To put it into perspective, this number represents only 1% of all animal species that have ever lived! The male also charms the female by blowing bubbles for her through his bulbous snout. Warning: If you have trypophobia (or fear of holes), I would suggest not watching this video. This shy, nocturnal mammal of Asia and Africa is widely hunted for its meat and scales which are used in traditional medicine. It also does this when its creating tunnels to prevent being captured. She graduated high school at sixteen and started her own business, Everywhere Wild. If the Etruscan shrew experiences a food shortage or extremely cold weather, it has the ability to lower its body temperature and temporarily hibernate. They are sometimes called vampire deer, but you won't catch them sucking blood or wearing a black cape. Pangolins don’t have teeth, so they swallow stones to grind up their food. Have you ever seen an opossum that lived part-time in the water and ate stuff that lives in the water like fish and shrimp? When they’re not foraging, they like to lounge under acacia trees. When this occurs, they change in color. Want to see what all the canine species of the world would look like wrapped up into one animal? It looks like roly-poly pillbug with a shell, two antennae, and several long, creepy legs. By the way, it has a wingbeat of about 70 beats per second and can fly up to 12 mph. Like what you're reading? A member of the assassin bug family that’s also called “kissing bugs,” these vicious little buggers are the mafia of the insect world. You're in the right place. These hairs act as a sensory organ that helps the naked mole rat find its way around in the dark, underground tunnels in which it lives. The matamata cannot chew, so it closes its mouth and swallows the prey whole. During mating season, the males turn into a rainbow of colors as a way of attracting females. They breed in the summer and lay a clutch of 2 and 10 eggs in the sandy banks about three times per year. The reason is that some individuals of this species sport horny projections on their head and large reddish eyes. – Drew Haines, Previous: 23 Honduran White Bat Facts: Living Marshmallows, Next: 60 Pangolin Facts: Guide to All 8 Species (Sweet, Scaly, and Endangered). The platypus is a great swimmer. You can change your preferences. She stores the sperm until she feels its the right time to fertilize her eggs. If they weren't protected, they could slow the possum down and possibly get stuck on something. Their stinging bite punches venomous saliva that kills its prey within seconds. Instead, it glides, and it’s pretty good at it. This feature is common among insects and snakes, but the lowland streaked tenrec is the only mammal in the world that does it. Living in fast-flowing rivers of northern India, the gharial is a huge beast that can weigh up to 550 pounds. !”, 46 Emerald Tree Boa Facts: Both Species Guide (Jewel of the Amazon), 49 Pacu Fish Facts: What You Need To Know, 45 Chinese Water Deer Facts: Fanged and Cuddly Vampire Deer, 32 Goliath Beetle Facts: Ultimate Guide to All 5 Species, 31 Magnificent Mongoose Facts: The Noble Snake Killer (34 Species), 69 Strange, Cool, and Weird Animals: Mammals, Reptiles, Insects…, 23 Honduran White Bat Facts: Living Marshmallows, 60 Pangolin Facts: Guide to All 8 Species (Sweet, Scaly, and Endangered). But what really makes it look otherworldly is its extremely long antennae that stand straight up like the antenna of an old-fashioned television. We have sent an email to the address you provided with an activation link. Clawed Frog. They also have prehensile tails which they use to grasp branches as they maneuver through vegetation. Yellowish-orange with black stripes, Japanese giant hornets are aggressive creatures that seek out beehives and massacre the adult bees in order to eat their larvae. They can travel as far as 330 feet in a single glide. I bet you’ve never been mean-mugged by a frog before… unless you’ve come face to face with the black rain frog. We respect your privacy. Get the latest inspiring stories via our awesome iOS app! Fructose is a sugar that can be metabolized without using oxygen. This mottled green-gray fella is a gliding animal. After locating prey in the water with their long, sensitive toes, they stuff it into their mouths and swallow it whole. It’s the largest of all the skinks but has short legs and a short tail. It then uses its fluted tongue to suck up the insects. It has a really neat trick that it performs when it’s threatened. Some have described it as a crossbreed between a mouse and a miniature kangaroo. The Etruscan shrew may be itsy bitsy, but it can eat nearly twice its own body weight each day. But it gets the job done! I’m 18, and I have a passion for animals. Woo! The orchid mantis is so good at its disguise that it attracts more flying insects than the actual flower it imitates does. Growing to nine inches, it has segmented skin like an earthworm but short forelegs and claws like a lizard. These brownish black turtles from the east and south Australia are also called snake-necked turtles due to their unusually long necks ( up to 6 inches) that they pull in sideways rather than directly. Otherwise, they’re just sitting still and watching the marine world float by. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw a photo of these crazy deer, I definitely thought it was fake! Hot pink in color, the giant pink slug looks like a big glob of wet chewing gum, but you don’t want to eat it because, well, why would you want to eat a slug anyway?! Even its legs resemble flower petals. Like all katydids, the giant katydid gets its name from the “Katy did-Katy didn’t” sound it makes by rubbing its wings together. You can’t help but notice the bat-eared fox’s large ears when you first see this small fox. When oxygen gets low in their underground tunnels, they simply lower their body temperatures to conserve oxygen. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. Mom and Dad blobfish sit on their eggs on the ocean floor to protect them from predators. Did Katy, or didn’t she? These horns may be used for fighting during mating season but also for digging in the ground and scraping bark from the trees. This produces aerodynamic forces that enable the snake to glide in the air as fast as 26 to 32 feet per second. Latin Name: Xenopus laevis. There has been a shocking (and mildly amusing) rumor spread around about the pacu fish that is not true. If she rejects it, she spurns the male. The gharial is a crocodilian species that looks like it’s always ready for a duel because its snout resembles a long, skinny sword with more than 100 razor-sharp teeth. You can read more about it and change your preferences, Get the best of Bored Panda in your inbox. One look at this brown fish with a large head and enormous jaw, and all you see is a mouth full of long, jagged teeth. I’m Drew. The giant katydid is the largest of all the katydids. The pangolin is known for curling up into a tight ball to defend itself against predators, but unfortunately, that doesn’t stop it from being one of the world’s most trafficked animal. Its frightening appearance is just a ruse to deter predators. The Mexican mole lizard rarely comes to the earth’s surface, but when it does, it’s usually at night or following heavy rainfall. After they spawn, they die, and the new generation repeats the cycle. Instead, it remains stationary most of the time on plant leaves where its green color provides camouflage. They’re also resistant to cancer, can survive five hours with little oxygen and can live up to 30 years. Honeypot ants use their own bodies as storage units to provide a food source for their families. It also lays eggs, which is odd for a mammal. 25. They usually come down from the trees to mate. Dumbo Octopus. It feeds on ground-dwelling prey such as ants, termites, worms, larvae, and lizards. One of the world’s largest bony fishes, the ocean sunfish is larger than an average-sized car. This peace-loving creature gets along well with fish and most other invertebrates which is why it’s a popular aquarium pet. They’re also a food source for birds and other animals.