15 Creatures of Nature That Are Hard to Believe Exist (16 photos)

Our planet hides far more mysteries than it seems. Some of its inhabitants amaze the imagination with their appearance and raise questions about their very existence.





The endless kaleidoscope of life hides creatures so bizarre that they are hard to believe. These creatures seem as if they were assembled from various parts by a mischievous child or painted by an artist carried away by fantasy. But they exist. And everyone, from a furry spider disguised as a ladybug to a colorful dove with a vibrant belly, are living proof that nature remains the most ingenious and unpredictable creator.

1. Ornate Ghostfish or Harlequin Ghostfish



Live in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. These strange-looking creatures are very difficult to spot, as they camouflage themselves incredibly well in coral reefs.

2. Panamanian King Vulture





A large bird native to Central and South America, these amazing scavengers thrive in tropical forests and can soar for hours searching for dead animals to feed on.

3. African Fat-Tailed Gecko



Relatives of the leopard gecko, these reptiles are native to West Africa. These reptiles require moderately warm temperatures to survive and grow.

4. Indian Giant Squirrel (Indian Ratufa)



This colorful animal lives in tree canopies and builds spherical nests from leaves and branches to avoid capture by leopards and birds of prey. The squirrel is known for its vibrant, multicolored coat and dark, fluffy, long tail.

5. Silky Anteater



A nocturnal animal found in the forests of southern Mexico, Central America, and South America. It has no teeth, but it does have a sticky tongue. This tiny anteater prefers to stay in the treetops and rarely descends to the ground.

6. Red-nosed Lanternfly



An incredibly cute insect. These creatures, native to Burma, Thailand, and India, use their long noses like straws to drink tree sap.

7. Bald Ukari



A species of New World primate in the sacidae family. The monkey's distinctive feature is its red, virtually hairless face.

8. Eresus - the Ladybug Spider



This group of spiders has evolved over time to resemble ladybugs. Ladybugs contain toxic and unpleasant-tasting alkaloids, and their recognizable appearance encourages predators to avoid them.

9. Naked Mole Rat



This strange-looking burrowing rodent is insensitive to some forms of pain (caused by thermal burns and chemical burns from acids) and is used in cancer and aging research due to its immunity to cancer.

10. Yeti Crab



A species of decapod crustacean found in deep-sea hydrothermal vents. These animals are so named because of their furry white claws and legs.

11. Cyphonia clavata



A species of homoptera in the family Membracidae. It resembles an ant in appearance due to the club-shaped or spherical extensions, projections, and processes on the insect's pronotum.

12. Rufous-bellied Fruit Dove



Lives primarily in New Guinea. This is a rare bird, and its population is apparently quite small.

13. Ghost Mantis



An insect that looks like a beautiful but fragile dry leaf. It lives in Madagascar and continental Africa and changes color to green when humidity increases.

14. Showgirl Chickens



It combines the traits of two of the most unusual chicken breeds—Silk and Sultan. They got their name from their resemblance to Las Vegas showgirls.

15. Flabellina Polaris



A species of gastropod mollusk from the Flabellinopsidae family of the nudibranch order. The white tips of the papillae are stinging cells accumulated by the mollusk when it eats jellyfish. These cells protect the nudibranch from predators, as they cause pain when touched.