20 of the most unique animals in the world that you’ll probably never see in person
Mother Nature has an interesting taste when it comes to creating creatures sometimes.
From fluorescent coloring to legs where we don’t expect to see them, some animals look like they got shuffled around a bit. And others are so amazing they look near-mythical.
Check out these 20 rare creatures that you may never see in person:
1. Curly-haired horse
Curlies are also called Bashkir Curlies and can come in all shapes and sizes.
Their unique hair is due to a rare gene and no one knows quite where they came from.
A rare curly haired horse for the 99% of people who have not seen one yet – your welcome from r/interestingasfuck
2. Mexican mole lizard
You’ll have to head out to Baja, California to find this elusive creature.
You can’t really see it’s digits, but there’s a reason it’s also known as the 5-toed worm lizard.
The Mexican mole lizard, so rare it is almost mythical 🔥 from r/NatureIsFuckingLit
3. Blobfish
The aptly-named creatures live so deep within the ocean that they are never seen by humans except for oceanic adventurers.
But when they are seen, they really freak people out.
4. Albino raccoon
Raccoons are common enough, but albinos tend not to live very long in the wild.
This one seems to have some friends that have his back though.
5. Grey peacock pheasant
The national bird of Myanmar rarely ventures out into the open.
So it’s no surprise if you’ve never seen one.
6. The argonaut
This tiny type of octopus looks like a few different creatures all melded together.
That delicate shell-like feature is where a female carries her eggs.
7. Orchid mantis
This creature is native to Malaysia.
But it’s also a rare find because when they’re out in the open, they’re easily spotted by predators and gobbled up.
Well, unless they’re hanging out on an orchid.
A rare adult orchid mantis from Malaysia. Beautiful specimens such as this are rare because their fabulous coloration attracts birds and they usually don’t survive to adulthood. from r/pics
8. African bush vipers
That’s some effective nightmare fuel!
These are baby African bush vipers – so they will get bigger and a bite WILL hurt you.
Luckily, you don’t have to worry about them if you don’t live in tropical Subsaharan Africa.
9. Halitrephes maasi
You aren’t going to find one of these deep-sea jellyfish during your day at the beach.
They live at a depth of about 4-5,000 feet near the Revillagigedo Archipelago in Mexico.
🔥 The Halitrephes maasi jelly filmed off Baja California by EVNautilus 🔥 from r/NatureIsFuckingLit
10. Spangled Coquette
These little hummingbirds can give off quite some floof when they’re agitated.
But it’s unlikely you’ll get the chance to annoy one unless you’re in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, or Venezuela.
11. Shoebill
Also known as the whale-headed stork, these birds are slowly going extinct due to habitat loss.
There are only a couple thousand left in the world.
🔥 The shoebill looks like an animatron of itself 🔥 from r/NatureIsFuckingLit
12. Golden pheasant
While they might look like they’d be rare to us, these birds are quite popular in China.
They have made their way around the world though, so it’s not impossible that you’ve spotted one elsewhere if you’re a birdwatcher.
Like many birds, it’s the males that carry all the color.
13. Curl-crested aracari
Since we’re on a bird kick, check out this colorful creature.
You might be unsurprised to know that it belongs to the toucan family.
🔥 One of the prettiest Brazilian birds the Curl-crested aracari from r/NatureIsFuckingLit
14. Red-eyed tree frog
If there were one of these around it would be hard not to notice.
And while their pictures are everywhere, did you know its eyelids looked so cool?
🔥 The red eyed tree frog has three eyelids 🔥 from r/NatureIsFuckingLit
15. Irrawaddy Dolphin
Time is running out to see an Irrawaddy Dolphin.
The remaining few can be found along sea coasts and in estuaries and rivers in the Bay of Bengal and around Southeast Asia, but researchers estimate there are only 92 of them remaining.
🔥 A rare Irrawaddy Dolphin, only 92 are estimated to still exist. These dolphins have a bulging forehead, short beak, and 12-19 teeth on each side of both jaws. from r/NatureIsFuckingLit
16. Kermode Bear
Also known as the “Spirit Bear” this beautiful subspecies of black bear is going extinct in North America.
They’re sacred to the indigenous tribes of what is now northern Canada.
🔥 The rare and elusive Kermode Bear (aka Spirit Bear) 🔥 from r/NatureIsFuckingLit
17. Long-eared jerboa
The description says it all.
Don’t expect to see one in your lifetime.
🔥 The long-eared jerboa (Euchoreutes naso) is an extremely rare nocturnal rodent with a long tail, long hind legs for jumping, and exceptionally large ears. Endemic to southern Mongolia and northwestern China, it wasn’t until 2007 that this creature was recorded on film for the first time. from r/NatureIsFuckingLit
18. Marble fox
Sadly, many of these are bred to be kept as pets despite simply being a genetic variant of standard red foxes.
They don’t make good pets because that’s not what wild animals were meant to be.
19. White peacock
This magnificent lacy-looking bird is a genetic variant of the Indian Blue Peafowl.
But we simply can’t stop staring at it!
🔥 White peacocks extremely rare, They are native to India, and are also found in the grasslands of Australia. from r/NatureIsFuckingLit
20. Okapi
It looks like a zebra but is more closely related to a giraffe.
There are breeding programs around the world for these unique creatures, so there’s a chance you could see one in captivity.
🔥 The okapi (Okapia johnstoni), aka the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is a very rare mammal native to the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These close relatives of the giraffe were remarkably not discovered until the early 20th century. from r/NatureIsFuckingLit
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