According to the Census of Marine Life, there are 8.7 million species in the natural world, including 6.5 million species on land and 2.2 million in the oceans. However, many scientists believe the actual number to be much higher. Even with such a huge number, some of them turned out to be a little bit odd than the rest of the animal and aquatic realm.
These are some of the most unusual animals on Earth.
1. Sparklemuffin
2015 saw the discovery of this Australian peacock spider in the woodlands of Wondul National Park, close to Brisbane. The sparkle muffin, formally known as matatus jaculates, got its popular moniker from University of California researcher Madeline Girard, who found the species. These vibrant spiders are only five millimeters long and perform a distinctive courtship dance in which the males elevate their legs to signal females.
2. Jabiru stork
A fatigued traveler would find the five-foot-tall stork’s piercing, menacing gaze disturbing. These fascinating birds have a tendency to be territorial, as was evident in a well-known event that happened at the Belize Zoo. After a jabiru stork once threatened to attack unwary visitors with its 14-inch-long bill, the stork exhibit now has a roof above the guest viewing platform. Native to Central and South America, jabiru storks prey mostly on small mammals, fish, and amphibians.
3. the Tasmanian devil.
The largest carnivorous marsupial in the world is the Tasmanian devil. Devils are nocturnal animals that resemble small dogs but are actually more closely related to wallabies than dogs. They carry their young in pouches. Due to a naturally occurring cancer known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease, the population of Tasmanian devils has drastically decreased. Caretakers at the Tasmanian Devil Unzoo, a wildlife sanctuary devoted to curing devils and studying the illness, claim that the creatures are adapting to fight.
4. Alligator Gar.
This terrifying fish, which dates back over 100 million years and can reach lengths of more than eight feet, is a fossil from the time of the dinosaurs. Rows of strong teeth are housed in their reptile-like snouts, and a modification allows this fish to actually breathe air. Alligator gar are placid animals that quietly swim in freshwater rivers and lakes from the Rio Grande to the Missouri River, despite their terrifying size and arsenal of weapons.
