From bright colors to extraneous appendages, Mother Nature sure does have a strange sense of humor sometimes.

But if people come in all shapes and sizes, why shouldn’t everything else?

And yet, despite having a pretty good imagination, we’re not sure we would have come up with these fine specimens:

1. Gerenuk

This long-necked antelope is native to eastern Africa, where its name means “giraffe neck.” And we can see why!

Their tiny heads and large eyes and ears help them pick through the trees for their dinner.

2. Amazonian Royal Flycatcher

These birds like to dark out of their nests to catch flying insects, hence the name.

They’re found in the woods of the Amazon basin and build enormous nests up to 6 feet long on branches that hang out over the water.

3. Patagonian Mara

This adorable rodent (not a phrase we use frequently) can be found in Argentina.

You can spot it easily (provided you’re in Argentina) by its long ears and the fact that its hind legs are longer than its forelimbs.

4. Tufted deer

While it’s known for the small tuft of black hair on its head, we think it’s more distinct for looking like a cross between a deer and a vampire. But that’s probably why we’re not in charge of classifying animals.

This shy creature lives throughout central China, but even then, they’re still hard to find because they camouflage themselves well.

5. Mangalica

Hungarian breed of domestic pig.

6. Star-Nosed Mole

What the heck!?

This creature looks like it walked Straight out of Pan’s Labyrinth (or David Bowie’s Labyrinth for that matter!).

They’re about the size of a hamster and live in North American marshes and other poorly drained areas.

So make sure to wear shoes next time you go hiking in a bog!

7. Fossa

Madagascar has been cut off from the African continent long enough to develop some very unique creatures all its own.

Take the fossa, for example. It looks like a bad witness sketch of a real animal.

Compared most often to a cougar, it has big claws and flexible ankles that make it able to climb and jump between trees!

8. Zebra Duiker

Found in Ivory Coast and other parts of Africa, this isn’t a zebra at all but an antelope.

But check out those black stripes on its red/gold coat!

9. Irrawaddy dolphin

This odd-looking dolphin can only be found near sea coasts and rivers in Southeast Asia.

Fun fact: it’s actually more closely related to the killer whale than any other dolphin species.

Sadly, there are less than 100 of them left in the world.

10. Yeti crab

Only recently discovered in 2005, the Kiwa hirsuta lives in the South Pacific Ocean.

It has been nicknamed the Yeti crab for its blond “fur”-like hairs.

11. Markhor

This majestic goat is native to Afghanistan and parts of the Himilayas.

Unfortunately, those badass horns mean humans are its main predator. But they live in very hard-to-reach mountaintops, which are often hard to get to.

12. Southern Right Whale Dolphin

The Southern Right Whale Dolphin lives in the cool waters of the southern hemisphere and is characterized, in part, by its lack of a dorsal fin.

They are one of only two members of the genus Lissodelphis – the other being the Northern Right Whale Dolphin. Go figure.

13. Raccoon dog

Well, we’re pretty sure we know why it’s called raccoon dog.

This little guy is the Ussuri raccoon dog which lives in Russia and throughout northeastern China, and Korea, and Europe.

And it’s actually more closely related to a fox than a raccoon.

14. Aye-aye

Don’t worry, the aye-aye only looks like it wants to eat your soul.

15. Dumbo octopus

Humans can be really uncreative when naming creatures.

This little creature is named for Disney’s Dumbo because it looks like it has ears sticking off the side of it.

They’re just fins though. We’re more interested in why it looks like it’s sticking out its tongue at us.

16. Panda ant

It looks like Mother Nature got her notes out of order when she created this creature.

You’ll be unsurprised to know it’s not a panda, but it’s also not an ant.

It’s actually a wingless wasp.

Because of course it is.

17. Maned wolf

It looks like a fox, but it’s not. It’s not a wolf either. Nor does it have a mane. So good job on naming this creature, people!

This animal actually belongs to the dog family and is native to the savanna lands of South America. It’s a solitary animal that you’re not likely to come by in your lifetime, though if you do you may hear it’s unique (and purportedly loud) “roar-bark.”

18. Japanese spider crab

Holy crab!

Welcome to our nightmares, Mr. Crab.

This ginormous species lives, you guessed it, off the coast of Japan. It can have a leg span of up to 12 feet and its body can grow to be 16 inches, altogether weighing up to 42 pounds!

19. Atretochoana Eiselti

Oh, c’mon, you know what this snake’s nickname is.

This is actually an amphibian discovered in the Amazon while construction workers were building a dam.

20. Sea pen

Let’s not end on a phallic note.

Check out this “Sea pen.” It roots itself into the sandy sea bottom where it’s able to catch any plankton that floats on by.

Only the suborder Subselliflorae live up to the quill-like nickname.

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Source: H/t Bored Panda