On this website you can discover the strangest animals in the world. From the curious snub-nosed monkey, to the amazing salamander. Here you can find weird animals from all families. Some are distributed over a large part of the planet, while others can only be found in a specific region.
Certain species have only recently been catalogued or are very difficult to spot, so not much information has been obtained about them. In addition, scientists believe that most animal species are still undiscovered, especially those that live in the oceans. This means that there are still many fascinating animals that we have yet to see. Unfortunately, even at the rate at which humans are advancing, they may become extinct before they are found. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) compiles a Red List of species that are threatened with extinction.
Unfortunately, many of the animals shown here are in danger of extinction. Habitat loss due to human activity is the main reason why they are in this situation.
The 20 weirdest animals in the world
A walking fish, a spider snake or a bird that “transforms”. Discover amazing animals you’ve never seen before.
Pink fish with hands (Brachiopsilus dianthus)
This fish uses its hand-shaped fins to walk. This species is very rare and has only been sighted once in 22 years. It inhabits the demersal zone of the island of Tasmania (southeastern Australia). They are very slow and therefore very vulnerable to predators or changes in the ecosystem.
Aye aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
A primate related to lemurs, it is the only living species of the genus Daubentonia. This mammal is striking for its disturbing appearance, with dark colors, a huge tail, strange hands with elongated fingers and a head reminiscent of a gremlin. For this reason, there is a legend on the island where it lives (Madagascar) in which it is believed that if an aye aye points at a person with its longest finger (the middle one), the person will die suddenly.
Ghost bird (Nyctibius griseus)
This strange bird spends the day immobile on a tree trunk or branch to go unnoticed, since thanks to the colors of its plumage it is able to camouflage itself perfectly. When night falls, it opens its huge yellow eyes (which glow in the dark) and begins to look for insects to feed on. It is found in the open forests of Central and South America and at night it can be heard singing a melancholic melody, similar to a human lament.
Spider-tailed Snake (Pseudocerastes urarachnoides)
There are many snakes that use their tails as lures to attract prey, but none can do what this species does. The spider-tailed viper, as its name suggests, has a tail that looks very much like a spider, and in addition, it is able to mimic the movement of these invertebrates. It uses this ability and its ability to camouflage itself to hunt birds in the arid areas of the Zagros Mountains (Iran).
Star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata)
This mammal has an extraordinary nose, both for its appearance and its capacity. It is made up of 22 flexible, mobile and pink tentacles, which make it the most sensitive tactile organ of all mammals. Thanks to its ability to devour insects at an incredible speed, the star-nosed mole is the fastest eating mammal of all. It lives in the wetlands of the northeastern United States.
Spotted fish (Psychrolutes microporos)
Classified as the ugliest fish in the world“thanks” to its peculiar appearance. Its body is formed by a gelatinous mass and has small bones. It lives in the waters of New Zealand and eastern Australia. It lives so deep that it is very difficult to locate, so many characteristics are still unknown.
Saiga (Saiga tatarica)
The distinctive character of this species is its trumpet nose. It uses it mainly to protect its nostrils from the dust of the steppes in summer. In addition, this antelope is highly adaptable, as it is able to live in areas with extreme temperatures and few resources. These weird animals inhabit steppes in Central Asia and are critically endangered.
Superb bird of paradise (Lophorina superba)
This is one of the amazing birds of paradise. The male of this species is completely “transformed” when it performs its courtship ritual, from a small bird to a smiling face. To achieve this, he spreads his feathers around his head. This enormous effort to conquer its mate is due to the fact that in its natural habitat (the island of New Guinea) the population of females is smaller than that of males.
Blue dragon (Glaucus atlanticus)
It is a small gastropod with a very strange appearance. Its bluish body is thin and flat, and it has 3 appendages on each side that branch into a kind of tentacles. Another of its most striking features is that it has a pouch in its stomach that helps it float upside down. The blue dragonfish inhabits temperate and tropical waters of most seas and oceans.
Goblin shark (Mitsukurina owstoni)
This sinister 3-meter shark inhabits the deep sea, where it captures its prey by propelling its jaw forward. In addition, its elongated snout and reddish mouth make it even more sinister. It can be found in the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans (western zone), at a depth of 1300 meters.
Archer fish (Toxotes jaculatrix)
A skillful fish that is able to shoot down insects with a jet of water at a distance of 3 meters. Its dexterity is incredible since it “shoots” by looking from underwater, and has to take into account the refraction of light. And if that were not enough, it can live in both fresh and salt water. The archer fish lives in the mangroves of the Indo-Pacific.
Olm (Proteus anguinus)
This aquatic salamander has an elongated and cylindrical body, like that of a snake. In addition, it is blind and maintains some larval characteristics in the adult stage such as the color of the skin (pink) or the external gills. However, the most striking feature of this species is that it can remain immobile for several years, without even eating. It lives in subway caves in Slovenia, Italy, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Flying snake (Chrysopelea pelias)
This is an extraordinary snake, as it is capable of gliding a distance of up to 24 meters. When we think of a gliding animal, we imagine a mammal with a kind of mantle that opens when it is going to “fly”. But surprisingly, this snake can glide with its slender, rounded body. To achieve this, it flattens its body, opens its ribs and makes a lateral undulating movement. They live in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.
Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius)
If you have ever imagined what a cross between an eagle and an ostrichwould look like, it would look a lot like the secretary bird. These birds of prey are large, can fly long distances and have very strong legs. They nest in the treetops, but prefer to hunt on the ground by stomping with their powerful talons. They inhabit the vast savannas of sub-Saharan Africa.
Black gobbler (Chiasmodon niger)
This unique fish is capable of swallowing fish three timesits size. This is possible thanks to the flexibility of its jaw and stomach. However, there are times when it swallows fish so large that it cannot digest them and ends up dying. This species inhabits most of the oceans, at depths of 700-2750 meters.
Okapi (Okapia johnstoni)
We continue with the hybrids. This species, although it is the closest relative of the giraffe, only resembles it in the head. Its body is more similar to that of a zebra, especially because of the colors of the legs (white with black stripes). These animals are very rare and endangered. They live in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)
It is a neotenic salamander, that is, it does not undergo metamorphosis but maintains its tadpole characteristics in the adult stage. Another surprising characteristic is that it can regenerate its limbs and even part of its organs. These amphibians are critically endangered in their natural habitat, the lakes of Mexico City.
Long-nosed monkey (Nasalis Larvatus)
These monkeys attract attention because of their huge noses, especially the males. Their noses swell even more and turn red when they get angry. Unlike other primates, they are good swimmers. These weird animals are endangered and live in the forests of the island of Borneo.
Purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis)
This is a strange frog that is striking in appearance. It has a rounded and bulky body, a small head and a beak-like snout. In addition, as its name suggests, it is bright purple in color. This frog can be found in the mountainous forests of the Western Ghats in India.
Snake-necked Turtle (Chelodina longicollis)
This semi-aquatic turtle is capable of extending its neck to more than half the length of its shell. They hunt by ambush, first waiting patiently for prey to approach and then attacking quickly. Their habitat ranges from the Wilton River to the Murray River in Australia.
Discover other weird animals of the world
Here’s a list of strange animals of every kind – the strangest you’ve ever seen!
If you want to see images of all the animals click on the following link: images of weird animals.
Characteristics of these animals
Nature is wise and amazing, and will never cease to surprise us with new animals or with the curious characteristics or abilities they possess
In the list we have shown above there are animals with unusual features, such as the snub-nosed monkey and the saiga that have a unique nose. On the other hand, both the salamander and the olm have neoteny, which gives them a larval or tadpole-like appearance. Some of these animals have an unpleasant appearance, such as the olm, the spotted fish, the matamata turtle or the star-nosed mole. On the contrary, there are others that stand out for their beauty such as the thorn bush viper, the secretary bird, the Philippine eagle and especially the mandarin duck. Finally, there are weird animals that use their appearance to camouflage themselves, such as the ghost bird, the sea dragon or the thorny devil.
On the other hand, some species stand out for their hunting skills, such as the archer fish with its “shots”, the spider-tailed snake using its lure, the star-nosed mole with its voracious appetite, the aye aye using its long finger or the secretary birdusing its powerful claws with great success.