The world's most bizarre creatures you won't believe are real

All creatures great and small

Type certain terms into Google, make them obscure enough, and you'll see the AI bots come up with animals that look like they're straight out of science fiction. You don't really need to do that though, as many of them are in fact real. We are pretty sure that while locals might share their corner of the globe with some of the weird animals on this list, most of you won't have heard of them.  

Read on to discover some of the planet's strangest-looking creatures you wouldn't believe exist...

Red-lipped batfish

They say you can't put lipstick on a pig, but it seems Mother Nature can put it on a fish. With lips pursing and pouting like Grandma coming in for a kiss, the batfish has a pose that would put even the most hard-to-book model to shame.

However, you'll not see this specimen anywhere near a catwalk. Although 'walk' is apt, as this fish is actually a poor swimmer. It lives in the waters off the Galapagos Islands, waddling along the seafloor.

Uakari

A primate living only in the Amazon basin is the Uakari, a bald monkey with an almost skull-like appearance. Its vivid red face actually helps determine the suitability for mating – the brighter the better apparently. Hunted for food and bait sadly, these extraordinary animals are said to be on the verge of extinction.

Argonaut octopus

Perhaps the weirdest of all octopuses or even cephalopods in general, is the argonaut. Named, as you might have thought, after the crew that helped Jason on his quest to hunt for the Golden Fleece. The argonaut lives in open waters, unlike most of its cousins. It also often hitches a ride on other animals such as jellyfish, presumably for either snacking on discarded morsels or for protection. 

A weird animal often has a weird mating ritual and this octopus is no exception. In order to deliver his sperm, the male has a modified arm. He doesn't simply 'pass the parcel' however, he detaches his own arm and gives it to the female. It is thought that they might die soon afterwards. Heroes!

Axolotl

While some people keep axolotls as pets, we're pretty sure most have never heard of these weird little amphibians. It's a type of salamander that is only found in Mexico, and critically endangered – there are thought to be only around 1,000 remaining in their natural habitat. These little friends have a superpower too; they can grow back lost limbs and even parts of their brains and hearts.

Aye-aye

A long-fingered lemur native to the island of Madagascar, the aye-aye has a thick bushy tail larger than the rest of its body, and large, piercing, staring eyes. These lemurs are the world's biggest nocturnal primates and spend most of their lives in the trees of the rainforest.

Considered bad luck, the legend states that if an aye-aye points its finger at someone, death is not far away. Because of this myth, they are often killed at first sight. This, together with habitat destruction, has meant these endangered species are now protected by law in many areas.

Blue dragon

We can probably agree that 90% of the animals on this list were at the back of the queue when God was handing out good looks or, at best, they were some of his failed hybrid experiments. Yet here is one that breaks the trend of 'strange' looking creatures. In fact, the blue dragon, a sea slug, is an absolute work of art.

It can be found on the surface of tropical waters around the world. It can protect itself from predators too using camouflage – the blue and white colors blending in with the ocean and sky respectively. If you're lucky enough to see this spectacular creation, be careful, it has a powerful sting.

Colugo

A weird and wonderful flying mammal native to Southeast Asia, there are only two living species of colugo: the Sunda flying lemur and the Philippine flying lemur. Despite these names, they don't actually fly. They glide and can go remarkable distances, up to about 200 feet. An animal that certainly rivals the sloth when it comes to laziness, as they spend most of their day sleeping.

Echidna

Ever wondered what a hedgehog would look like if it got up and played the piano? Well here you go, meet the similar-looking echidna. With its backward-facing claws (which are actually used for digging), these tongueless, spiky, slow-moving Australian mammals have another very special feature – a four-headed, ahem, appendage. This apparently improves their chances when mating.

Speaking of mating, their ritual is equally bizarre. Males form a train behind a female; imagine the slowest moving 'Conga' you've ever seen. Males then dig a circular trench and fight it out for the female to then choose. Think Sumo, only smaller, but with a bigger prize.

Emerald cockroach wasp

Unlike its cousin the bee, wasps wouldn't even feature highly on a list of loveable rogues, yet alone insects or animals in general. However, this parasitic wasp takes sadism into a different ballpark entirely, due to its reproductive 'endeavors.' It stings a cockroach and uses it as a host for its larvae. Yes, and there's more.

The wasp chews the antenna of its victim and leads it like a dog on a leash towards the burrow. From then on, the hatched larvae eat the roach alive from the inside and emerge, like a shiny emerald Lamborghini straight out of the showroom.

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Fried egg jellyfish

Hagfish

How best to describe the hagfish? Well, eel/worm/snake would be our take, or a mixture of all three. Oh, and with a single nostril on the end. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about this deep-sea critter is its defense mechanism. While others use spikes, barbs, or poison to fend off fiends and foes, our pal here uses slime.

An enemy attack (or even the anticipation of one) will see a shot of slime shoot out, clogging up gills and other orifices. It spurts wisely too, as it takes a month to replenish.

Irrawaddy

Around the coastal areas of South and Southeast Asia and in three major rivers including the Mekong, lives the endangered Irrawaddy dolphin. In fact, just 92 are thought to still exist, according to WWF. Not known to be particularly showy like other species of dolphin, as well as being much slower swimmers, the Irrawaddy is still a big focus of marine tourism in the likes of Cambodia and Laos, where they're also regarded as sacred.

They can be observed shooting jets of water from their mouths, which is unique to this species. With their bulging forehead and short beak, the Irrawaddy looks like it's always smiling.

Jabiru

No, not the town of the same name known to residents of Western Australia, but a huge stork-like bird found in the Americas, particularly Argentina and Mexico. With its wholly white body and unmistakable black head and beak, these birds can be noticed in tropical marshes and wetlands. A stork it may be, but you probably wouldn't want this thing delivering your little bundle of joy...

Jerboa

This Asian and North African desert dweller has the body of a mouse, the ears of a rabbit, the arms of a T-rex, and the legs of a kangaroo. Yes, the jerboa is a comical jumble of other species – each attribute contributing to its survival in the wild; powerful hind legs for jumping, ears to detect predators from afar, and ridiculously short arms for holding insects in close proximity to its mouth.

As well as having sandy-colored fur for camouflage, it is also nocturnal and can live on little to no water. 

Lion's mane nudibranch

Found mainly in the colder waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean is a type of nudibranch called the lion's mane. It's a predatory species that gyrates from side-to-side as it ensnares its prey by opening its huge hood. From then on, it employs a Venus flytrap technique, with tentacles intertwining to enable eventual swallowing.

Thanks to their vibrant, almost glow-in-the-dark-like body and rhinophores (sensory organs), a group of these sea slugs are, rather pleasantly, known as a bouquet.

Matamata

One of the most bizarre creatures in the reptile world is the matamata, a South American turtle with a very unique appearance. Looking like a rough piece of bark and spending most of its time at the bottom of shallow swamps and streams, this is another animal that can use its camouflage to ambush prey in muddy waters.

Another interesting feature is its long protruding neck, with small eyes and nostrils. This snout is used like a snorkel, allowing the turtle to breathe by hardly moving.

Okapi

An animal that demonstrates that its whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Or at least equal to them. With the hind of a zebra, the body of a horse, and the head of a giraffe, the okapi looks like some sort of hodgepodge from the plains of the Serengeti.

The striped legs are thought to help young okapi follow their mothers through the forest, where conversely the reddish brown body helps with camouflage. Their huge ears also help listen for danger, mainly in the form of leopards.

Pink fairy armadillo

The smallest species of armadillo is the pink fairy, endemic to central Argentina. Scientists have found this animal difficult to study, as sightings are extremely rare – and not just because this adorable little critter could also be a stowaway on a conveyor belt of sushi. Subterranean most of the time and therefore difficult to spot, its pink leathery shell acts as a cooling aid, allowing the animal to flush out the heat from its body.

Quokka

Endemic to Western Australia, on the islands of Rottnest and Bald, to be precise, few animals are as quirky as the quokka. Few are as happy either – it's rare to ever see one without a smile on its adorable face. These friendly little marsupials can also go for months without water, getting what they need from vegetation. Celebrities have even been known to take special trips to these islands in order to get selfies with the rare mammals.

Rock agama lizard

The red-headed rock agama is one of the most strikingly beautiful lizards around. They have an abundance of habitats throughout most of Africa, south of the Sahara. One of their main characteristics is head bobbing – a ritual done by males when challenging one another to a duel, or when attempting to impress a would-be partner. They can change color too when fighting, mating, or displaying dominance after a successful bout.

Saiga

Sarcastic fringehead

We'll deal with its name first. It comes from the Greek word 'sarkasmus,' which means 'to bite' or 'tear.' We're assuming it refers to the needle-sharp gnashers in its disproportionately large mouth and has nothing to do with the fish's sense of humor. As well as devouring those it preys upon, this ocean critter is extremely territorial and will sit with its gaping mouth to ward off would-be invaders.

The colorful yet alien-like stance can be enough of a deterrent to most, however its own kind could step up to the challenge. In which case, the duel involves pressing mouths together, effectively 'kissing' each other until one gives up.

Tarsier

With the look of a Koala gone wrong, these mammals are now limited to inhabiting some of the islands in Southeast Asia. Extinction threatens all species and one of the biggest threats is... themselves. In captivity, they can easily become stressed and develop suicidal tendencies. If that isn't bad enough, they are often on the menu for feral cats and dogs.

Lowland streaked tenrec

One animal you might come across if you trek through the lowland tropical rainforests of Madagascar is this grumpy-looking hedgehog-like specimen called a tenrec. As part of its defense mechanism, this creature makes its quills vibrate to produce sound – a technique called stridulation. It is the only mammal thought to use this method for this purpose.

Predators include birds and snakes, although they themselves feast almost entirely on worms. Streaked tenrecs stamp on the ground with their forefeet; a process known to both ward off predators and unearth, well, earthworms.

Wobbegong

In the shallow waters of the Western Pacific and Eastern Indian oceans, the wobbegong, or 'carpet' shark lies in wait. It will camouflage itself, virtually disappearing into the seabed, and like most ambush predators, will wait for unsuspecting victims to venture too close.

Although they're not dangerous to humans, they will attack if feeling threatened. The tasseled wobbegong can grow up to four feet and, by dislocating its jaw, it can eat larger prey, including other sharks.

Hammer-headed bat

With a face akin to that of a gargoyle and a wingspan that can stretch over three feet, this mega bat is the largest in Africa. Their mating ritual is certainly unusual – the males honk. Their larynx is so big it takes up half of their body and, twice a year, up to 150 males gather to impress females with a display of honking and flapping; a sort of Gotham City truckfest.

The females then decide, and like most females, they're fussy. It's honking then hoping, for the select minority...

Yeti crab

As the name suggests, due to its white 'fur,' this crab was named after the big, beastly, Himalayan behemoth. It was discovered by a team of marine biologists in 2005, thousands of miles apart from its legendary namesake, in the Southern Ocean. There can be hundreds of these hairy crabs – who have no eyes – in a single square meter, hiding in the deep hydrothermal vents.

Venezuelan poodle moth

That's right, as the name suggests, this is a moth that looks like a poodle, and most people probably agree it looks far better and less creepier than most of its brethren. The Venezuelan poodle moth was discovered in Venezuela in 2009, but remains one of the most mysterious of all insects. Why? It has never been seen since! So as far as interesting facts go, that is pretty much all there is to offer.

Much of what scientists have said is guesswork, albeit informed by observing similar-looking specimens.

Panda ant

That's an interesting-looking ant, we hear you say. That's because it is actually a type of wasp. A wasp that, with its panda-esque coloration, looks like something film director Tim Burton might have created. Male panda ants have wings, while the females are wingless. In fact mating occurs in the air, with males literally sweeping their partners off their feet.

Also, the coloring is, as with a lot of animals, aposematic, serving as a warning that it isn't worth the trouble to attack. Probably wise for humans not to bother them either; these ants have a stinger measuring half the length of its body.

Siphonophore

The world's longest animal, capable of growing more than 130 feet, is the gelatinous siphonophore. Despite this length, its width is no bigger than a broom handle. We say 'animal,' but this creature is actually a colony of collective organisms called zooids, with each having their role to play. The siphonophore is bioluminescent, and uses its numerous tentacles to trap its prey. They are found in the ocean's twilight zone, more than 656 feet below the surface.

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Now discover more incredible facts about the ocean's mysterious twilight zone