Weird Animals – A List Of The World’s Strangest Species Part 2
4/4/2023
activewild.com
Giant Isopod
Scientific name: Bathynomus
Type of animal: Crustacean
Family: Cirolanidae
Where found: Deep-sea habitats worldwide
Giant isopods are large crustaceans found in deep-sea waters around the world. These large invertebrates have a distinctive appearance, with flat, oval-shaped bodies & 7 pairs of legs. Additional appendages are used for respiration & swimming.
These weird sea animals look like overgrown woodlice, which is unsurprising, because that’s (kind of) what they are; both they, & the woodlice you might find in your backyard, belong to the invertebrate order Isopoda.
Giant isopods are scavengers, feeding on dead or decaying animals that sink to the ocean floor. They can survive for long periods without food; over 5 years in the case of one captive individual.
Glass Frog
Type of animal: Amphibian
Family: Centrolenidae
Where found: Central & South America
Glass frogs are a family (Centrolenidae) of small frogs found in Central & South America. Glass frogs have a unique appearance, with transparent skin that allows their internal organs to be visible from the outside.
Currently, 157 species of glass frogs are recognized.
Glass frogs are primarily arboreal, living in trees & shrubs near streams & rivers. The frogs attach their eggs onto plants that overhang a body of water. When the eggs hatch, the tadpoles fall into the water, where they continue their development.
Goblin Shark
Scientific name: Mitsukurina owstoni
Type of animal: Fish
Family: Mitsukurinidae
Where found: Deep sea habitats worldwide
Conservation status: Least Concern
The goblin shark is one of the world’s weirdest sharks. The species’ name comes from its distinctive looks; its long, protruding snout & needle-like teeth gives it a goblin-like appearance.
The goblin shark is an opportunistic feeder, using its long snout to detect & capture prey in the dark waters of the deep sea.
This deep-sea species is the only member of the family Mitsukurinidae, & is found in deep-sea waters around the world.
Hammer-Headed Bat
Scientific name: Hypsignathus monstrosus
Type of animal: Mammal
Family: Pteropodidae
Where found: Africa
Conservation status: Least Concern
Bats are quite a weird-looking group of animals. Due to their unique nocturnal, insect-catching behavior, many bats have unusual features, including extended noses or overlarge ears.
One of the weirdest bats is the hammer-headed bat, a species of fruit bat found in Africa. While the female of the species looks fairly normal, the male has a huge, box-like face & large lips. The male’s bulbous large head serves to amplify its mating calls.
Hammer-headed bats are mainly frugivorous (fruit-eating).
Hoatzin
Scientific name: Opisthocomus hoazin
Type of animal: Bird
Family: Opisthocomidae
Where found: South America
Conservation status: Least Concern
The hoatzin, also known as the stinkbird, is a weird bird found in South America’s Amazon & Orinoco basins.
The stinkbird has a distinctive appearance, with a spiky crest on its head & a patch of blue skin surrounding its eyes – but that’s not the only reason it has been included in this list of weird animals.
The hoatzin’s unpleasant nickname comes from the odor produced as a by-product of its unusual digestive system, in which leaves are fermented in a special area of its throat. No other bird digests its food in such a manner.
As if that weren’t enough, unlike nearly all other birds, infant hoatzins have claws on their wings that help them to climb back into the nest if they fall out.
This unique species is the only member both of the family, Opisthocomidae, & the order, Opisthocomiformes.
Japanese Spider Crab
Scientific name: Macrocheira kaempferi
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