Weird Animals

fauna you've never heard of

[weirdanimals]

Basilosaurus

Tropical Oceans // Eocene (~30 million years ago) // Cetacea // image source

When fossils of Basilosaurus were first discovered, it was thought to have been a marine reptile, hence its name meaning King's Lizard. It was later correctly classified as an early whale.

[weirdanimals]

Southern Hog-nosed Snake

North America // Vulnerable // Squamata // image source

The southern hog-nosed snake is one of several species of hog-nosed snakes. They are known not only for their upturned nose, but also for their ability to dramatically play dead when a predator is near.

[weirdanimals]

Thylacosmilus

South America // Pliocene (~2 million years ago) // Sparassodonta // image source

While it appears to be a sabre-toothed cat like Smilodon, Thylacosmilus was actually a marsupial (or at least a very close relative of them), making it a prime example of convergent evolution.

[weirdanimals]

Alligator Gar

North America // Conservation Status Unknown // Osteicthyes // photo source

The Alligator Gar can live to be over 50 years old, but the average lifespan in the wild is closer to 20 years. Unusually for a fish, it can survive out of water for up to two hours.

[weirdanimals]

Lowland Paca

South America // Least Concern // Rodentia // image source

Pacas are closely related to the other large South American rodents (capybara, nutria, etc.), and similarly lives near rivers. It is the only mammal to have a specially adapted zygomatic arch that acts as a sonic resonating chamber.

[weirdanimals]

Dakosaurus

Europe // Early Cretaceous (137 million years ago) // Sauropsida // image source

Dakosaurus looks like a type of dinosaur or plesiosaur, but it is actually one of many prehistoric crocodiles that developed fins. They reached lengths of up to 15 feet, and had an incredibly powerful bite.

[weirdanimals]

Ross's Turaco

Africa // Least Concern // Musophagidae // image source

For most birds, feather color is determined by light bouncing off each feather's microscopic structure. Turacos are unique among birds in having feathers that are actually pigmented.

[weirdanimals]

Shark Ray

Tropical Oceans // Vulnerable // Chondrichthyes // image source

Sharks and rays are closely related. The aptly named shark ray looks like a combination of both, but it is a large species of ray, growing to nearly 10 feet long. Like many other sharks and rays, it is dying out as a result of overfishing.

[weirdanimals]

Hesperornis

North America // Late Cretaceous (80 million years ago) // Hesperornithiformes // image source

Despite its resemblance to the loon, hesperornis has no living descendants. It was about 5 feet long and had actual teeth (not just a serrated bill) to grasp fish easily.

[weirdanimals]

Steller's Sea Cow

North Pacific Ocean // Recently Extinct (c. 1768) // Sirenia // image source

Fun Fact: Steller's Sea Cow was closely related to dugongs and manatees, but could grow up to 30 feet in length. It was hunted to extinction within 30 years of its discovery by European settlers.

[weirdanimals]

Basking Shark

Northern, Southern oceans // Vulnerable // Chondrichthyes // image source

Fun Fact: Basking sharks feed primarily on zooplankton and other tiny animals. Despite their similarities to the whale shark, they are not closely related (as far as sharks go).

[weirdanimals]

Glass Frog

South America // Conservation Status Unknown // Anura // image source

Fun Fact: The transparent skin of glass frogs makes it hard for predators to spot them.

[weirdanimals]

Irritator

South America* // Cretaceous (110 million years ago) // Saurischia // image source

Fun Fact: Irritator is related to the much larger, much more famous Spinosaurus. It is so named because paleontologists were "irritated" that the skull they acquired had been altered by fossil dealers. The sail is thought to help the animal regulate its body temperature.

*It is a common misconception that all dinosaurs lived in the combined land mass Pangaea. However, by the Cretaceous period, the continents had already drifted apart.

[weirdanimals]

Pesquet's Parrot

New Guinea (endemic) // Vulnerable // Psittaciformes // image source

Fun Fact: Pesquet's Parrot is also known as the Vulturine Parrot. However, unlike vultures who have bald faces to keep rotting meat from sticking to their feathers, the Pesquet's Parrot has a bald face to keep fruit from sticking to its feathers.

[weirdanimals]

Horsehead Grasshopper

South America // Conservation Status Unknown // Arthropoda // image source

Fun Fact: Female horsehead grasshoppers are twice as large as the males. (Check out the "image source" link - they have a bunch of great pictures of these bizarre bugs!)

[weirdanimals]

Greater Siren

Eastern North America // Least Concern // Caudata // photo source

Fun Fact: Sirens are closely related to salamanders. They have no hind legs, and their tiny forelegs are barely visible behind their gills.

[weirdanimals]

Cantor's Giant Softshell Turtle

Asia // Endangered // Testudines // image source

Fun Fact: This softshell turtle almost always remains buried in sand underwater. It only comes up to breathe twice a day.