Top 10 Weird Animals.

Leafy sea dragon

Named after the dragons of Chinese mythology, Leafy seadragons (Phycodurus eques) resemble a piece of drifting seaweed as they float in the seaweed-filled water. The Leafy seadragon, with green, orange and gold hues along its body, is covered with leaf-like appendages, making it remarkably camouflaged. Only the fluttering of tiny fins or the moving of an independently swiveling eye, reveals its presence.

Like the seahorse, the male seadragon carries as many as 150-200 eggs. After being deposited by the female, the eggs are carried in the honeycomb-shaped area (known as the brood patch) under the male's tail for approximately eight weeks. Seadragons have no teeth or stomach and feed exclusively on mysidopsis shrimp. Known as "Australian seahorses" in Australia, they are found in calm, cold water that is approximately 50-54° F (10-12° C). Leafy seadragons have been protected by the South Australian government since 1982.

Sucker Footed Bat

Scientists were conducting fieldwork in the fast-disappearing forests of Madagascar when they found this new species of bat with sticky suckers on its feet and thumbs.

The creature, dubbed Myzopoda schliemanni, uses the adhesive organs to scale the large, broad leaves of tropical plants where it roosts.

Only one other species of this sucker-footed family is known to science, and it too makes its home on the large African island.

Star-nosed Mole

The Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) is a small North American mole found in easternCanada and the north-eastern United States. It is the only member of the tribe Condyluriniand the genus Condylura.

It lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and molluscs. It is a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, this animal digs shallow surface tunnels for foraging; often, these tunnels exit underwater. It is active day and night and remains active in winter, when it has been observed tunnelling through the snow and swimming in ice-covered streams. Little is known about the social behavior of the species, but it is suspected that it is colonial.

The Star-nosed Mole is covered in thick blackish brown water-repellent fur and has large scaled feet and a long thick tail, which appears to function as a fat storage reserve for the spring breeding season. Adults are 15 to 20 cm in length, weigh about 55 g, and have 44 teeth. The mole’s most distinctive feature is a circle of 22 mobile, pink, fleshy tentacles at the end of the snout. These are used to identify food by touch, such as worms, insects and crustaceans.

Saki Monkey 

Saki's, or saki monkeys are small monkeys with long, bushy tails. Their furry, rough skin is black, grey or reddish-brown colored depending upon the species. The faces of some species are naked, but their head is hooded with fur. Their bodies are adapted to life in the trees, with strong hind legs allowing them to make far jumps. Sakis reach a length of 30 to 50 cm, with a tail just as long, and weigh up to 2 kg.

Saki's are diurnal animals. They live in the trees of the rain forests and only occasionally go onto the land. They mostly move on all fours, sometimes running in an upright position on the hind legs over the branches, and sometimes jumping long distances. For sleeping they roll themselves cat-like in the branches. They are generally very shy, cautious animals.

Saki's live in family federations, which consist of parents and their offspring, with mated pairs usually forming lifelong pair bonds. They are territorial animals, defending their territory in relation to other families. Saki's know a set of communication possibilities: while shrill cries or bird-like twitter serves as a connection among family members, a loud roar serves to warn other animals off their territory.

Saki's are omnivores. They eat fruits, leaves, flowers, insects, and small vertebrates, such as rodents and bats.

Mating is non-seasonal, and can happen any time during the year. After approximately 150 to 180 day gestation, females bear single young. The young are weaned after 4 months, and are fully mature in 3 years. Their life expectancy is up to 14 years.

Sloths

Sloths come from one of the earliest mammalian orders, Xenarthra, and originated about 35 million years ago in the Late Eocene of South America. They are most closely related to armadillos and anteaters. Today, only two genera of sloths with five species exist in South America, whereas there used to be over thirty-five genera of the extinct ground sloths ranging from parts of Antarctica, South America, Central America, Hispaniola, and North America with some even going as far as Alaska. Modern sloths live upside-down in the forests of South America. Despite their long, sharply curved claws, they are herbivores and mainly eat tree leaves as their teeth are too primitive and weak, due to a lack of enamel, to chew anything else. The claws are part of their adaptation to life in the trees and help them remain sleeping and suspended underneath branches for hours. Sloths are generally nocturnal and move around little when awake. When they do move, it is at a slow and deliberate speed. This slow way of life is necessary to navigate the web of small peripheral tree branches where they feed and is further reflected in their rate of metabolism. Sloths take their sweet time digesting food and consequently, only defecate once or twice in a one week period. The defecation usually takes place at the base of tree where the sloth excavates a spot for it with its short, stubby tail. This event marks one of the rare occasions that sloths will venture to the ground.The slow or low rate of metabolism in sloths effects their ability to fight off illness. Most sloths have difficulty surviving when in captivity outside of their natural range because they cannot fight off new diseases or adapt to a colder climate. This is unfortunate as three-toed sloths make decent pets, though their status as an endangered species further deters the notion of obtaining one outside of South America. Two-toed sloths, however, would make for poor companions as they tend to have a mean-streak and are quick to bite with their self-sharpening canines.

Pygmy Marmosets

Pygmy Marmosets are one of the smallest primates and they are the smallest monkey in the world. They have a body length between 12 and 15 cm, a tail length between 17 and 23 cm and they weigh between 100 and 125 g.

Their fur is tawny in color and they have ringed tails that are at least as long as their body. Much of their time is spent up in the trees and their coloring provides them with camouflage.

They have long, forward turned incisors that are the same length as their canines. They use their specially adapted teeth to gnaw into the bark of trees so they can feed on the sap.

They move quadruped-ally and are very agile, active monkeys that are difficult to observe in the wild as they move so quickly through the trees

Red Panda

The red panda is named after the fiery color of its long, soft coat. The coat’s red color serves as camouflage to blend with the red lichen that occurs in fir trees of China. Coloration for the upper parts of the coat are rusty to deep chestnut while the underside is darkest in color. The coat is comprised of long, moisture-shedding guard hairs and a dense undercoat of insulating gray-brown wool. The muzzle, lips, cheeks and ear edges are white, and dark red-brown tear tracks run from the eyes to the corners of the mouth. The limbs and underbelly are glossy dark reddish brown to black. The red panda has a bushy, non-prehensile tail that makes up two thirds the length of its body. The tail is faintly marked with dark red-brown rings.

Thickly furred soles of the feet are adapted for walking on snow and ice. Excellent climbers, red pandas have pinkish-white claws that are half sheathed and semi-retractile. The red pandahas an enlarged radial sesamoid bone on its forefoot wrist that is opposite its other digits. This "extra thumb" enables the red panda to grip and hold slender branches and leaves in its fore paws.

The Narwhal

The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is an Arctic species of cetacean. It is a creature rarely found south of latitude 70°N. It is one of two species of white whale in the Monodontidae family (the other is the beluga whale). It is possibly also related to the Irrawaddy dolphin.

The English name narwhal is derived from the Dutch name narwhal which in turn comes from the-danish narhval which is based on the Old Norse word nar, meaning "corpse." This is a reference to the animal’s colour. The narwhal is also commonly known as the Moon Whale.

In some parts of the world, the Narwhal is colloquially referred to as a "ream-fish."

In Inuit language the narwhal is named Tuugaalik.

The most conspicuous characteristic of male narwhal is their single extraordinarily long tusk, an incisor that projects from the left side of the upper jaw and forms a left-handed helix. The tusk can be up to 3 meters long (compared with a body length of 7–8 m) and weigh up to 10 kilograms. About one in 500 males has two tusks, which occurs when the right tooth, normally small, also grows out. Although rare, a female narwhal may also produce a tusk. There is a single recorded case of a female with two tusks.

The purpose of the tusk has been the subject of much debate. Early scientific theories suggested that the tusk was used to pierce the ice covering the narwhal’s Arctic Sea habitat. Others suggested the tusk was used in echolocation. More recently, scientists believed the tusk is primarily used for showmanship and for dominance: males with larger tusks are more likely to successfully attract a mate. This hypothesis was suggested by the activity of "tusking", in which two males rub their tusks together.

However, recent work by a research team led by Martin Nweeia suggests that the tusk may in fact be a sensory organ. Electron micro-graphs of tusks revealed millions of tiny, deep tubules extending from the tusk’s surface, apparently connecting to the narwhal’s nervous system. While such tubules are present in the teeth of many species, they do not typically extend to the surface of healthy teeth. The exact sensory purpose of the tusk remains unknown, but scientists now hypothesize that it may detect temperature, salinity, pressure, and/or particulate makeup of the water in which the narwhal swims. Unlike the tusks of elephants, narwhal tusks do not regrow if they break off. However if damaged the tusks can repair themselves to a certain extent.

Male narwhals weigh up to 1600 kg, the female around 1000 kg. Most of the body is pale with brown speckles in color, though the neck, head and edges of the flippers and fluke are nearly black. Older animals are usually more brightly colored than younger animals.

Frilled Lizard

The frilled lizard is obviously designed for climbing, it is a large slender species, two thirds of its body length are made up by its tail. It has a brightly coloured (often blue) frill which is most of the time folded against the neck, it may be extended at times of courtship or alarm. This is a relatively dull coloured lizard, a background of grey or brown with irregular darker marks.Lives in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Eats Gutloaded insects (crickets, locusts, waxworms, morios, etc).

Komondor

King of the Hungarian livestock guarding dogs, the Komondor, is one of the most unusual breeds. A big muscular dog covered with dense, white cords. This coat protects the dogagainst the elements and predators . The Komondor is a large dog with males standing at least 27 1/2" at the shoulders, while females must be at least 25 1/2" tall. Occasionally one may see a Komondor as large as 31" or even bigger, but these cases are rare. While large, the Komondor is not an overly heavy dog. Males usually weigh more than 80 pounds and females more than 60 pounds. Despite its size, the Komondor is astonishingly fast, agile and light on its feet. The quick movement, large size, unique coat and majestic appearance of theKomondor can be awe inspiring. A fearless dog, the Komondor’s main task is to guard flocks of sheep or other livestock against predators such as wolves, coyotes, feral dogs, or human predators. The nature of the Komondor is that of a calm watchful dog who thrives on responsibility. Komondors need something to watch over. Be it livestock, children, or a cat, aKomondor is happiest when taking responsibility for another’s well-being. As a pet, theKomondor is quiet around the house, unless it perceives a threat to those entrusted to its care. If challenged, the Komondor becomes a fearless protector knocking down an intruder or breaking windows to protect its "flock". In the field, the Komondor is vigilant and trustworthy, reducing losses and even caring for orphans. It is important to remember that the Komondoris, first and foremost, a stock guard dog.