25 Rare Fascinating Species Few People Know That Exist on Earth

A gannet named Nigel was dubbed "the loneliest bird in the world" due to the absence of any other birds of his species on his island. Conservationists built fake concrete birds to attract more birds but Nigel ended up falling in love with one the decoys.

During the construction of the Metro Red Line subway in Los Angeles, 2,000 fossils were discovered, some as old as 16.5 million years old. These included 39 species of extinct marine fish that had never before been discovered.

There is a very rare and special type of gemstone that can only be found and formed in fossils of extinct species of cephalopods over the process of hundreds of millions of years. The most expensive opal in the world is an opalized fossil valued at over $1,000,000.

A species of cavefish named Cryptotora thamicola in Thailand has been documented walking and climbing waterfalls in a manner similar to four-footed creatures such as salamanders, in a find researchers call “huge” in evolutionary terms.

A species of Australian lizard (Yellow bellied three toed skink) is abandoning egg-laying in favor of live birth.

A rare African plant signals diamonds beneath the soil. The plant, Pandanus candelabrum, only grows in diamond-rich kimberlite soil.

UK scientists discovered 3 new species of mushroom after buying dried porcini mushrooms from a local grocery store and testing them.

There is a species of pig called "Mangalitsa" which has wool on it which resembles that of a sheep.

In 2014, a new species of the vine (Boquila trifoliolata) was discovered in Chile that can mimic the leaves of many different host trees. It can change the size, shape, color, orientation, and even the vein patterns of its leaves to match the surrounding foliage. It is the only known plant that can do this.

There is an octopus species (Graneledone boreopacifica) that cares for her eggs for 53 months, apparently not eating during this time, then dies. This brooding period is the longest known for any animal.