20 Strangest Looking Animals You Never Knew Existed

Wilson’s bird of paradise is a small, exotic bird that can be found only on Waigeo and Batanta (islands in Indonesia). This beautiful bird lives in lowland rainforests, but it also can survive in the mountain forests on the higher altitudes. A major factor which decreases the number of Wilson’s bird of paradise in the wild is habitat destruction as a result of logging and forest fires. Luckily, the wild population of these birds is still not seriously affected by habitat loss. Wilson’s bird of paradise is an elusive animal and scientists lack a lot of information about life cycle and habits of this bird.

The Cubicus Boxfish is also referred to as the Yellow Boxfish, Polka Dot Boxfish, or Cube Boxfish. The juvenile form is easily identifiable as having a yellow box-shaped body with brown spots. As an adult, the yellow will fade and become brown.

The most obvious trait of the Yoda bat is its uncanny resemblance to the Star Wars character it was named after. Once you get beyond its strange appearance, however, this species possesses a whole host of other interesting features and behaviors. The Yoda bat is native to Papua New Guinea, and more specifically to a rainforest region that is so diverse, scientists discovered an average of three new species per week in 2010. Not much is currently known about the Yoda bat’s diet, but scientists do know that it eats certain types of fruits because they disperse seeds.

A binturong has a face like a cat’s and a body like a bear’s, long, shaggy black hair, stiff white whiskers, and a prehensile tail that’s as long as its body. Binturongs are also called Bearcats, but that name is rather misleading since these animals are not related to bears or cats. Instead, they are related to civets and fossas but look more like gigantic dust mops and smell like a freshly made batch of popcorn.

The Angora rabbit is a variety of domestic rabbit bred for its long, soft wool. The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit.

The long-eared jerboa is an incredibly adaptable animal, as it lives in extremely harsh conditions, with temperatures in the Gobi desert falling as low as -40°C in winter, and rising as high as +40°C in summer.

This strange creature (Dugong), along with it’s relative the Manatee, is believed to be what sailors used to confuse Mermaids for.

The Gerenuk, also known as the Waller’s gazelle, is a long-necked species of antelope found in dry thorn bush scrub and desert in Eastern Africa. The word gerenuk comes from the Somali language, meaning “giraffe-necked”. Gerenuks have a relatively small head for their body, but their eyes and ears are proportionately large. Gerenuks seldom graze but browse on prickly bushes and trees, such as acacias. They can reach higher branches and twigs than other gazelles and antelope by standing erect on their rear legs and stretching their elongated necks.

The southern right whale dolphin is a small and slender species of mammal found in cool waters of the southern hemisphere. They are fast active swimmers and have no visible teeth and no dorsal fin. They are very graceful and often move by leaping out of the water continuously.

Southern red muntjac is found in South Asia, has soft, short, brownish or greyish hair and is omnivorous, feeding on grass, fruits, shoots, seeds, birds’ eggs as well as small animals. It sometimes even displays scavenging behavior, feeding on carrion. It gives calls similar to barking, usually upon sensing a predator. Males are extremely territorial and—despite their diminutive size—can be quite fierce. They will fight each other for territory using their antlers or their tusk-like upper canine teeth, and can even defend themselves against certain predators such as dogs.