Many majestic and beautiful animals grace our earth, but there are also nasty stepchildren in the animal world, otherwise known as weird animals. Sadly, many of these are on the verge of extinction, but they don’t get the polar bears and pandas’ publicity because, quite frankly, they’re repulsive.
Here are 5 Weirdest Animals in the Wild
- The Solenodon: The Solenodon is a mammal primarily found in Cuba and Hispanola. It looks a bit like a hedgehog who is on steroids. The loving effect wears off when the Solenodon injects an enemy with venom through its dangerous teeth. In other words, the solenodons poison’s their enemies through their teeth. It’s the only mammal that does this, and the poison is much like that of the poisonous rattle-snake. These weird animals eat insects and carrion as well, so it is actually an important part of our ecosystem. It is in danger of extinction, with only a few believed to be still breathing.
- Anglerfish: If you want to talk weird animals, here’s one – the Anglerfish. The male is about 1/18th the size of the female of the species. These are ugly, spiny fish, and the female was depicted in Finding Nemo. The male is a little brown blob that you presumably never noticed. He will burrow in with his teeth, and then she will feed him, outside the uterus until he eventually dies. But by then, he has inseminated her eggs, so his young will carry on.
- Kakapo: The rarest and strangest parrot in the world is the Kakapo. It’s a nighttime bird that does not fly; instead, it walks through forests for miles and miles every night. This parrot weighs around nine pounds, and there are only sixty-two of them believed to exist still, all in New Zealand. The Kakapo is undoubtedly unique due to its funky facial hair and elaborate courtship rituals.
- The Kiwi: The Kiwi is a flightless bird, and apparently, it not happy with this situation because it is a temperamental and fierce little bird. This bird also has whiskers and the ability – much like a dog – to sniff out food. The Kiwi lifts its beak into the air to discover its surroundings, much like a dog would do. Kiwi also has extended nostrils, unknown to any other bird. The Kiwi does have visible wings, but they are small and hard to see under his loose feathers. Kiwi pairs mate for their whole life, but they have loving relationships that tend to be feisty. The females are more aggressive than the males and considerably larger in size. Daddy Kiwis surprisingly sit on the nest while the bold mama hunts. Nature is a feminist.
- The Olm: The Olm is an odd amphibian who is blind and lives to be about one hundred years old. It can go ten years without food. That should land The Olm in the weird animal’s list. These beasts live in the waters of Croatia and Italy’s coasts, where they freak people out with their oddly human-like skin. Its nickname among locals is the “human fish.” The Olm lives in the river for its entire life, unlike most amphibians who live in and out of the water. This animal also has gills, so we can surmise that it could live under the water if it wanted to.
