia, South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana. A good bet to see red-headed rock agamas is Ruaha NP in Tanzania; keep an eye out on rocks where males like to show off their colours to attract females.

5. Maned Wolf

Maned wolves live in South America (Alamy)


Despite its name and fox-like appearance, the maned wolf is neither a wolf or a fox. It is, though, the largest canid species in South America, with large ears, a thick mane and long black legs that help the animals see out from long grass and to run at speeds up to 75km an hour. Rare, shy and elusive, you probably won’t get close enough to discover that maned wolf urine has a powerful aroma, said to remind people of a skunk’s smell.

Where to see? Maned wolves live in South America, including Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, though they’re listed as Endangered in Argentina. The best plan is to take a specialist maned wolf-spotting wildlife safari in the vast Cerrado region of tropical savannah in Brazil, such as Emas NP.

Play next: Quiz: Can you identify these weird and unusual animals?

6. Colugo

Colugos are also known as flying lemurs (Shutterstock)


Better known as flying lemurs, colugos are arboreal mammals often seen gripping onto tall tropical tree trunks across South-East Asia, with two species: Sunda and Philippine. Sometimes mistaken for bats, their closest relatives are actually primates. They can’t fly, but a membrane that extends between their limbs works like wings, allowing them to glide great distances from tree to tree or from the canopy down to the ground, like miniature wingsuit pilots.

Where to see? Flying lemurs are found across South-East Asia, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. The Malaysian island of Langkawi is a good spot, with some hotels taking guests on nature walks to locate the otherwise hard-to-find tree-huggers.

Souce https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/inspiration/weird-and-wonderful-wildlife/

Op add all the pics of the animals, let's see if what you said is true.

Tinubu
Buhari
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Gotocourt:
Tinubu
Buhari
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+ all APC urchins (both those online and those in the trenches)

Kingray10:
Op add all the pics of the animals, let's see if what you said is true.

Been busy with my YouTube channel.


I'll add them soon