16 Weird Looking Creatures of the Planet

Animals come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. While most animals look relatively normal, like a dog or a guinea pig, some animals are just weird-looking. It’s not every day that you stumble across a weird animal, mainly because most of them live far away from humans. Some of the world’s weirdest-looking animals are found at the deepest depths of the ocean, in extremely hot deserts, or on secluded islands.

Barreleye Fish

The Barreleye Fish is one of the weirdest-looking marine animals ever. These fish have transparent heads, upward-facing telescopic eyes, and dark grey to black bodies. Their transparent heads are filled with fluid that protects their sensitive eyes. Barreleye Fish are found in the twilight zones of the ocean where sunlight is non-existent. Their telescopic eyes glow a bioluminescent green to help them see in the dark.

Proboscis Monkey

One glance at the Proboscis Monkey will prove why they are weird-looking animals. These arboreal primates have long, droopy noses, a prominent feature of the males only. Females have smaller upturned noses instead, sort of like a duck’s bill. Proboscis Monkeys are one of the largest monkeys in Asia, with adult males weighing up to 66 pounds. Another unusual feature of these monkeys is that they have nine chambers in their stomach.

Gobi Jerboa

Gobi Jerboa are small rodents with abnormally large ears, long tails, and kangaroo-like legs. Every mismatched body part helps these rodents survive in their natural habitat. They are found throughout China and Mongolia inhabiting temperate deserts and grasslands. Gobi Jerboas use their long legs to hop around, and their large ears give them incredible hearing. Like a mini helicopter, their tails propel them through the air as they jump.

Tarsier

Tarsiers are small venomous primates only found on islands of Southeast Asia. There are about 13 to 19 different subspecies of Tarsiers, all of which have huge eyes. Each eye weighs more than this primate’s entire brain and they have the largest eye-to-body ratio of any mammal. Their eyes need to be large to help them see at night since Tarsiers are nocturnal. They are also the only venomous primate in the world.

Peacock Mantis Shrimp

There are over 400 species of Mantis Shrimp, but the Peacock Mantis Shrimp is by far the weirdest one. The Peacock Mantis Shrimp has a rainbow-colored shell in just about every color you can think of. Although these crustaceans look oddly cute, they are very fast and can strike their prey quicker than the blink of an eye. Speaking of eyes, these crustaceans can see from two different directions at once.

King Vulture

King Vultures are large birds found in Central and South America and the only living members of the genus Sarcoramphus. They are one of the most colorful vultures in the world and also the largest New World species. These birds have a strange appearance with bald heads and necks and a colorful fleshy caruncle that hands over their beaks. Scientists aren’t too sure what purpose the caruncle has.

Thorny Dragon

The Thorny Dragon is a weird-looking lizard endemic to Australia. Their bodies are covered with horned spikes that make them look like small dragons, hence their names. Although they look intimidating, Thorny Dragons mostly eat ants and move very slowly with their tails held upright in the air. These lizards drink water through their feet and use their skin like straws when standing in puddles.

Irrawaddy Dolphin

Irrawaddy Dolphins are unique mammals that look different from what you would expect from a dolphin. They have round heads and short stubby snouts, similar to Beluga Whales. Their blowholes are also shaped differently and located on the left of their heads. Irrawaddy Dolphins look adorable, and their mouth shape makes it seem like they are always smiling.

Honduran Bat

The Honduran Bat is a white tent-making bat that closely resembles a cotton ball. These bats are tiny, weighing only 0.2 ounces fully grown. They have fluffy white coats and yellow noses, ears, and wings. Honduran Bats are one of the few species that construct a tent out of leaves to roost in small groups. Their leaf tents protect them against harsh wind and rain, which can be dangerous with their small size.

Spiny Bush Viper

Spiny Bush Vipers are cute but deadly snakes covered with keeled scales that make them look spiky. They can be blue, green, brown, or a combination of colors. As an arboreal species, these snakes are skilled climbers and spend most of the day resting in branches. Spiny Bush Vipers can camouflage well, which is useful for ambushing their unsuspecting prey.

Sea Pig

Despite their name, Sea Pigs are not actually pigs, but rather sea cucumbers with tubular feet. They live in the deepest parts of the ocean and walk along the sea floor in search of decaying matter to eat. Sea Pigs have a weird way of eating by resting on their heads and waving their feet in the air to capture floating food particles.

Naked Mole Rat

Naked Mole Rats are burrowing rodents native to Africa known for their strange appearance. They are entirely bald with pink or yellowish skin and long, protruding teeth. Unlike most mammals, Naked Mole Rats are resistant to cancer, likely because of the low amount of oxygen in their natural habitats. They also have the longest lifespan of any other rodent and can live for up to 37 years.

Dragon-Headed Caterpillar

There are roughly 400 different species of Dragon-headed Caterpillars, all of which have weird-looking horns on their heads. Dragon-headed caterpillars can be either green with a black or green head or white with red markings. Their head capsules may fade to different colors as they get closer to metamorphosing into butterflies. They are found in tropical and temperature forests throughout South America, Australia, and Asia.

Blobfish

Blobfish are deep-sea creatures known for their pink, jelly-like appearance. These fish only look weird when they are brought to the surface, as the rapid changes in air pressure decompress them. Blobfish live at depths of 2,000 to 3,900 feet in the ocean where there is little sunlight or oxygen. Their bodies rely on intense water pressure to stay intact and to make them look like “normal” fish.

Gunnison Sage-Grouse

The Gunnison Sage-grouse is a bizarre-looking bird only found in eastern Utah and western Colorado. While the females look quite normal with mottled brown and black feathers, the males do not. Male Gunnison Sage-grouses have chubby bodies, long tail feathers with distinctive bars, and two air sacs dangling on their chests. These yellow air sacs are inflatable and used to create weird popping noises to attract a mate.

Bald Uakari

Bald Uakari look like monkeys with bad sunburns, and their unusual appearance makes them a distinctive primate. Their bald faces are crimson red, and their fur color ranges from cream to copper. They are social primates that live in large groups in the Amazon rainforest. They spend most of the day searching for delicious fruits or resting atop tree branches with the rest of their troop.

12 Scary Creatures of the Planet

12 Scary Creatures of the Planet