Just when we thought we’ve seen it all, up pops some bizarre but adorable-looking animal that we never even knew existed. It’s almost like unlocking a secret level in a video game…
The reality is that Earth is far more creative than many of us give it credit for. And Mother Nature really does have a lot of tricks and surprises up her sleeve. If you’ve never seen bagworms, tiger quolls or greasefish before, you’re not alone.
There’s an online community called “Animals I Didn’t Know Existed.” It has around 29,000 weekly visitors. And as the name suggests, it’s dedicated to sharing posts about rare, unusual and lesser-known creatures – great and small.
Some are strange mash-ups that look like nature’s version of a mythical hybrid. Others could have walked straight out of a fantasy novel. Then there are those that deserve to be in a sci-fi film. And, of course, let’s not forget the cuties that could audition for a Disney cartoon.
Bored Panda has put together a list of the most weird and wonderful animals featured on the page for you to scroll through while you contemplate getting an unexpected exotic pet. Don’t forget to upvote your favorites.
#1 Tiger Quoll (Dasyurus Maculatus)
Image source: Rivas-al-Yehuda
#2 I’ve Know About Draco Lizards(Genus: Draco) For Awhile But I Wanted To Share
Image source: JeweltheTiger
#3 Nyala (Tragelaphus Angasii): Real-Life Forest Spirit?
Image source: H_G_Bells
#4 Jaguarundi (Herpailurus Yagouaroundi) Closest Relative Of The Mountain Lion
Image source: Lita-Yuzuki
#5 “Ghost Birds” – A Name For A Type Of Potoo (Family Nyctibiidae) That Is Found In The Amazon Basin
Image source: Stundesagte
#6 Goodfellow’s Tree-Kangaroo (Dendrolagus Goodfellowi)
Image source: fra_filippo_lippi
#7 The Rarely-Seen Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista Petaurista)
Image source: reddit.com
#8 Elephantfish (Campylomormyrus Sp.)
Image source: Pardusco
#9 Male Violet-Backed Starling (Cinnyricinclus Leucogaster)
Image source: AcidNeku
#10 Great Eared Nightjar (Lyncornis Macrotis) Recently Encountred In Thailand
Image source: heperion8x42
#11 The Bat-Eared Fox (Otocyon Megalotis)
Image source: abstract_ark
#12 The Spiny Flower Mantis (Pseudocreobotra Wahlbergii)
Image source: Rivas-al-Yehuda
#13 Pygmy Tufted Squirrel, (Exilisciurus Whiteheadi)
Image source: Jean-Olaf
#14 These Prehistoric Looking Beetles
Image source: vtosnaks
#15 Chinese Water Deer (Hydropotes Inermis)
Image source: whiteMammoth3936
#16 The Short /Round Eared Elephant Shrew
Image source: reddit.com
#17 Striped Pyjama Squid (Sepioloidea Lineolata)
Image source: Rivas-al-Yehuda
#18 Theloderma Corticale Also Know As Vietnamese Mossy Frog
Image source: weirdbutok5
#19 Bagworms (Psychidae) Make Portable Houses Out Of Small Sticks And Silk
Image source: TechicalGuide604
#20 South America Has Its Own, Much Smaller Version Of The Snow Leopard: Meet The Andean Mountain Cat (Leopardus Jacobita), A Close Relative Of The Jungle-Dwelling Ocelot
Image source: crafiosk
#21 The Dik-Dik Antelope Refers To 4 Species Of The Genus Madoqua. This Is The Silver Dik-Dik (Madoqua Piacentinii), The Smallest Of The Genus, Native To Somalia And Ethiopia. Full Sized Ranges From 4-6.5 Pounds Max. They Have Sharp Hooves And Mark Their Territory With Their Tears!
Image source: SunOnTheInside
#22 Endangered Canid Native To Asia, The ‘Dhole’ (Cuon Alpinus)
Image source: cetacean-station
#23 The Paradise Flying Snake (Chrysopelea Paradisi) Can Flatten Its Body To Glide Between Trees Like A Flying Squirrel
Image source: woollydogs
#24 Chrysina Limbata, A Species Of Scarab Beetle Found In Costa Rica And The Rainforests Of South America
Image source: CommandersLog
#25 Roseate Spoonbill Aka Platalea Ajaja. I Prefer To Call It A Duckmingo Or A Fluck
Image source: TheUnDoctor
#26 Aphrodita, Marine Worms Also Know As Sea Mouse
Image source: Mochiffe
#27 Galidia Elegans: Ring-Tailed Vontsira
Image source: reddit.com
#28 Cochranella Euknemos – Glass Frog
Image source: alewiina
#29 Greater Lophorina (Lophorina Superba)
Image source: whiteMammoth3936
#30 I Definitely Thought The Standard-Winged Nightjar (Caprimulgus Longipennis) Was AI When It Popped Up On My Recommend Socials Today
*The word “standard” originally meant a flag or banner
Image source: catmandude123
#31 The African Forest Buffalo (Syncerus Caffer Nanus) Is The Smallest Subspecies Of The African Buffalo, Weighing In At 550–705 Lbs
Image source: Wurmicarnivore
#32 Priotrochatella Constellata.hey Are Critically Endangered Due To The Exploitation Of The Marble Quarries In Cuba That They Inhabit
Image source: torivor100
#33 Spangled Cotinga (Cotinga Cayana)
Image source: whiteMammoth3936
#34 🔥 Perfect Camouflage. Alaskan State Bird Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus Lagopus) Blending In With Winter Landscape
Image source: anu-nand
#35 This Photograph Of A Male Bargibant’s Seahorse Was Taken Off The Coast Of Bali In Indonesia
Image source: Tuggpocalypso
#36 Rhizosomichthys Totae (Greasefish). This Catfish Has Several Longitudinal Bands Of Fat Along Its Body, And Is So Greasy That Shish-Kebabed Specimens Were Allegedly Used As Torches By Natives. It Was Last Seen In 1957 And Is Feared Extinct
Image source: Zoxphyl
#37 The Black Serval (Leptailurus Serval)
Image source: Rivas-al-Yehuda
#38 Eurylaimus Ochromalus, Aka Black-And-Yellow Broadbill. Derp
Image source: parrotbirdtalks
#39 Biscuit Boxkite (Isoxya Tabulata)
Image source: vtosnaks
#40 Tufted Ground Squirrel (Rheithrosciurus Macrotis)
Image source: Sabotage_9
#41 Bassariscus Astutus (Ringtail Cat)
Image source: rolandglassSVG
#42 Yellow-Backed Duiker (Cephalophus Silvicultor)
Image source: Username6465
#43 The Daring Owl Butterfly (Scientific Name: Dynastor Darius) Looks Incredible At Every Life Stage
Image source: nankainamizuhana
#44 The Critically Endangered Gharial (Gavialis Gangeticus)
Image source: PerytonsShadow
#45 The Bornean Bearded Pig (Sus Barbatus)
Image source: ExoticShock
#46 Takin (Budorcas Taxicolor)
Image source: Girlinbluebox
#47 This Little Creature Is Called A Sea Pig, He’s Related To Sea Cucumbers (Scotoplanes)
Image source: izzyg800
#48 Metagryne Bicolumnata Or Bunny Harvestman. An Arachnid With The Head Of A Black Dog, That Is Neither A Spider, Nor A Dog
Image source: Hotel777
#49 The Nilgai (Boselaphus Tragocamlus), Is The Largest Antelope In Asia, Aka The Blue Bull Of India
Image source: Maudeleanor
#50 New Crab Species Recently Discovered Off The Coast Of Australia Called “Lamarckdromia Beagle”, The Ylook Like Little Underwater Fuzzballs
Image source: nzgrl74
#51 The Chuditch, Or Western Quoll (Dasyurus Geoffroii) Is A Carnivorous Marsupial Found Only In South West Western Australia
Image source: imaginary_mary
#52 Wandering Leaf Sheep
Image source: sh0tgunben
#53 The Bush Hyrax (Heterohyrax Brucei)
Image source: minimoundsbars
#54 Tefflus Carinatus Violaceus Beetle
Image source: SingaporeCrabby
#55 Sulawesi Moon Moth ( Actias Isis )
Image source: Alarmed-Addition8644
#56 Aidke: The Yeti Crab 🦀 In My Defence It Seems To Be A Fairly Recent Discovery. Looks Very Cool Though!
Image source: dovahshy13
#57 The Numbat (Myrmecobius Fasciatus), An Small Endangered Australian Marsupial That Eats Almost Exclusively Termites
Image source: altacaelum
#58 Aardwolf, Proteles Cristata. One Aardwolf Can Lap Up As Many As 250,000 Termites During A Single Night!
Image source: KeyserSozeWearsPrada
#59 The Blue-Eyed Ground Dove (Columbina Cyanopis) Was Believed To Be Extinct For 75 Years — Until Twelve Were Rediscovered In The Brazilian Cerrado In 2015. Current Population Estimates Range From Over 250 Wild Individuals To As Few As 16
Image source: IdyllicSafeguard
#60 Behold! The Plume Moth! (Pterophoridae)
Image source: Bonkers_Dog
#61 American Mink (Neogale Vison)
Image source: Saddy_Hoppy
#62 Petaurista Alborufus Castaneus – Red And White Giant Flying Squirrel
Image source: reddit.com
#63 The Rare White Greater Glider (Petauroides Volans)
Image source: Rivas-al-Yehuda
#64 Shield-Tailed Agama (Xenagama Taylori)
Image source: musiphysical
#65 The King Bird Of Paradise,(Cicinnurus Regius)
Image source: whiteMammoth3936
#66 The Bush Dog Is A Stocky Canid With A Bear-Like Face That Lives Near Water In Central And South America. It Has Partially Webbed Feet, Keeping It From Sinking Into Mud And Assisting It In Swimming And Diving. Don’t Be Fooled By Its Small Stature, It Is An Apex Predator
Image source: NessyComeHome
#67 The Luna Moth: The Moth That Makes Butterflies Look Ugly
Image source: Technical-Guide-604
#68 The Groove-Billed Ani (Crotophaga Sulcirostris), A Gregarious Tropical Bird That Looks Remarkably Like A Feathery Dinosaur
Image source: pansycarn
#69 Saiga Antelope Aka Mongolian Saiga (Saiga Tatarica) Is Critically Endangered Species That Evolved In Isolation. Their Unusual Nose Helps Them Process The Cold And Dusty Air In Their Habitat
Image source: McClumsy
#70 The Elephant Shrew, Clearly Not As Large As An Elephant. (Macroscelididae)
Image source: sorrier_sand_cat
#71 The Turtle Frog (Myobatrachus Gouldii) Uses Its Short, But Muscular Front Arms — Rather Than Back Legs As Most Frogs Do — To Dig More Than A Metre (>3.3 Ft) Beneath The Soil. Adapted To Semi-Arid Habitats Far From Water, Its Tadpoles Develop Inside Their Eggs And Hatch As Tiny Frogs
Image source: IdyllicSafeguard
#72 A Female Pheasant-Tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus Chirurgus) Is Larger Than A Male. The Species Is Also Polyandrous — Each Female Mates With Multiple Males And, In A Single Season, Lays Up To 10 Clutches That Are Raised By Different Males In Her Harem
Image source: IdyllicSafeguard
#73 Platerodrilus Paradoxus, A Type Of Trilobite Beetle. This Is The Larval Form Of The Species, Which Females Remain In Even As Adults
Image source: Bi_eroglyph
#74 Sphaerocoris Annulus, Common Names Picasso Bug Or Zulu Hud Bug
Image source: malawiultimate
#75 Sumatran Striped Rabbit (Nesolagus Netscheri)
Image source: whiteMammoth3936
#76 Hairy Pie-Dish Beetle (Helea Perforata)
Image source: Critter-Enthusiast
#77 The Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata Magnificens)
Image source: Zentaurion
#78 The Red River Hog: Potamochoerus Porcus
Image source: LazuliArtz
#79 Lollipop Crab – Ixa Cylindrus – A Leucosid Crab Species Native To The Seas Around Indonesia And The Philippines
Image source: Spikas
#80 An Albino Atractosteus Spatula!
Image source: americantakeout
#81 Royal Albatross, The Largest Flying Existing Bird Today
Image source: VvsMay
#82 Shingle Urchin (Colobocentrotus Atratus) Found In The Wild, At Low Tide
Image source: AnyGivenFunday__
#83 Blue Faced Malkoha (Phaenicophaeus Viridirostris)
Image source: Entire_Resolution_36
#84 The Painted Bat (Kerivoula Picta) Is Extremely Colorful For A Bat, And For A Mammal In General
Image source: reddit.com
#85 Pizza-Crust Slug (Pleurobranchus Sp, Probably P. Areolatus) Is A Type Of Sea-Slug Of Which Some Specimens Resemble A Pizza
Image source: Prohibitorum
#86 🔥 The Red-Shanked Douc Langur
Image source: FrontBackBrute
#87 The Now Extinct Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger/Wolf)
Image source: Seeresss
#88 A Very Rare Blonde Echidna (Tachyglossidae)
Image source: SinjiOnO
#89 Meet The Goliath Tigerfish, (Hydrocynus Goliath), The Apex Predator Of The Congo River
Image source: aoi_ito
#90 The Male Darwin’s Frog (Rhinoderma Darwinii) “Swallows” His Offspring — Nudging The Eggs Into His Vocal Sac — Where They Soon Hatch Into Tadpoles. He Carries Them For 50 To 70 Days, During Which They Develop Entirely Within The Sac, Before Spewing Out Fully Formed Froglets
Image source: IdyllicSafeguard
#91 Pink-Spotted Fruit-Dove Ptilinopus Perlatus
Image source: clay-teeth
#92 The Masked Lapwing (Vanellus Miles) Boldly Nests On Almost Any Stretch Of Open Ground, And Will Fiercely Defend It
Image source: DreamsRising
#93 The Giant Emerald Pill Millipede (Zoosphaerium Neptunus) Is A Species Of Pill Millipede From Madagascar And Is An Example Of Island Gigantism, It’s One Of The Largest Known Species Of Pill Millipede
Image source: SpicyRiceC00ker
#94 The Tayra (Eira Barbara) Is A Member Of The Weasel Family That Lives In The Americas
Image source: strumthebuilding
#95 So Many Beautiful Animals In The Ocean, And The Lettuce Sea Slug (Elysia Crispata) Is Among Them!
Image source: L0TUS37
#96 The Amu Darya Sturgeon (Pseudoscaphirhynchus Kaufmanni) A Critically Endangered Sturgeon Related To The Possibly Extinct Syr Darya Sturgeon
Image source: synthfly_
#97 Secretary Birds Are Famous For Its Snake-Stomping Legs; A Single Kick Delivered Some 195 Newtons Of Force. They Are Also Famous For Their Long Eyelashes
Image source: kitsumodels
#98 A Flying Lemur (Galeopterus Variegatus)
Image source: secretlyawitch
#99 A Newly Discovered And Endangered Species Of Crocodile Newt (Tylototriton Ngoclinhensis)
Image source: Username6465
#100 The Comb-Crested Jacana And Its Massive Feet
Image source: ShaolinRiot
#101 The Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa Indica) Is The World’s Largest Species Of Squirrel, Growing Up To 1m (3.3ft), Tail Included, And 3kg (6.6lb). It Travels From Tree To Tree With Jumps Of Up To 6 M (20 Ft)
Image source: A_n_z_u_m_o_z
#102 An Indian Purple Frog (Nasikabatrachus Sahyadrensis) This Cute Little Chonker As The Name Suggests, Lives In India But Is Sadly Endangered But I’m Sure We Can Agree It’s A Beautiful Animal
Image source: squidgy-beats
#103 The European Hamster (Cricetus Cricetus) Also Known As The Black Bellied Hamster. I Will Personally Like To Call It The Red Panda Hamster Because… Well Look At It
Image source: IntoTheBlenderYouGo
#104 Purse Crab (Persephona Punctata)
Image source: reddit.com
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