Bizarre Beings: 15 Weird Creatures from Around the Globe

1Panda Ant

Panda Ant

The Panda Ant an unusual species of insect. Their name derives from the obvious resemblance to a panda in its markings. This remarkable insect is not even an ant. The Panda Ant is actually a variety of wingless wasp. They were first discovered in 1938. Very little is known of this little-seen insect. They are only known to exist in coastal regions of Chile. Their sting is exceptionally powerful for their size. They have been seen to bring down animals as large as cows with only a few dozen stings.


2Patagonian Maras

Patagonian Maras

Patagonian Maras may look more like giant rabbits or small deer, but they are rodents. They are endemic to the open grasslands and shrubland steppes of Argentina. They have small, compressed feet that make them resemble hooves from a distance, and longer ears resembling those of a rabbit.


3Picasso Bug

Picasso Bug

The Picasso Bug is one of the approximately 450 known species of shield-backed bug. They are a medium-sized species of shield-backed bug. They are generally oval shaped. Though sometimes mistaken for a beetle, the Picasso Bug is actually a true bug. This dazzlingly patterned insect is distinguished from beetles by their extended thorax. This effectively forms a shield over their abdomen and wings. They feed on the nectar and fluids of a wide variety of plants within their endemic range.


4Red Gurnards

Red Gurnards

The Red Gurnards are distinctive looking fish, with big heads and large side fins that look like wings. They have a firm white flesh that holds together well in cooking, so they are well suited to soups and stews. Gurnards are often caught in British waters as a bycatch and discarded, but are becoming increasingly popular as a sustainable choice of fish.


5Malayan colugo

Malayan colugo

The Sunda flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus), also known as the Malayan flying lemur or Malayan colugo, is a species of colugo. It was thought to be one of only two species of flying lemur, the other being the Philippine flying lemur which is found only in the Philippines. The Sunda flying lemur is found throughout Southeast Asia. The Sunda flying lemur is not a lemur and does not fly. Instead, it glides as it leaps among trees. It is strictly arboreal (living in or among trees), is active at night, and feeds on soft plant parts such as young leaves, shoots, flowers, and fruits.


6Thysanostoma Jellyfish

Thysanostoma Jellyfish

Thysanostoma Jellyfish has a dome-shaped bell with fine purple lining and purple fringes at the bottom of the bell. Its tentacles are also purple and can be withdrawn, or extruded, measuring up to half a meter long. It can be found in the Red Sea, on the Eastern coast of Africa to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Fiji. There is no information on habitat or depth ranges other than it was seen several times on shallow reefs. It has been measured up to 60cm in length (with extruded tentacles). Sightings have been reported from East Africa to Fiji, but it is not a common species of jellyfish.


7Wilson’s bird of paradise

Wilson’s bird of paradise

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.


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8Cubicus Boxfish

Cubicus Boxfish

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.


9Yoda bat

Yoda bat

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.


10Binturong

Binturong

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.

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