10 Amazing Animals You Need To Know Exist

There are some truly weird and wonderful creatures in this world, here are 10 of our favourites.

1. Mata Mata

A freshwater turtle found in South America, primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. It inhabits streams, stagnant pools and marshy areas. The Mata Mata is strictly an aquatic species, but it’s snout acts as a snorkel thus it prefers shallow water where it can stand and poke its snout out to breath.

2. Pink Fairy Armadillo

My personal favourite on the list, the Pink Fairy Armadillo is the smallest species of armadillo. It is a solitary animal endemic to central Argentina, and can be found inhabiting sandy plains and scrubby grasslands. It is listed as ‘data deficient’ n the list of threatened species, though it’s numbers have been declining rapidly. We can only hope this creature gets more attention from conservationists before it’s too late.

3. Dumbo Octopus

Named after the titular character from Disney’s ‘Dumbo’, This adorable octopus has two prominent ear-like fins which extend from the mantle above each eye. They have been found worldwide and are among the deepest living octopuses in human knowledge, at depths of 1000 to 4,800 meters (13,000 ft).

4. Yeti Crab

The Yeti crab, or Kiwa, are named after their bristly appearance. They live at deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. Discovered in 2010, there is still a lot of mystery and speculation surrounding the creature’s behaviour, though much research has been done on it’s evolution and anatomy.

5. Snub-Nosed Monkey

A favourite of Geekology admin Kittykaze, snub-nosed monkeys make up the entirety of the rare Rhinopithecus genus. First documented in 1872, little research has been done on this genus meaning that even the knowledge of their lifespan is vague. These monkeys inhabit mountain forests up to elevations of 4,000 meters, believed to be due to the lack of human impact in higher elevation areas.

6. Glass Frog

While a green frog may seem less than spectacular, the abdominal skin of many glass frogs is in fact translucent. This means that the internal viscera, including the heart, liver and gastrointestinal tracts, are visible through the skin. Members of this arboreal species can be found in central and south America.

7. Sea Pig (Scotoplanes)

A genus of deep-sea sea cucumbers, Scotoplanes live on deep ocean bottoms, specifically on the abyssal plain in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean. Sea pigs are also known to host different parasitic invertibrates, including gastropods and small tanaid crustaceans.

8. Satanic Leaf-Tailed Gecko

Much to my disappointment, I couldn’t find any reference to how these geckos conduct their satanic rituals. Instead I found that their species classification, Phantasticus, means ‘imaginary’ based on it’s unique appearance, and that this unusual looking gecko is endemic to Madagascar. It’s adult size is 90mm, including tail, and it comes in a variety of colours including hues of purple, orange, tan and yellow, though it is most often a mottled brown.

9. Lowland Streaked Tenrec

The original punk rocker, this small species of tenrec can be found in northern and eastern Madagascar. It has hard keratinous quills located in the mid-dorsal region that act as a sounding device and is thought to be used for communication between mother and young and/or a warning signal to predators. Movement of these quills causes the tips to rub together and create a high frequency sound which cannot be perceived by human ears.

10. Tufted Deer

A small species of deer living in central China and north-eastern Myanmar. It is restricted to a forested mountain habitat up to 4500 meters above sea level, making study difficult. Perhaps the most striking feature, other than their funky hairstyle, is the fang-like canines in the male of the species which grow, on average, 2.6cm long.

Honourable mention: Atretochoana Eiselti. I didn’t want to include a picture in case we were accused of not being ‘NSFW’, so I’m going to let you google this one yourselves. This rare species has little data to support research, but is believed to be a viviparous, aquatic scavenger or predator. The biggest mystery is how it breathes without lungs.

Which was your favourite? Why not let us know via Facebook or Twitter.

If you'll excuse me, I'm off to fawn over pictures of the Pink Fairy Armadillo.

~Anduril