You might think you’ve seen the world over, under, around and through, but there will still be wonders that will make your eyes pop. Even if you’re a dedicated animal enthusiast, you can’t honestly expect to know all of the 1,367,555 non-insect animal spe
You might think you’ve seen the world over, under, around and through, but there will still be wonders that will make your eyes pop. Even if you’re a dedicated animal enthusiast, you can’t honestly expect to know all of the 1,367,555 non-insect animal species, that are identified on the face of Earth today!
Red-lipped Batfish
Found on the Galapagos Islands, this fish is actually a pretty bad swimmer, and uses its pectoral fins to walk on the bottom of the ocean.
Photo: Imgur
The Panda Ant
The Mutillidae are a family of more than 3,000 species of wasps (despite the names) whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Found in Chile, they are known for their extremely painful stings, hence the common name cow killer or cow ant. Black and white specimens are sometimes known as panda ants due to their hair coloration resembling that of the Chinese giant panda.
Photo: Chris Lukhaup
Mantis Shrimp
Also called the “sea locusts“, “prawn killers” and even “thumb splitters”, this is one of the most common predators in tropical and sub-tropical waters; little is known about them, however, because of how much time they spend hiding in their burrows.
Photo: Alexander Safonov
Venezuelan Poodle Moth
Discovered in Venezuela in 2009, this new species of alien-looking moth is still poorly explored. Waiting for more info about them!
Photo: Arthur Anker | imgur
Sea Pig (Scotoplanes)
Scotoplanes live on deep ocean bottoms, specifically on the abyssal plain in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, typically at depths of over 1000 meters. They are deposit feeders, and obtain food by extracting organic particles from deep-sea mud.
Photo: imgur | thedailygreen.com | realcoldfish
Thorny Dragon
Coloured in camouflaging shades of desert browns, this lizard has a “false” head, which he presents to his predators by dipping the real one.
Photo: imgur | Christopher Watson
Glaucus Atlanticus
Also known as the blue dragon, this creature is a is a species of blue sea slug. You could find it in warm waters of the oceans, as it floats on the surface because of a gas-filled sac in its stomach.
Photo: unknown | unknown | paulhypnos
Hummingbird Hawk-Moth
As this hawk-moth feeds on flowers and makes a similar humming sound, it looks a lot like a hummingbird. What’s interesting is that it is surprisingly good at learning colors
Photo: Jerzy Strzelecki | unknown
The Bush Viper
Being a carnivore predator, the Bush Viper lives up in the trees of the tropical forests of Africa, and does most of its hunting at night.
Photo: thegeneralmonk
Blue Parrotfish
This bright blue fish can be found in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and spends 80% of its time searching for food.
Photo: imgur | depalmadise
Okapi
This mammal is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Despite the zebra-like stripes, it is actually more closely related to giraffes.
Photo: marylandzoo.org | baynews9.com
Umbonia Spinosa
These thorn bugs are related to cicadas, and use their beaks to pierce plant stems to feed upon their sap. Their strange appearance still poses many questions to scientists.
Photo: Colin Hutton
Lowland Streaked Tenrec
Found in Madagascar, Africa, this small tenrec is the only mammal known to use stridulation for generating sound – something that’s usually associated with snakes and insects.
Photo: hakoar | telegraph.co.uk
The Pacu Fish
You probably don’t need much explanation as to why the residents of Papua New Guinea call this fish a “ball cutter.” The local fishermen were really worried about the safety of their testicles when they had to get in the water
Photo: imgur | evolvingcomplexityii
Shoebill
This large stork-like bird gets its name because of the shape of its beak. Even though it was already known to ancient Egyptians and Arabs, the bird was only classified in 19th century
Photo: David Li | shoebill.info
