THE WORLD'S WEIRDEST-LOOKING CREATURES

Think you know every critter in the animal kingdom? Think again. Test your species smarts and see if you recognize some of the weirdest-looking animals from around the globe.

BASKING SHARK 

Family: Cetorhinidae 

Habitat: Warm, temperate ocean waters

Fun Facts: After the whale shark, the basking shark is the second largest living fish, and can grow up to 32 feet long. These sharks are often mistaken for plesiosaurs, a group of long-necked, predatory marine reptiles that lived at the time of the dinosaurs.

YODA BAT 

Family: Vespertilionidae (Bats)

Habitat: Rainforests in Papua New Guinea 

Fun Fact: This tube-nosed bat species was discovered last year and was named after its

resemblance to the "Star Wars" character.

GIRAFFE WEEVIL

Family: Attelabidae (Leaf-Rolling Weevils)

Habitat: Forests in Madagascar 

Fun Fact: It is the longest weevil in the world due to the elongated shape of its head.

Elephant Seal

Family: Phocidae (Earless Seals)

Habitat: Northern elephant seals are from Mexico and Southern California. Southern elephants are found in sub-Antarctic waters.

Fun Fact: Elephant seals can dive almost 5,000 feet deep into the water and stay there for up to two hours

TREE KANGAROO

Family: Macropodidae

Habitat: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia

Fun Fact: The tree kangaroo can leap 60 feet from trees to the ground without getting hurt.

SNUB-NOSED SNEEZING MONKEY

Family: Cercopithecidae (Old World Monkeys) 

Habitat: Burmese forests

Fun Fact: When it rains, the water falling into their noses causes them to sneeze

TONGUE-EATING LOUSE

Family: Cymothoidae

Habitat: Coastal California

Fun Fact:  This creature enters a fish's body through its gills, attaches itself to the base of the

fish's tongue and extracts blood from the tongue with its claws. Then it replaces the tongue by attaching itself to the muscles of the exposed tongue stub. The fish uses the louse as if the parasite were its very own tongue

Cassowary

Family: Ratite

Habitat: Rainforests in New Guinea and Australia

Fun Fact: The beautiful and colorful cassowaries are independent, flightless birds that spend most

of the year in solitude.

FRILL-NECKED LIZARD

Family: Agamidae

Habitat: Northern regions of Australia and southern New Guinea

Fun Fact: Besides defense, this lizard’s colorful frill

may be used to help regulate body temperature.

DUGONG

Family: Dugongidae

Habitat: Warm coastal waters from the western Pacific Ocean to the eastern coast of Africa

Fun Fact: The Dugong is the only living

herbivorous mammal that is strictly marine.

Elephant Shrew

Family: Macroscelididae

Habitat: Dense forest and open plains

Fun Fact: Elephant shrews are not really shrews at all. They are more closely related to elephants,

aardvarks and golden moles.

Angora Rabbit

Family: Leporidae

Origin: Turkey 

Fun Fact: Clothing and yarn made out of this fluffy animal's fur is very common. But fear not; the

shearing process isn't harmful to the rabbits. They are bred for their long, soft coats. 

MALAYSIAN TAPIR 

Family: Tapiridae (Tapirs)

Habitat: Tropical Rain Forests 

Fun Fact: Although Malaysian tapirs look like pigs, they are most closely related to horses and rhinos.

Axolotl

Species: Salamander

Habitat: Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco in Mexico

Fun Fact: The axolotl remains in its larval state

throughout its entire life. This adaptation, known as neoteny or "backwards evolution," means it doesn't develop the same adult features of the salamander and prevents it from living on land

FANGTOOTH

Family: Anoplogasteridae

Habitat: Deep sea

Fun Fact: The fangtooth, aka ogrefish, has the largest teeth of any fish proportionate to its body

size. The Fangtooth is among the deepest-living fish in the sea, dwelling as far as three miles deep in the ocean

MONITO DEL MONTE 

Family: Microbiotheriidae (Marsupials)

Habitat: Dense, cool, humid forests 

Fun Fact: Although they belong to the marsupial family, they are the size of mice.

Emperor Tamarin

Family: Primate

Habitat: Lowland, evergreen and broadleaf forests across Brazil and Peru.

Fun Fact: This hilarious looking creature was

named after the German emperor Wilhelm II, who was famous for his long white mustache.

DEEP-SEA HATCHETFISH

Family: Sternoptychidae

Habitat: Deep ocean

Fun Fact: These angry-looking fish are carnivorous and feed on plankton and

crustaceans

MATAMATA TURTLE

Family: Chelidae

Habitat: Stagnant pools in Brazil and the Amazon River

Fun Fact: Matamata turtles are lazy creatures.

They live in the water and hardly ever leave it. Since they're not very good swimmers, they usually just walk where they want to go.

NAKED MOLE RAT

Family: Bathyergidae

Habitat: Tropical grasslands of East Africa, southern Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.

Fun Fact: A colony of naked mole rats can consist

of 20 to 300 individuals. Their underground territory can be as large as six football fields

PINK FAIRY ARMADILLO

Family: Dasypodidae

Habitat: Sandy plains and dry grasslands of Argentina.

Fun Fact: The pink fairy armadillo is the smallest

of the armadillo family, weighing under one pound.

LEAFY SEADRAGON

Family: Syngnathiformes

Habitat: South Australian waters.

Fun Fact: The tail of a male leafy seadragon will turn bright yellow when he is ready to mate.

PANCAKE BATFISH

Family: Ogcocephalidae

Habitat: Western Atlantic, North Carolina, northern Gulf of Mexico, northern South America.

Fun Fact: They live on the bottom of the ocean

covered in sand.

SEA CUCUMBER 

Family: Echinoderms

Habitat: Ocean

Fun Fact: The sea cucumber breathes through its anus.