5 weirdly unique animals and where can you see them

The carnal kingdom is filled with creatures challenging our knowing of nature’s creativity. Here’s a look at 5 unsocial animals from crossed the globe and wherever you tin witnesser their fascinating existence.

1. Armadillo Girdled Lizard (South Africa)

Resembling a miniature dragon, the Armadillo Girdled Lizard is simply a autochthonal of South Africa’s Northern and Western Cape provinces. Their astir distinctive behaviour is their quality to rotation into a choky shot erstwhile threatened, overmuch similar their namesake, the armadillo.

Unlike astir reptiles, these lizards springiness commencement to unrecorded young—a uncommon trait. Females whitethorn adjacent provender their offspring, adding a mammalian interaction to their reptilian lives. Spot them basking connected rocky outcrops successful their earthy situation oregon successful prime South African wildlife reserves.

2. Velvet Ants (South America)

Misleadingly named, velvet ants are really a benignant of wasp. The wingless, hairy females look strikingly similar ants and are notorious for their excruciatingly achy sting, earning them the nickname “cow killers.”

Their colourful appearance—ranging from agleam reddish to achromatic and achromatic (panda-like)—is an evolutionary informing to predators. Found passim South America, these fascinating insects are champion observed from a harmless region successful unfastened fields oregon arid environments.

Birding tours successful regions similar the Pantanal successful Brazil oregon the rivers of Belize connection premier opportunities to brushwood this towering avian wonder. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

3. Jabiru Stork (Central and South America)

Standing 5 feet gangly with a 14-inch-long bill, the Jabiru Stork commands attention. Known for its territorial nature, it has a acheronian past of assertive encounters, specified arsenic 1 infamous incidental astatine the Belize Zoo, wherever a stork attacked visitors, prompting the summation of a roofed viewing platform.

These birds are autochthonal to Central and South America wetland areas and provender connected fish, amphibians, and tiny mammals. Birding tours successful regions similar the Pantanal successful Brazil oregon the rivers of Belize connection premier opportunities to brushwood this towering avian wonder.

4. Vampire Bat (The Americas)

A carnal consecutive retired of myths, vampire bats provender exclusively connected blood. With lone 3 taxon worldwide, these bats are recovered successful Central and South America. Using dependable and infrared sensors, they find prey, typically sleeping animals similar capybaras, and marque precise incisions to feed.

While their feeding habits whitethorn look unsettling, vampire bats are indispensable successful controlling carnal populations. Observing these creatures is imaginable successful their earthy caves oregon wildlife tours crossed the Amazon.

5. Kinkajou (Yucatán to the Amazon)

Known arsenic the “honey bear,” the kinkajou is unrelated to bears oregon primates but is 1 of the fewer tree-dwelling mammals with a prehensile tail. This process allows them to determination effortlessly done the rainforest canopy, wherever they chiefly feast connected fruit.

Kinkajous are nocturnal and tin sometimes beryllium spotted successful rainforest resorts specified arsenic the Sweet Songs Jungle Lodge successful Belize. Their playful quality and inquisitiveness marque them a favourite show for ecotourists exploring the Amazon Basin.