10 rare and strange, but amazing animals (11 photos)

Have you ever seen a creature so bizarre and unusual that you even wondered about its earthly origin?





If not, then prepare to be amazed. You will find a selection of 10 strange and amazing creatures. They are difficult to describe in words, so it is better to watch them to once again be amazed by the ingenuity of nature.

1. Smallmouth Macropinna



Also known as the barrel-eye. In addition to large green eyes, this deep-sea dweller has two depressions on its head that also resemble organs of vision. In fact, these are olfactory receptors.

2. Kitoglav





The second name is the royal heron. The bird with a hypnotic look makes the sounds of a machine gun instead of a bird's song. To cool the clutch in the African heat, it pours water on it, and then blows it with its huge paws.

3. Appaloosa



A spotted horse bred in the United States by the Nez Perce Indians through selection for hunting and war. The spots are the result of a complex combination of genes, and the pattern can change throughout life, like in Dalmatians. Some foals are born solid-colored, and then "show" spots. Appaloosas have vertically striped hooves, and many have visible whites of the eyes like in humans, which gives the look an almost human expressiveness.

4. Malayan colugos



This inhabitant of the humid jungle looks like a cross between a squirrel, a bat and a lemur, can glide like a live hang glider, and collects food with its suction cup paws, allowing it to hang on a tree even in the rain.

5. Amazonian Crowned Flycatcher



This passerine has a luxurious crest, making it look like a crowned head. Only males are decorated, and in a calm state the crest is almost invisible. But in moments of excitement it turns into a fiery crown.

6. Umbonia spinosa



This completely alien thing is actually a cleverly disguised leafhopper, although scientists continue to argue about the species of this insect. Umbonia spinosa has an outgrowth that resembles an acacia thorn or a rose thorn. This is ideal camouflage from birds. But the most amazing thing is that the shape of the "horn" differs in different populations depending on the plants among which they live. The female remains to guard the eggs after laying, and when the larvae hatch, she feeds them by piercing the bark of the plant so that they drink the juice.

7. Polyrhachis bihamata



This species of ants, thanks to its sharp spines, can block the entrance to the nest from enemies, cling to leaves and hang upside down and pierce the skin of predators, like a microscopic harpoon.

8. Mantis shrimp



This representative of the stomatopods is not related to either praying mantises or shrimps. Some species can change color and glow, and strike with their claws at lightning speed. Mantis shrimp have 12 to 16 types of photoreceptors, while humans have 2, and in rare cases 3.

9. Giraffe Beetle



Trachelophorus giraffa - the Madagascar beetle looks ridiculous. But nature has given it the perfect tool for survival. Thanks to the elongated pronotum (the pronotum is the upper half-ring of the first segment of the insect's thorax), beetles fight for females and roll up leaves into "cradles" for their offspring.

10. Frilled Armadillo



The nickname "pink fairy" suits this creature very well. Its shell is a soft pink color (due to the translucent blood vessels) and covered with soft white hairs. This is the perfect camouflage in the sand dunes of Argentina. The frilled armadillo, thanks to its powerful claws, can instantly bury itself in the sand.