Top 10 Weirdest Animals

Being weird or not could be viewed as a subjective issue. This is because it has a lot to do with  perception and this may be influenced by awareness , exposure, experience, knowledge and feeling towards certain looks, behavior, talent, shape, size and or movements. These diverse qualities could play a role in differing people’s reaction towards various animals, hence,  the writer has carefully pulled together a list that is believed to draw common reaction from most people.

1.Platypus :

Possessing a duck bill, webbed feet, beaver tail, and furry otter body, platypuses are peculiar animals indeed. They are only one of two mammals that lay eggs. Male platypuses have poisonous barbs on their back feet which will deliver a lethal toxic attack to an enemy when necessary.

2.Frill Necked Lizard:

Looking like a cross between a prehistoric dinosaur and an umbrella, the frill necked lizard is a creature to behold when it strikes its intimidating pose. Standing on its hind legs with its pleated skin flap unfurled around its head like a huge hood, it may appear very threatening. It actually only assumes this pose to intimidate a predator long enough for it to turn tail and flee in an awkward run.

3.Armadillo:

Resembling armored basketballs, armadillos are the only mammals that possess bony plates that cover their head, back, legs and tail like a shell. The only type of armadillo that can actually encase itself completely in its shell is the three-banded armadillo, which is also the only armadillo that lives in North America. These round creatures are related to anteaters. Their diet consists of ants and termites that they dig up with their pointy nose and slurp down with long tongues.

4.Narwhal:

Believed to be the source of the unicorn myth, narwhals are porpoises that possess only two teeth. They are called the unicorn of the sea because in males, one of the teeth grows out from their upper lip and extends into a spiral tusk that resembles a horn. Scientists do not completely understand the purpose of this horn but they speculate it’s a form of defense or protection.

5.Bats :

Though a source of superstition, bats should actually be appreciated for just how unique they are. Bats are the only mammals capable of true sustained flight and unlike the common misconception, they are not actually blind. Their eyes are small and fully functional but they use an advanced sonar to locate their pray and keep tabs on their surroundings through echolocation. The smallest bats have a wingspan of barely an inch and the largest bats have a wingspan up to six feet.

6.Okapi :

A native of the Congo, the okapi resembles a zebra with its striped hindquarters. It’s actually a relative of the giraffe with the same long flexible tongue but a shorter neck. Height is not an asset in the jungle. Little is known about okapis because they prefer to hide in the jungle and they were not discovered by scientists until 1900.

7. Sugar Glider:

Seeing the small gray and black striped body of a sugar glider “flying” through the air can be quite amazing. Sugar gliders are marsupials found in Australia, and while they do not truly fly, they are capable of gliding distances of over 450 feet. This gliding is made possible by the membrane of skin that stretches from their front feet to their hind feet, called the patagium.

8.Hummingbird:

Being buzzed by these turbo fast birds can be startling for someone unfamiliar with their presence that might mistakenly fear they are being attacked by a large bee. Hummingbirds can beat their wings over 50 times a second and rarely stop to rest. Their feet are actually so small they were not designed to hop or crawl and their life is one of almost constant motion. Hummingbirds can hover, fly backward and even fly upside down.

9.Tree Frog :

The bright colors of the red-eyed tree frog may lead one to believe that they do not need camouflage to survive. In truth, the tree frog’s vivid appearance does actually deter its nocturnal predators whose vision can become overstimulated by their bright green, yellow and blue body and big red eyes. Red-eyed tree frogs are not actually poisonous as many believe them to be.

10.Stick Bug:

Working within a garden and suddenly seeing a stick in the grass move can be disconcerting. Such is the clever design and camouflage of the stick bug. Stick bugs resemble sticks with legs to avoid detection by predators. These unusual insects range in size from half an inch to over a foot long, making it one of the longest insects in the world.

Source: toptensbest