We live in a big world of fascinating creatures, some of which scientists are still discovering today! Here are some extraordinary animals you may not have heard of before:
- The Dumbo Octopus
The Dumbo Octopus is a deep-sea creature that can go very far beneath the surface of the water (9,800 to 13,000 feet deep). These little sea creatures look cute and cuddly, but do not be fooled; they can swallow their food whole. The Dumbo octopus got its name from the Disney character, ‘Dumbo the elephant’ because it uses its ears to swim the same way Dumbo the elephant uses his ears to fly.
- Basilisk Lizards
Basilisk Lizards (also known as “the Jesus lizard”) can be found in Central and South America near rivers, streams, and rainforests. These amazing lizards can run on water!
- Immortal Jellyfish
Immortal Jellyfish really do live up to their name, as they are immortal in their own sort of way. When food is scarce, or they are injured, these outstanding creatures can go back through their life cycle. Of course, these “immortal jellies” can actually die in the case that they get eaten or if they catch a disease.
- Tree Kangaroos
Tree Kangaroos are really just mini kangaroos that live on trees. They, like regular kangaroos, also have small pouches to keep their joeys (baby kangaroos) inside. They can be found in the tropical islands of New Guinea as well as in some areas of Queensland, Australia.
- The Sloth Bear
The Sloth Bear is not quite a sloth-sized bear; rather, a bear that looks a bit like a sloth because of their round-shaped claws. They are omnivores and will eat anything from fruits to insects (ants and termites). Sloth Bears use their claws to dig a hole in the earth, stick their mouth in, shut their nose and suck all the insects out like a vacuum cleaner.
- Poison Dart Frogs
The Poison Dart Frog is a species of tree frog that is highly poisonous. Their poison isn’t in fangs or stings, but in their skin, which means that touching them is fatal. The gold dart frog can kill 10 adults with a single dose of its poison. Thankfully, they cannot be found in Kuwait as they live on the Pacific Coast of Colombia.
- The Draco Lizard
Also known as the “Flying Dragon” or the “Gliding Lizard”, it is a 20cm tall lizard that has wings on its back; however, it cannot actually fly, but glide. These lizards use air resistance to keep them up in the air. They were commonly believed to be poisonous, but (thankfully) that is false; they are harmless.
- Caracals
Caracals are medium-sized wild cats that live in Africa, India and the Middle East. They are known for their ability to leap quite high, as they can leap up to 10 feet high (3 meters). Caracals often use this feature to swat birds down to eat them, and they can even leap on an ostrich’s back.
- Vampire Bats
Vampire bats are bats that live solely on blood except for when they are babies, they only drink milk. They have sharp teeth used for sucking blood, and their attacks are so subtle that their prey doesn’t feel the bites.
- Dementor Wasps
Named after the soul-sucking Harry Potter creatures, dementor wasps use their venom to paralyze cockroaches and insert them into a zombie-like trance so that they then follow the wasp all the way to its burrow, where it can be preyed upon.
