The Long-Eared Jerboa Is A Nocturnal Mouse-Like Rodent With A Long Tail, Long Hind Legs For Jumping, And Exceptionally Large Ears. Very Little Is Known About The Species
Quokka: Deemed The World’s Happiest Animal, The Quokka Is Also Known As The Short-Tailed Scrub Wallaby
It is a small macropod about the size of a domestic cat. It is the only member of the genus Setonix. Like other marsupials in the macropod family (such as kangaroos and wallabies), the quokka is herbivorous and mainly nocturnal
Mary River Turtle: The One With The Green “Mohawk” Hair (Actually Algae) Is An Australian Species That Split From Other Living Species About 40 Million Years Ago
It has special organs in its cloaca that allow it to draw oxygen from the water. It can stay underwater for up to three days
Frogmouth Bird: They Are Named For Their Large Flattened Hooked Bill And Huge Frog-Like Gape, Which They Use To Capture Insects
Their flight is weak. They rest horizontally on branches during the day, camouflaged by their cryptic plumage. Up to three white eggs are laid in the fork of a branch, and are incubated by the female at night and the male in the day
Dumbo Octopus
The name "dumbo" originates from their resemblance to the title character of Disney's 1941 film Dumbo, having a prominent ear-like fin which extends from the mantle above each eye. There are 15 species recognized in the genus. Prey include crustaceans, bivalves, worms and copepods. The average life span of various Grimpoteuthis species is 3 to 5 years
Black And Rufous Elephant Shrew: One Of The 17 Species Of Elephant Shrew Found Only In Africa
The Black And Rufous Elephant Shrew,(Rhynchocyon Petersi) The Black And Rufous Sengi, Or The Zanj Elephant Shrew, is native to the lowland montane and dense forests of Kenya and Tanzania. Like other members of the genus Rhynchocyon, it is a relatively large species, with adults averaging about 28 cm (11 in) in length and 450-700 g (1.0-1.5 lb) in weight
The Sarcastic Fringehead, Neoclinus Blanchardi, Is A Small But Ferocious Fish Which Has A Large Mouth And Aggressive Territorial Behavior, For Which It Has Been Given Its Common Name
When two fringeheads have a territorial battle, they wrestle by pressing their distended mouths against each other, as if they were kissing. This allows them to determine which is the larger fish, which establishes dominance
The Pallas's Cat (Otocolobus Manul), Also Called Manul, Is A Small Wild Cat With A Broad But Fragmented Distribution In The Grasslands And Montane Steppes Of Central Asia
It is negatively affected by habitat degradation, prey base decline, and hunting, and has therefore been classified as Near Threatened by IUCN since 2002. The Pallas's cat is about the size of a domestic cat. The combination of its stocky posture and long, dense fur makes it appear stout and plush
Harpy Eagle: The Harpy Eagle (Harpia Harpyja) Is A Neotropical Species Of Eagle
It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. It is the largest and most powerful raptor found throughout its range, and among the largest extant species of eagles in the world. It usually inhabits tropical lowland rainforests in the upper (emergent) canopy layer
Native To A Remote Region Of China, This Tiny Mammal, Known As The Ili Pika, Doesn't Know It's A Member Of An Endangered Species, And Neither Do Most People
Rarer, and some would argue cuter, than the panda, there are less than 1,000 of these teddy bear-like creatures living in the Tianshan mountain range in the Xinjiang region of northwestern China, says conservationist Li Weidong. It was photographed for the first time in two decades last year (2014)
The Kakapo Is A Critically Endangered Species With Only About 125 Left
It has finely blotched yellow-green plumage, a distinct facial disc of sensory, vibrissa-like feathers, a large grey beak, short legs, large feet, and wings and a tail of relatively short length. A combination of traits make it unique among its kind; it is the world's only flightless parrot, the heaviest parrot, nocturnal, herbivorous, has a low basal metabolic rate and no male parental care, and is the only parrot to have a polygynous lek breeding system. It is also possibly one of the world's longest-living birds
Mantis Shrimp Or Stomatopods Are Marine Crustaceans, The Members Of The Order Stomatopoda
Most species can grow to around 10 centimetres (3.9 in) in length, though a few species reach up to 38 cm (15 in). The largest ever caught has a length of 46 cm (18 in) in the Indian River near Fort Pierce, Florida of USA. They sport powerful claws that they use to attack and kill prey by spearing, stunning, or dismemberment. In captivity, some larger species are capable of breaking through aquarium glass with a single strike
The Okapi Is A Giraffid Artiodactyl Mammal Native To The Northeast Of The Congo In Central Africa
Although the okapi bears striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe. The okapi and the giraffe are the only living members of the family Giraffidae. It has a long neck, and large and flexible ears. Its coat is a chocolate to reddish brown, much in contrast with the white horizontal stripes and rings on the legs and white ankles
Maratus Volans: Commonly Known As The Peacock Spider, Due To The Brightly Colored, Circular Flap In The Male’s Abdomen
Just like an actual peacock, the male of this diminutive species raises this flap like a colorful fan and uses it to catch the female’s attention (they have extremely acute eyesight, as do most jumping spiders); it also vibrates its hind legs and abdomen for a more dramatic effect. Another common trait with the peacock is that the male Maratus will sometimes court several females at the same time. Until recently, it was thought that the male peacock spider was capable of gliding through the air; according to some, it would extend the flap when leaping, and therefore increase its jumping distance, hence its name (volans means “flying”). Today we know that the flap is for display purposes only. But that doesn’t make it any less awesome
This “Troll-Haired” Bug Is One Of The Coolest-Looking Insects We’ve Ever Seen
The tiny unidentified creature, which is only 5 millimeters long, was found in the Suriname rainforest by ecologists who discovered 60 new species on a research expedition in 2012. This photo of the planthopper was featured on National Geographic. The bug’s wild “hairdo” is actually waxy secretions from its abdomen that are thought to be a defense mechanism to distract predators from its more vulnerable parts, according to conservation biologist Trond Larsen. “It could be that they fool a predator into attacking the wrong part of the insect, and the wax breaks off while the insect jumps to safety,” The rainforest in southern Suriname is “among the most remote and unexplored tracts of rainforest left on the earth."