Strangest Animals! _ Epesode-4
All animals have eukaryotic cells, surrounded by a characteristic extracellular matrix composed of collagen and elastic glycoproteins. This may be calcified to form structures like shells, bones, and spicules. During development, it forms a relatively flexible framework upon which cells can move about and be reorganized, making complex structures possible. In contrast, other multicellular organisms like plants and fungi have cells held in place by cell walls, and so develop by progressive growth. Also, unique to animal cells are the following intercellular junctions: tight junctions, gap junctions, and desmosomes.
1. Kinkajous
The Kinkajous are small, monkey like animals that love in the forests of Central and South America. Kinkajous are a small animal that lives in the forests of Central and South American. The kinkajou is about the size of a cat and somewhat resembles a monkey. It has large eyes, soft, woolly, yellowish-brown fur, and a long grasping tail that can be used to hold on to limbs. The native regard the kinkajou as a kind of monkey, but the paws are paws, not hands, and they are armed with sharp claws, not nails. Kinkajous spend most of their lives in trees.
They hide in tree during the day and feed at night on fruits, insects, and honey. When feeding, they call to each other in a shrill scream. It is so loud that it can be heard nearly a mile away. A kinkajou litter usually consists of one or two young. By the time the cubs are seven weeks old they can hang by their tails. Young kinkajous raised in captivity become very tame and are said to make delightful pets.
2. Perentie
The Perentie, a two meter monitor lizard that lives in the Australian deserts, uses the same strategy: it shelters in underground burrows.
Those burrows are huge and often have many escape tunnels. Not that the Perentie would need them. Perenties are amongst the top predators in the Australian deserts.
3. Wildebeest
One of the most common animals to grace the continent with their ugly presence is the wildebeest, a hooved animal that finds its popularity in its annual migration from the Serengeti through the Grumeti Reserves and into the Masai Mara.
The black wildebeest has a long white tail, while the blue wildebeest, or brindled gnu is the animal mentioned above, and a common object of prey for large predators. Not the most outstanding of the Ugly 5, they're still pretty resilient and hardy types.
4. Bosavi Wooly Rat
Scientists recently discovered a whole bunch of new species in a crater they were exploring on Mount Bosavi in New Guinea. Among the new animals were 16 types of new frogs and a giant bat, but none were as bizarre as this wooly rat.
Wooly rat is measuring at 32 inches and weighing just 3.3 pounds the animal showed no fear of human contact allowing the scientists to pick it up. Why was it so brave? Because it had never seen a human before!
5. Owl
Unlike the eyes of most birds, the owl’s eyes are in front of its head and point forward. But to see in another direction, the own must turn its whole head. Persons walking around a perched owl are often amused at the way it seems in danger of twisting its head off while watching them.
The owl comes out at night to hunt for mice and other small creatures. Its large eyes can see in the dimmest light. But the owl does not depend on its eyes alone for hunting. Its keen ears can hear the faintest sound and its cry startles small animals into revealing their location.
6. Hemeroplanes Caterpillar
The picture looks like a snake but this is 100% a caterpillar. In fact that is the entire point of the Hemeroplanes Caterpillar, this master of camouflage has a very unique defense mechanism in that it can do a very good impression of a pit viper.
If the Hemeroplanes Caterpillar feels threatened it will raise the top half of its body from the surface and inflate to resemble a pit viper – this crafty caterpillar even emulates a lunging motion giving the impression it’s about to strike!
7. Bilby
Like most desert animals the Bilby hides during the day and forages at night to avoid heat and dehydration. Bilbies dig burrows that are one to two meters below ground and moister and up to ten degrees cooler than the surface.
They are so efficient in conserving water that they don't need to drink. They get enough moisture from their food: seeds, bulbs, fungi, spiders and insects, which they find by scratching and digging. Just like the little fellow in the picture above.
8. Pygmy Marmoset
The Pygmy Marmoset (Callithrix (Cebuella) pygmaea) is a monkey native to the rainforest canopies of western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, and eastern Peru. It is one of the smallest primates, with its body length ranging from 14-16 cm (excluding the 15-20 cm tail) and the smallest monkey. Males weigh around 140 g (5 ounces), and females only 120 g (4.2 ounces).
Pygmy Marmoset has a tawny coat, and a ringed tail that can be as long as its body. Their claws are specially adapted for climbing trees, a trait unique to the species. They are omnivorous, feeding on fruit, leaves, insects, and sometimes even small reptiles. Much of their diet, however, comes from tapping trees for sap. Up to two-thirds of their time is spent gouging tree bark to reach the gummy sap. The Pygmy Marmoset has specialized incisors for gouging holes in bark. Unfortunately, because of its small size, and its swift movements, it is very hard to observe in the wild.
9. Sea Pig
Looking like a raw chicken breast with potato roots for legs, the Sea Pig is a type of sea cucumber.
They are a slug of the sea. Trawling the ocean floor they feed on all organic materials that come in their way.
10. Pangolin
The Pangolin is a strange animal inhabiting the warm parts of Asia and Africa. Pangolins are perhaps better known as “scaly ant-eaters,” for they are just that. The pangolin’s body is covered with sharp, horny scales that give the animal the appearance of a large pine cone. The pangolin wanders about at night in search of anthills and termite nests, which it rips open with its strong, sharp claws, and then it pushes out its sticky, wormlike tongue which may be a foot long.
It licks up the ants it uncovers and slurps the ants into its toothless mouth. It may eat many thousands of ants at one meal. When danger threatens the pangolin rolls itself up into a tight ball so heavily armored that few enemies can harm it. When rolled up, the pangolin is almost impossible to straighten out. Pangolins may grow to be from 3 to 5 feet long.
11. Olm
The Olm is a fascinating example of an amphibian that makes its home in the waters of Europe. This bizarre creature can only be found in the deepest, darkest waters and relies on none of the traditional senses we humans are used to such as sight or hearing.
The Olm feeds on small invertebrates and it receptive to chemical and electrical signals which it uses to find and identify prey. The Olm is sometimes known as the ‘human fish’ because of its coloration and was sometimes referred to as a ‘baby dragon’ in years past.
12. Conch
A conch is a kind of large sea snail with a heavy spiral shell. The conch is a large sea snail that is especially common along the coasts of Florida and the West Indies. The spiral shell of an adult conch is sometimes a foot long and may weigh as much as five pounds.
Conch shells have many uses. The beautiful pearly pink timing of conch shells is used to make buttons and for carving cameos. The shell of conchs known as Triton’s trumpets are sometimes made into horns and the conch’s meaty body is used to make delicious chowders and salads. The name “conch” comes from a Greek word meaning “shell”.
13. Red Kangaroo
The Red Kangaroo, the largest marsupial in the world, is the most famous kangaroo species, but it is only one of many. The "big reds" are the species that inhabits the driest parts of Australia, the central deserts.
Their adaptation to their environment is the one aspect they are so famous for fast and very energy-efficient way to travel. It evolved because Red Kangaroos need to cover huge distances to find enough food in the sparsely vegetated Australian desert.
14. Puffins
The Puffin is comical-looking sea birds of the North Atlantic Ocean. Puffins are sometimes called sea parrots, these plump, short-winged sea birds are one of the world’s oddest-looking birds. A white face with blue lines around the eyes and a comical waddle make the common puffin look like a circus clown. Its enormous beak, colored with red, blue, and yellow bands, is nearly as large as its head.
The gaudy colors of the male puffin’s beak are just for show. They are really colored growths that drop off after the nesting season. Despite its comical appearance, the puffin is an expert flier and swimmer. Puffins can actually swim underwater in pursuit of their prey. A puffin can catch several fish, one after another, and carry them dangling crosswise in its beak to its nestling. Image and Article Source: mindjourney1962, mysafari, outback-australia, urbantitan, divaboo, itsnature
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