1. Angora rabbit (ladies).
These rabbits look quite impressive; there are specimens whose fur reaches up to 80 cm in length. Their wool is extremely valuable, and a wide variety of things are made from it: stockings, scarves, gloves
, just fabrics and even linen. One kilogram of this rabbit’s wool is valued at about 10 – 12 rubles. One rabbit produces about 0.5 kg of this wool per year, but usually much less. Most often, Angora rabbits are bred by women, which is why they are sometimes called “ladies’ rabbits.”The average weight of such a rabbit is 5 kg, body length 61 cm, chest girth 35-40 cm, but other options are possible.
2. Marmoset monkey
This is the most amazing species of monkeys living on Earth.
When you look at this tiny creature the size of a mouse (10-15 cm) with a long tail (20-21 cm) and large Mongoloid eyes with a conscious gaze, you feel some embarrassment.
3. Palm thief
This is one of the representatives of decapod crustaceans. The habitat of this animal is the western Pacific Ocean and islands in the Indian Ocean. This animal of the land crayfish family is quite large for representatives of its species. An adult can reach 32 cm in length and weigh up to 3-4 kg.
For quite a long time, it was mistakenly believed that the palm thief could split coconuts with its claws in order to then eat them, but now scientists have definitely proven that this cancer, despite the enormous strength of its claws, is not capable of splitting a coconut, but can easily break your arm...
Coconuts that split when they fall constitute their main source of nutrition, which is why this crayfish was named the palm thief. However, he is not averse to enjoying other food - the fruits of plants, organic elements from the earth, and even God's creatures similar to themselves. His character, meanwhile, is timid and friendly.
The coconut crab is unique in its kind, its sense of smell is as developed as that of insects, and it also has olfactory organs that ordinary crabs lack. This feature developed after this species left the water and settled on land.
Unlike other crabs, they move forward rather than sideways. They don't stay in the water for long.
4. Sea cucumber. Holothuria
Sea cucumbers, egg capsules (Holothuroidea), a class of invertebrates such as echinoderms.
The modern fauna is represented by 1150 species, divided into 6 orders, which differ from each other in the shape of the tentacles and calcareous ring, as well as the presence of some internal organs. There are about 100 species in Russia.
The body of sea cucumbers is leathery to the touch, usually rough and wrinkled. The body wall is thick and elastic, with well-developed muscle bundles. Longitudinal muscles (5 ribbons) are attached to the calcareous ring around the esophagus. At one end of the body there is a mouth, at the other there is an anus. The mouth is surrounded by a corolla of 10-30 tentacles, which serve to capture food, and leads into a spirally twisted intestine.
They usually lie “on their side”, raising the front, oral end. Holothurians feed on plankton and organic debris extracted from bottom silt and sand, which is passed through the digestive canal. Other species filter food from bottom waters with tentacles covered with sticky mucus.
At severe irritation they throw out the back part of the intestine along with the water lungs through the anus, scaring off or distracting the attackers; Lost organs are quickly restored. In some species, Cuvier's tubules containing toxins are also released. Sea cucumbers are hunted by sea stars, gastropods, fish and crustaceans.
5. Hell's Vampire
This animal is a mollusk. Despite its external similarity to an octopus or squid, scientists have separated this mollusk into a separate series, Vampyromorphida (Latin), because only it has retractable, receptive, whip-shaped filaments.
Almost the entire surface of the mollusk’s body is covered with luminescent organs - photophores. They appear as small white discs enlarging at the ends of the tentacles and at the base of the fins. Photophores are absent only on the inner side of the membraned tentacles. The hellish vampire has very good control over these organs and is capable of producing disorienting flashes of light lasting from hundredths of a second to several minutes. In addition, it can control the brightness and size of the color spots.
6. Amazonian dolphin
This is the world's largest river dolphin. Inia geoffrensis, as scientists have named it, can reach 2.5 meters in length and weigh up to 200 kg. Juveniles are light gray in color, but become lighter with age. The body of the Amazonian dolphin is full, with a narrow snout and a thin tail. Round forehead, slightly curved nose and small eyes. You can meet the Amazonian dolphin in the rivers and lakes of Latin America.
7. Star-nosed
The star-nosed animal is an insectivorous mammal from the mole family. You can meet such an animal only in Southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
Externally, the star-nosed snake differs from other animals of this family and from other small animals, only it is characterized by the structure of its snout in the form of a rosette or star of 22 soft mobile fleshy naked rays.
The size of the star-nosed mole is similar to its European relative, the mole. Its tail is relatively long (about 8 cm), covered with scales and sparse hair.
When the starfish is looking for food, the rays on the stigma are constantly moving, with the exception of the two middle-upper ones, they are directed forward and do not bend. When he eats, the rays are pulled together into a compact lump; While eating, the animal holds the food with its front paws. When the starfish drinks, it immerses both the stigma and all the whiskers in the water for 5-6 seconds.
8. Fossa
I think everyone has watched the cartoon “The Lion King” or “Madagascar”, these animals are very often found there.
These amazing animals live only on the island of Madagascar; there are nowhere else in the world, not even in Africa.
The Fossa is a rare animal and the only member of the genus Cryptoprocta, with the Fossa being the largest predator found on the island of Madagascar. The appearance of the Fossa is a little unusual: it is something between a civet and a small puma. At times, the Fossa is also called the Madagascar lion; the ancestors of this animal were much larger and reached the size of a lion. The fossa has a strong build, a massive and slightly elongated body, its length can reach up to 80 cm (on average the fossa body reaches 65-70 cm). The fossa's paws are high, but rather thick, and the hind paws are longer than the front paws. The tail of this animal is very long, often reaching the length of the body and reaching up to 65 cm.
9. Japanese giant salamander
The largest amphibian found in the world, this salamander can reach 160 cm in length and weigh up to 180 kg. In addition, such a salamander can live up to 150 years, although the officially recorded longest age of a huge salamander is 59 years.
10. Madagascar cucumber
The Madagascar monkey (lat. Daubentonia madagascariensis) or aye-aye, is a mammal of the suborder of prosimians; the only representative of the family of arms. One of the rarest animals on the planet - there are only five dozen individuals, which is why it was discovered relatively recently. The largest animal of the nocturnal primates.
The body length of the arm is 30-37 cm without a tail, 44-53 cm with a tail. Weight – about 2.5 kg. The head is large, the muzzle is short; The ears are large and leathery. The tail is large and fluffy. The coat color ranges from dark brown to black. They live in the East and North of the island of Madagascar. They are nocturnal. They feed on the fruits of mango trees and coconut palms, the core of bamboo and sugar cane, tree beetles and larvae. They sleep in hollows or nests.
This animal is one of the most unique mammals on the planet; it has no similar features to any other animal. The little arm has a thick, wide head with large ears, which makes the head appear even wider. Small, protruding, motionless, and glowing eyes with smaller pupils than those of a nocturnal monkey. Its muzzle bears a close resemblance to the beak of a parrot, an elongated body and a long tail, which, like the whole body, is sparsely covered with long, stiff, bristle-like hair. And finally, unusual hands, and these are the hands, their middle finger has the appearance of a withered one - all these features connected together give the aye-aye such a unique appearance that you involuntarily rack your brains in a vain zeal to find a related creature similar to this animal,” he wrote in his book “Animal Life” by A. E. Bram.
Listed in the “Red Book”, ay-ay is the most remarkable animal, over which a serious danger of extinction hangs. Daubentonia madagascariensis is the only representative of not only the genus, but also the family that has survived to this day.
11. Giodak/Guidak
The photo shows the longest-living and at the same time the largest (up to 1 meter in length) burrowing mollusk in the world (the age of the oldest individual found is 160 years). The concept of Guidak was taken from the Indians and is translated as “deep-digging” - these gastropods can actually bury themselves quite deep in the sand.
Honestly, everyone is often interested in the fact that this mollusk is edible. Guidak is consumed in small quantities in the United States, but the main consumers are the Chinese and Japanese. It is fried in butter with onions, or scalded, skinned, entrails removed, cut into thin pieces and made into sashimi.
12. Liger
Liger (English liger from English lion - “lion” and English tiger - “tiger”) is a hybrid between a male lion and a female tigress, looking like a giant lion with blurred stripes.
The appearance and size are similar to the cave lion and its relative the American lion, which became extinct in the Pleistocene. Ligers are the largest big cats in the world today. The largest liger is Hercules from the interactive theme park Jungle Island.
Male ligers, with rare exceptions, have almost no mane, but unlike lions, ligers know how and love to swim. Another feature of ligers is that female ligers can give birth to offspring, which is unusual for feline hybrids. The extraordinary gigantism of ligers is due to the fact that ligers receive genes from their lion father that promote the growth of their offspring, while the tiger mother does not have genes that inhibit the growth of their offspring.
While the tiger father does not have genes that promote growth, the lioness mother has genes that inhibit growth, which are passed on to her offspring. This explains the fact that the liger is larger than the lion, and the tiger lion is smaller than the tiger.
13. Imperial Tamarin
The name of the species (“imperial”) is associated with the presence of fluffy white “whiskers” on these monkeys and is given in honor of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Body length - about 25 cm, tail - about 35 cm. Weight of adult individuals - 250-500 grams.
Tamarins feed on fruits and lead a diurnal lifestyle. They live in small groups of 8-15 individuals.
Emperor tamarins are native to the Amazon rainforest and are found in northwestern Brazil, eastern Peru and northern Bolivia. In the east, the range is limited by the Gurupi River, in the upper reaches of the Amazon - by the Putumayo rivers in the north and Madeira in the south. Although the species lives in hard-to-reach places, its conservation status is assessed as vulnerable.
14. Cuban slittooth
Cuban slittooth, a strange creature similar to big hedgehog with a funny long-nosed muzzle, when it bites, it kills insects and small animals with poisonous saliva. The slit tooth is not dangerous for humans, quite the contrary. Until 2003, the animal was considered extinct until several specimens were caught in the forest. The slittooth has no immunity to its poison, so fights between males are usually fatal for all participants.
15. Kakapo parrot
The New Zealand kakapo parrot, also known as the owl parrot, is probably the most unusual parrot in the world. He never flies, weighs 4 kilograms, croaks in a nasty voice and is nocturnal.
It is considered an extinct species in nature due to ecological imbalance caused by rats and cats.
In New Zealand they hope to restore the kakapo population, but it is very reluctant to breed in zoos.
16. Cyclocosmia
This species of spider stands out from the representatives of its genus only by the very original shape of its abdomen.
Cyclocosmia digs holes in the ground 7-15 cm deep.
Its abdomen, at the end, is as if chopped off and ends with a chitinized flat disc-shaped surface; it serves to close the entrance to the burrow when the spider is in danger.
This method of defense is called Pragmosis (eng. Phragmosis) - a method of defense in which an animal, in case of a threat, hides in a hole and uses part of its body as a barrier, blocking the path of a predator.
17. Tapir
Tapirs (lat. Tapirus) are large herbivores from the order of odd-toed ungulates, somewhat reminiscent of a pig in shape, but with a short trunk adapted for grasping.
The sizes of tapirs differ from species to species, but as a rule, the length of a tapir is about two meters, the height at the withers is about a meter, and the weight is from 150 to 300 kg. Life expectancy in the wild is about 30 years, the cub is always born alone, pregnancy lasts about 13 months. Newborn tapirs have protective coloring consisting of spots and stripes, and although this coloring appears to be the same, there are some differences between species. The front paws of tapirs are four-toed, and the hind paws are three-toed; the toes have small hooves that help them move on muddy and soft ground.
18. Mixin
The hagfish (lat. Myxini) lives at depths of 100-500 meters, its primary habitat is near the coast of North America, Europe, Iceland, and East Greenland. Sometimes it can be found in the Adriatic Sea. In winter, the hagfish sometimes descends to great depths - up to 1 km.
The size of this animal is small - 35-40 centimeters, although sometimes giant specimens are found - 79-80 centimeters. Naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who discovered this miracle in 1761, initially even included it in the class of worms because of its specific appearance. Although in fact hagfish belong to the class of cyclostomes, which are the historical predecessors of fish. The color of hagfish can vary, but the predominant colors are pinkish and gray-red.
A distinctive feature of hagfish is the presence of a number of holes that secrete mucus, which are located along the lower edge of the animal’s body. It should be noted that mucus is a very important secretion of hagfish, which is used by the animal to penetrate into the cavity of the fish chosen as a victim. Mucus also plays an important role in animal respiration. The hagfish is a real mucus-creating plant, in particular, if you put it in a bucket full of water, then after a while all the water will be converted into mucus.
The fins of hagfishes are actually not developed; they are difficult to distinguish on the long body of the animal. Organ of vision - the eyes see poorly; they are masked by light areas of skin in this area. The round mouth has as many as 2 rows of teeth, and there is also one unpaired tooth in the palate area. Hagfish “breathe through their nose”, and water enters the hole at the end of the snout - the nostril. The respiratory organs of hagfish, like all fish, are gills. The area where they are located are special cavities-channels running along the animal’s body.
The hagfish hunts only those fish that are sick, weakened (for example, after spawning) or caught in gear or nets installed by humans. The attack process itself occurs as follows: the hagfish eats with its sharp teeth the body wall of the fish, after which it enters the body, consuming first the internal organs and then the muscle mass. If the unfortunate victim is still able to resist, then the hagfish passes into the gills and fills them with mucus, abundantly secreted by its glands. As a result, the fish dies from suffocation, leaving the hunter the opportunity to eat its body.
19. Nosy
The proboscis monkey, or Kahau (lat. Nasalis larvatus) is a monkey that is widespread only in one small area of the globe - the valleys and coast of the island of Borneo. The proboscis monkey belongs to the family of thin-bodied monkeys and received its name due to its huge nose, which is a distinctive feature of males.
It has not yet been possible to establish the exact purpose of such a large nose, but, obviously, its size plays a role in choosing a mating partner. The fur of these monkeys is yellowish-brown on the back and white on the belly, the limbs and tail are gray, and the face is not covered with hair at all and has a rather bright reddish tint, and in the cubs a bluish tint.
The size of an adult proboscis monkey can reach 75 cm, excluding the tail, and twice that size from the nose to the tip of the tail. The average weight of a male is 18-20 kg, females weigh almost half as much.
Almost never moving away from the water, proboscis whales were known as excellent swimmers who could travel more than 20 meters underwater.
In the open shallow waters of tropical forests, proboscis monkeys move, like most primates, on four limbs, but in the wild thickets of mangroves (the so-called tropical forests of Borneo) they walk on two legs, almost vertically.
20. Axolotl
Representing the larval form of Ambystoma, the axolotl is considered one of the most interesting objects for study. Firstly, axolotls do not need to reach adult form and undergo metamorphosis to reproduce.
Surprised? The secret lies in neoteny - a phenomenon in which the axolotl reaches sexual maturity while still in childhood. Note that the tissues of this larva react rather poorly to the hormone secreted by the thyroid gland.
Experiments have proven that lowering the water level during home breeding of these larvae promotes their transformation into adults. The same thing happens in cooler, drier climates. If an axolotl lives in your aquarium, and you want to turn it into an ambistoma, then be sure to add the hormone thyroidin to the larva’s food.
A similar result can be achieved with an injection. As a rule, the transformation of an axolotl will take several weeks, after which the larva will change its body shape and color. In addition, the axolotl will permanently lose its external gills.
Literally translated from the Aztec language, axolotl is a “water toy,” which is quite consistent with its appearance. Once you see an axolotl, you are unlikely to forget its unusual, bizarre appearance. At first glance, the axolotl resembles a newt, but has a rather large and wide head. The smiling “face” of the axolotl deserves special attention – tiny beady eyes and an excessively wide mouth.
As for the amphibian’s body length, it is about thirty centimeters, and axolotls are characterized by the regeneration of lost body parts. Natural environment The axolotl's habitat is concentrated in Xochimailco and Cholco, the mountain lakes of Mexico.
If you look closely at the amphibian's head, you will notice six long gills, symmetrically located on the sides of the head. The axolotl's gills externally resemble thin shaggy twigs, which the larva cleans from time to time of organic debris.
Thanks to their wide, long tail, axolotls are excellent swimmers, although they prefer to spend most of their lives at the bottom. Why bother with unnecessary movements if the food floats into your mouth by itself?
At first, biologists were quite surprised by the respiratory system of axolotls, which included both lungs and gills. For example, if the aquatic habitat of an axolotl is not sufficiently saturated with oxygen, the larva quickly adapts to such a change and begins to breathe with its lungs.
Naturally, the transition to pulmonary breathing negatively affects the gills, which gradually atrophy. And, of course, it is worth paying attention to the original coloring of the axolotl. Small black spots evenly cover the green body, although the axolotl's abdomen remains almost white.
21. VAMPIRE KANDIRU
Zoologists have made different assumptions as to what exactly attracts the candira to the human genitals. The most plausible assumption seems to be that the candiru are extremely sensitive to the smell of urine: it happened that the candiru attacked a person a few moments after he urinated in the water. It is believed that candiru are able to find the source of smell in water.
But the candiru does not always penetrate the victim. It happens that, having overtaken prey, the candiru bites through the skin of a person or the gill tissue of a fish with long teeth that grow in their upper jaw and begins to suck blood from the victim, causing the body of the candiru itself to swell and swell. Candiru hunt not only fish and mammals, but also reptiles.
22. Tarsier
Tarsier (Tarsier, lat. Tarsius) is a small mammal from the order of primates, the very specific appearance of which has created a somewhat ominous halo around this small animal weighing up to one hundred and sixty grams.
Particularly impressionable tourists say that the first time they see huge shining eyes looking at them without blinking, and the next moment the animal turns its head almost 360 degrees and you look straight at the back of its head, you feel, to put it mildly, uneasy. By the way, local aborigines still believe that the tarsier’s head exists separately from the body. Well, this is all speculation, of course, but the facts are obvious!
There are about 8 species of tarsier. The most common are the Bankan and Philippine tarsier, as well as separate species- tarsier-ghost. These mammals live in Southeast Asia, the islands of Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and the Philippines, as well as in adjacent territories.
Externally, tarsiers are small animals, the size of which does not exceed sixteen centimeters, with large ears, long thin fingers and a long tail of about thirty cm, and at the same time with very little weight.
The animal's fur is brown or grayish, and its eyes are much larger compared to human proportions - about the size of an average apple.
In nature, tarsiers live in pairs or small groups of eight to ten individuals. They are nocturnal and feed exclusively on animal origin - insects and small vertebrates.
Their pregnancy lasts about six months and a small animal is born, which, within a couple of hours after birth, grasping the mother’s fur, will make its first journey. The average lifespan of a tarsier is about ten to thirteen years.
23. Narwhal
Narwhals (lat. Monodon monoceros) are a protected rare species belonging to the unicorn family and are listed in the Red Book of Russia due to their small numbers. The habitat of this marine animal is the waters of the Northern Arctic Ocean, as well as the North Atlantic.
The size of an adult male often reaches 4.5 meters, weighing about one and a half tons. Females weigh slightly less. The head of an adult narwhal is round, with a large, tuberous forehead, and there is no dorsal fin. Narwhals are somewhat reminiscent of beluga whales, although compared to the latter, the animals have a somewhat spotted skin and 2 upper teeth, one of which, as it grows, turns into a three-meter tusk weighing up to ten kg.
The narwhal tusk, twisted to the left in the form of a spiral, is quite rigid, but at the same time it has a certain limit of flexibility and can bend up to thirty centimeters. Previously, it was often passed off as a unicorn horn, which had healing powers. It was believed that if you throw a piece of narwhal horn into a glass of poisoned wine, it will change its color.
At this time, there is a hypothesis that is very popular in scientific circles, proving that the narwhal’s horn, covered with sensitive endings, is needed by the animal to measure water temperature, pressure and other parameters of the aquatic environment that are no less important for life.
Narwhals most often live in small groups of up to ten animals. The diet of narwhals, which, by the way, can hunt at depths of more than a kilometer, consists of cephalopods and bottom fish. The enemies of narwhals in nature can be called other inhabitants of these territories - polar bears and killer whales.
However, the greatest damage to the narwhal population was caused by people who hunted them for their tasty meat and horn, which is successfully used to make various crafts. At this time, animals are under state protection.
24. Octopus Jumbo
Dumbo is a very small and unusual deep sea octopus, representative cephalopods. Lives only in the Tasman Sea.
Jumbo apparently got his name in honor of the famous cartoon character, the baby elephant Dumbo, who was ridiculed for his large ears (in the middle of the body, the octopus has a pair of rather long, paddle-shaped fins resembling ears). Its individual tentacles are literally connected to the ends by a thin elastic membrane called the umbrella. It, together with the fins, serves as the main mover of this animal, that is, the octopus moves like jellyfish, pushing water out from under the umbrella bell.
The largest Jumbo was discovered in the Tasman Sea - half the size of a human palm.
25. Medusa Cyanea
Jellyfish Cyanea - considered the largest jellyfish in the world, living in the Northwest Atlantic.
The diameter of the bell of the cyanea jellyfish reaches 2 meters, and the length of the thread-like tentacles is 20-30 meters.
One of these jellyfish, washed ashore in Massachusetts Bay, had a bell diameter of 2.28 m, and its tentacles extended 36.5 m.
Each such jellyfish eats about 15 thousand fish during its life.
26. Squid-pig
Painted balloon? Cartoon character? But no! This is a deep-sea marine inhabitant, which received the nickname “pig squid” because of its round body.
The scientific name of piglet squid is Helicocranchia pfefferi. Not much is known about him. Found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at a depth of about 100 meters. Swims slowly. And under the eyes (like many deep-sea animals) it has luminous organs - photophores.
“Little Pig”, unlike other squids, swims upside down, so its tentacles look like a tuft.
27. Snake Carla - the smallest snake in the world
There are currently 3,100 known species of snakes on our planet. But the snake Carla from the island of Barbados is the smallest of them. The maximum length it reaches in adulthood is 10 centimeters.
Leptotyphlops carlae was first officially described and identified as a new species in 2008. Blair Hedge, a biologist at Penn State, named the snake after his wife, herpentologist Carla Ann Hass, who was also part of the team that made the discovery.
It is believed that the Barbados thread, as this snake is also called, is close to the theoretically possible minimum size for snakes that evolution allows. If suddenly the snake happens to be even smaller, it simply will not be able to find food for itself and will die.
The snake Carla feeds on termites and ant larvae.
Due to its miniature size, the thread snake bears only one egg, but it is a large one. The size of the born snake at the moment of birth is half the mother’s body. However, this is normal for snakes. The smaller the snake, the larger proportionally its offspring - and vice versa.
Leptotyphlops carlae has so far been found only on the island of Barbados in the Caribbean Sea, and even then only in the east-central part of it. Most of Barbados' forests have been cleared. And since the thread snake lives only in the forest, it is assumed that the territory suitable for habitation of the strange creature is limited to only a few square kilometers. So the survival of the species is a concern.
28. Lamprey
Lampreys look like eels or huge worms, although they have nothing to do with either one. They have a naked body covered with mucus, which is why they are mistaken for worms. In fact, these are primitive vertebrates.
Zoologists group them into a special class of cyclostomes. You can’t say about cyclostomes that they have a tongue without bones. Their mouth is just equipped complex system cartilage that supports the mouth and tongue. There are no jaws, so food is sucked into the mouth like into a funnel. Along the edges of this funnel and on the tongue there are teeth.
Lampreys have three eyes. Two on the sides and one on the forehead.
Lampreys are predators and attack mainly fish. The lamprey attaches itself to the victim, gnaws through the scales, drinks the blood and snacks on the meat (from the area it bit into).
In our country, lamprey fishing is carried out in the Neva and other rivers flowing into the Baltic Sea, as well as in the Volga. In Russia, lamprey is considered an exquisite delicacy. But in many countries, such as the USA, lampreys are not eaten.
29. Killer Clam
This curiosity lives on coral reefs at a depth of almost 25 meters. The mollusk weighs up to 210 kilograms with a body length of up to 1.7 meters. Life expectancy is up to 150 years.
Due to its impressive size, it gave rise to many rumors and dark legends.
It is called Giant clam (from the English giant clam), Tridacninae, Tridacna. The giant clam is a delicacy in Japan, France, Southeast Asia and many Pacific Islands. Lives due to symbiosis with the algae that live on it. It also knows how to filter water passing through it and extract plankton from there.
It doesn’t actually eat people, but if a careless diver tries to touch the mollusk’s mantle with his hand, the shell flaps will reflexively close. And since the compression force of the tridacna muscles is enormous, a person risks dying from lack of oxygen. This is where the name “killer clam” comes from.
30. Sea Serpent
In ancient times, sailors described the sea serpent as a monster with a horse's head and a flowing fiery red mane. An article in the California Monterey Peninsula Herald in 1925 reported the discovery of a writhing sea monster with bright red hair that flashed on the surface and went deeper, moving in smooth, wave-like movements.
Let us add that the herring king has no gastronomic value. The meat is not suitable for consumption; even animals do not eat it. I would like to hope that this mysterious animal will from time to time delight sea travelers, and will not become a victim of human greed and senseless sporting interest.
There is a huge variety of living creatures on Earth. And each one is interesting, unique and inimitable in some way. Unfortunately, some of them have already disappeared or are listed in the Red Book. But among the remaining ones there are many unusual specimens, for example, those that cause fear. What are they, the most terrible creatures inhabiting our Earth?
The ten most terrible and dangerous animals were chosen by environmentalists. They brought the man here too. And although there are very attractive specimens among people, they have no equal in causing harm to nature. People make horror films about animals, people destroy each other and their own kind just like that. There are probably no scarier animals on the planet.
Underwater world of monsters
In the depths of the sea there are truly strange and terrible creatures. People are familiar with some of them, but we have no idea about some (due to the great depths), because the sea opens up 70% of the earth's surface.
The sabertooth fish, which lives at great depths, is scary and dangerous. It is also nicknamed the “man-eating fish,” although whether it eats people is a moot point. Covered with rough skin, the fish has four huge and long teeth. They are so long that they do not fit into the jaw, so there are special slots for them located in the brain. At great depths, it is not so easy to find prey, but if it is caught, the saber tooth will attack and bite it until the victim turns into prey. Although the fish is small in size: about 15 cm. For a long time, young and adult individuals were classified as different types, they are so different.
This is a unique, jawless species of fish of which there are few left in the ocean - the hagfish or “witch fish”. It goes hunting only at night, lives deep in the water column and feeds on weak and dying individuals. She searches for prey in a very unique way. Swimming against the current, she feels with the help of tentacles mouth opening vibrations in water. When attacking, the hagfish gnaws a hole in the victim, wrapping itself around it and tying it into a knot. Climbing inside, it first eats the liver and then the muscles. And all that remains from the prey is skin and skeleton. During the day, it “silts up”, only the head remains on the surface. Can live for a long time without food. It can be classified as the most slippery organism both in water and on land. The mucus serves as a lubricant and is unpleasant to predators. They do not live alone, but in populations.
Many experienced sailors told stories about a giant sea monster - the “kraken”. These are stories and legends about huge squids. What legends are there! Such squids really exist and their sizes are amazing - from 13 to 20 meters. Squids are predators. They feed on deep-sea fish and squid, only small ones. The tentacles have jagged suction cups as hunting tools. They easily rise to the water surface due to the presence of a special substance in the body.
The dragon fish or idiotfish lives in the depths of the sea. Females are up to 40 cm, have very long teeth, they don’t even allow their mouths to close. Teeth also glow in the dark. The idiot is able to grab and eat prey larger than itself due to its movable jaws. And in order to eat a large trophy, the internal organs move back. Males are small, 6 cm long, and their intestines do not work. They simply float in the water column, attracting females with their glow.
Cave Dwellers
Are there vampire bats on earth? The answer is yes. These are inhabitants of Central and South America. Their body is not large, but the wing span reaches 20 cm. They drink the blood of adult mammals. On sleeping animals, mice use incisor teeth to make incisions from which blood flows. It does not clot: there are special substances in the saliva of mice. The animal sleeps peacefully, as it simply does not feel anything. At night, shepherds pull nets over their domestic animals, because mice not only feed on blood, but also carry rabies. Bats must eat regularly, otherwise they lose strength and die in just 2-3 days. They sense their victims using sounds, smells and echolocation. Many people do not know that vampires can not only fly quickly, but also run well. They spend half their lives in the darkness of caves.
Jungle Dwellers
Dubbed the “bull killer,” the anaconda snake does have a terrifying reputation. Weighing 250 kg, it has gigantic strength and can crush quite large animals. She wraps herself around her victim and strangles her. But the snake is not poisonous. There are eyes and nostrils on the top of its head, so it can breathe and monitor prey while in the water. She spends a lot of time in fresh water, for which it is also called the water boa. And she sheds the old skin without leaving the reservoir, while it rubs against the bottom. He almost doesn’t hear sounds, but he feels sound vibrations with his whole body. Doesn't blink, like all snakes. It is believed that it hypnotizes prey. Refers to ovoviviparous. The cubs hatch from eggs directly in the mother's body, and she carries them for about 6-7 months, while losing a lot of weight.
Island lovers
The ratio of jaws to body length of the Tasmanian devil is simply amazing. In terms of strength and bite power, he is even ahead of a lion! This representative of the marsupial family lives only on the island of Tasmania. This is a fairly large predator, weighing about 12 kg. It is also called the “marsupial devil”: with its jaws it can bite through bones. The animal eats in company. Up to 12 individuals come to the feast and “understand” each other through sounds and postures. The Tasmanian is very gluttonous; he must eat an amount of food per day equal to approximately 15% of his own body weight. It feeds on everything: insects, snakes, small birds and animals. May attack tourists who mistake it for a puppy.
The Komodo dragon lives on Komodo Island and nearby islands in Indonesia. It looks like a dragon that has survived to this day in myths and legends. It is called a dragon, a dinosaur, but it is still a monitor lizard. The three-meter monster feeds on carrion, but is strong and can kill deer, pigs and even humans. The cutting edges of the monitor lizard's teeth are similar to saw teeth. With their help, he can easily gut the carcass of his victim. Cases of human hunting have been recorded. Most often, when a monitor lizard bites, a person dies from sepsis (blood poisoning). But you can’t kill them, as they are listed in the Red Book.
Mexican passions
The inhabitant of the Mexican expanses is the toad-shaped lizard or basilisk. She does not look like ordinary slender and nimble lizards. On the head there are large outgrowths similar to horns, and on the scales there are spike-like outgrowths. She runs poorly, but she knows how to bury herself well in the sand due to the movement of her body. When it rains, the basilisk changes its body shape and droplets of water flow directly to the corners of its mouth. The lizard is prolific: it can lay up to 40 eggs at once. But it displays its most unusual qualities when defending itself from predators. She defends herself from enemies by “shooting” real blood from her eyes. And this technique saves her life.
Inhabitants of the Earth
You probably don’t need to think long about what the most terrible creature on earth is. This is a person who occupied different habitats, destroying forests, plowing and depleting the soil, polluting water, producing toxic waste. Man spends Natural resources thoughtlessly, already in debt. All of him economic activity leads to the destruction of living beings on the planet. And even the most terrible creatures in the world are not able to stop him.
We often hear that now more and more animal species are becoming extinct or on the verge of extinction, and their complete disappearance is only a matter of time. Hunting, destruction of natural habitats, climate change and other factors have led to the fact that the rate of loss of animal species is 1000 times greater than the rate of restoration of the natural background. And although the extinction of animals is always sad, sometimes for us humans, it can even be beneficial.
From 12-metre-long megasnakes to giraffe-sized flying creatures, check out this list of 25 animals you wouldn't want to see next to.
(Total 25 photos)
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Source: list25.com
1. Pelagornis sandersi
With a wingspan of about 7 meters, Pelargonis sandersi was apparently the largest flying bird to ever exist on Earth. It looks like she could only fly by pushing off a cliff, and most spent her life above the ocean, relying on wind currents rising from the ocean to keep her afloat. Although compared to pterosaurs, whose wingspan was almost 12 meters, this bird was still quite “moderate” in size.
Similar to modern centipedes in shape and behavior, Euphoberia still had one significant difference - it was more than 90 cm in length! Although scientists aren't entirely sure what exactly it ate, we do know that some modern centipedes feed on birds, snakes and bats. If a 25-centimeter centipede could hunt birds, imagine what a nearly meter-long one could hunt!
3. Gigantopithecus
Gigantopithecus lived between 9 million and 100,000 years ago in modern Asia. It was the largest species of monkey on Earth. It is believed that this creature, up to 3 meters tall and weighing up to 540 kg, walked on four legs, like gorillas and chimpanzees, but some believe that it could walk on two limbs, like humans. The properties of their teeth and jaws suggest that these animals were able to chew coarse, fibrous food by cutting into it and grinding it.
4. Andrewsarchus
This cutie lived during the Eocene era, about 45-30 million years ago. Andrewsarchus was a huge carnivorous mammal. Given the skull and several bones found, paleontologists estimate that this predator could weigh up to 1,800 kg, making it the largest land mammal predator in history. However, the feeding behavior of this animal is not entirely understood, and some theories suggest that Andrewsarchus may have been omnivores or even scavengers.
5. Pulmonoscorpius
The scientific name of this creature translates to “breathing scorpion.” He lived during the Visean era (c. 345-330 million years ago) of the Carboniferous period. Relying on fossils found in Scotland, scientists believe that this species reached 76 cm in length. It lived on land and probably fed on small arthropods.
6. Megalania
Megalania lived in South Australia. It was a huge lizard that went extinct about 30,000 years ago, which means that the first Aborigines of Australia may well have encountered it. Scientists disagree on the size of this lizard - it may have reached 7 meters in length, making Megalania the largest land lizard in history.
7. Helicoprion
One of the prehistoric centenarians (310-250 million years ago) - Helicoprion - is a genus of extinct shark-like creatures with an interesting jaw. Reached 4 m in length, but its closest living relatives - the chimaeras - can reach only 1.5 m in length.
8. Entelodons
Unlike their modern relatives, entelodons were boar-like mammals with a particular gourmet taste for meat. Probably one of the most fearsome-looking creatures in history, entelodons walked on four legs and were almost as tall as a man. Some scientists believe that entelodons were even cannibals. Well, if they ate each other, do you think they wouldn't want to eat a human?
9. Anomalocaris
Probably lived in all seas of the Cambrian period. Translated, its name means “abnormal shrimp.” This is a genus of marine animals, close relatives of arthropods. Scientists believe it hunted hard-bodied sea creatures, including trilobites. They had unique eyes with 30,000 lenses - it is believed that these were one of the most “advanced” eyes in the history of the species.
10. Meganeura
Meganeura is a genus of extinct insects from the Carboniferous period. Resembles modern dragonflies (and is related to them). With a wingspan of up to 66 cm, it is one of the largest flying insects in the history of our planet. Meganeura was a predator, and its diet consisted mainly of other insects and small amphibians.
Attercopus was a genus of arachnid animal with a scorpion-like tail. For a long time, Attercopus was considered the prehistoric ancestor of modern spiders, but scientists who discovered its traces soon came to a different opinion. It is unlikely that Attercopus spun webs, although it may have been used to wrap eggs, lay frame thread, or build the walls of its burrow.
12. Deinosuchus
Deinosuchus is an extinct relative of modern alligator crocodiles that lived 80-73 million years ago. Although he was larger than any of them modern species, he looked almost the same. It reached 12 meters in length and had sharp large teeth capable of killing and devouring sea turtles, fish and even large dinosaurs.
13. Dunkleosteus
Living at the end of the Devonian period about 380-360 million years ago, Dunkleosteus was a huge super-predatory fish. Due to its terrifying size (up to 10 m in length and weighing almost 4 tons), it was the apex predator of its time. This fish had strong armor, which made it a relatively slow but very powerful swimmer.
14. Spinosaurus
Larger than Tyrannosaurus Rex, Spinosaurus is the largest carnivorous dinosaur of all time. It reached 18 m in length and weighed up to 10 tons. They ate tons of fish, turtles, and even other dinosaurs. If this horror were alive today, we most likely would not be alive.
15. Smilodon
Smilodon lived in North and South America during the Pleistocene era (2.5 million - 10,000 years ago). This is the best example of a saber-toothed cat. An excellent predator with particularly well-developed forelimbs and incredibly long, sharp fangs. The largest individual could weigh up to 408 kg.
16. Quetzalcoatlus
The wingspan of these creatures could reach an incredible 12 meters. This pterosaur was the largest creature ever to fly, including modern birds. However, it is very difficult to estimate the size and weight of these huge animals, because... No existing animal has the same body plan, so published results vary widely. One of the characteristic features of these animals was that they all had unusually long and rigid necks.
17. Hallucigenia
The name comes from the idea that these creatures are very strange, almost like a hallucination. These worm-like creatures were 0.5-3 cm in length and lacked some sensory organs on their heads, such as eyes and nose. Instead, Hallucigenia had seven tentacles on each side of its body, as well as three pairs of tentacles behind them. To say that this is a strange creature is an understatement.
18. Arthropleura
Inhabitant of the Upper Carboniferous period (340-280 million years ago). Lived in the territory of modern North America and Scotland. It was the largest species of terrestrial invertebrate in history. Despite their enormous length, up to almost 2.7 meters, Arthropleura were not predators; they fed on rotting forest plants.
19. Short-faced bear
The short-faced bear is an extinct species of bear that lived in North America in the Pleistocene era up to 11,000 years ago, making it the "most recent" extinct creature on our list. However, its size is truly prehistoric. Standing on its two hind legs, the bear reached 3.6 m in height and 4.2 meters if it raised its front paw up. It is believed that these giants weighed more than 1360 kg.
20. Megalodon
The name of this toothy monster translates as “big tooth.” This is an extinct species of huge shark that lived about 28-1.5 million years ago. With an incredible length of up to 18 meters, it is considered one of the largest and most powerful predators to ever live on Earth. Lived almost all over the world and looked like a larger and more terrifying version of the modern great white shark.
21. Titanoboa
Living approximately 60-58 million years ago during the Paleocene era, Titanoboa was the largest, longest, and heaviest snake in history. Scientists believe that individual representatives of the species reached 12 meters in length and weighed about 1133 kg. Their diet consisted of giant crocodiles and turtles, with which they shared the territory of modern South America.
22. Fororacoaceae
Also called "terror birds", these prehistoric creatures are an extinct genus of large birds of prey that were the largest species in South America during the Cenozoic period, approximately 60 million years ago. The largest flightless bird of prey to ever roam the Earth. They reached 3 meters in height, weighed up to half a ton and supposedly could run as fast as a cheetah.
23. Cameroceras
Lived during the Ordovician period 470-460 million years ago. This is the giant ancestor of modern squids and octopuses. Most characteristic feature This mollusk had a huge cone-shaped shell and tentacles with which it caught fish and other sea creatures. It is believed that the size of its shell varied from 6 to 12 meters.
Carbonemys is an extinct genus of huge turtles that lived about 60 million years ago, i.e. they survived the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. Fossils found in Colombia suggest they had a shell that reached almost 1.8 meters. Turtles were carnivores, with huge jaws powerful enough to eat large animals such as crocodiles.
25. Jaekelopterus
Jaekelopterus, without a doubt, can be called one of the largest arthropods in the world - its length reached 2.5 meters. It is sometimes called the "sea scorpion", but in fact it is more related to the lobsters that live in freshwater lakes and rivers of modern times. Western Europe. This terrible creature lived about 390 million years ago, earlier than most dinosaurs.
Although it is generally accepted that all creations on Earth are perfect and beautiful, the way human consciousness works is that what does not fit into the canons of beauty or does not have a logical explanation is a deformity or an anomaly.
So people began to determine what the most terrible creature in the world was, creating lists according to their understanding of the beautiful and terrible. In fact, every deviation from the norm of beauty in the animal world has its own explanation, and most often it comes down to the instinct of self-preservation. But even the Creator could not create creatures more terrible than human fears and ignorance did.
Creation of monsters by the human mind
At all times, myths about gods and heroes aroused less interest than stories about creatures that harmed people. Today, among the legends of different nations, we can distinguish those that fall into the category of “the most terrible mythical creatures in the world.” Here are just a few of them:
- The basilisk is found in the legends of many countries and, with minor deviations, has a number of similarities: the body of a dragon with huge wings and a look that turns all living things into stones, which it feeds on. His head may be that of a rooster, or in other variants it may be that of a snake. He hunts at night and, according to legend, if he sees himself in the mirror, he himself will petrify.
- The Japanese have a legend about a whole race of evil creatures called Shikome. They live in the mountains, very warlike, higher and stronger than people, with burning eyes and huge fangs, very bloodthirsty. It is very difficult to escape their attack.
- Baavan shi have come down to our time from Scottish legends. According to the description, these are bloodthirsty and evil fairies, taking the form of golden-haired women in a long green dress. The victims of the demon are gullible men who did not notice the deer hooves under the hem of their dresses.
Similar examples can be found in legends different countries- from ancient Sumer to medieval Europe. Each of them is the most terrible creature in the world for a separate people, who hates people and has a personal “set” of teeth, claws and hooves, with the help of which they eat their victims, suck their blood or take away their souls.
The most terrible creatures of the African continent
The prejudices and fears of ancient people about deadly animals gave rise to their own list of the 10 most terrible creatures in the world. Many of them live in Africa and still cause superstitious horror. Among them:
- living in Burundi. For 60 years now, he has been instilling fear in people, because Gustav kills them not for food, but because he likes the very process of fighting a person. He was shot repeatedly, but he is alive to this day and, as before, inspires fear in people.
- The aardvark is a creature with the body of a pig, the ears of a hare and the tail of a kangaroo, it is very ugly, although it is harmless.
On this list is the hippopotamus and the biggest killer of people - the malaria mosquito, whose bite kills more than a million people every year in the world. No less terrible is the tsetse fly, which causes sleeping sickness in people, for which there is no vaccine yet. Up to 300,000 people die from it every year.
Scary representatives of the deep sea
To find the most terrible creature in the world, you can start your search from the depths of the sea. Hidden in the darkness from human eyes, their inhabitants have incredible shapes and amazing survival abilities. These include:
- Lomozub fish, the species of which can for a long time cause nightmares. Huge teeth and eyes glowing in the dark against the background of a dark body look terrifying. She lures her victims with a luminescent appendage located under the lower jaw, which other inhabitants of the depths mistake for a glowing worm, so they fearlessly try to feast on it and become lunch themselves.
- The frilled shark is an extremely rare fish that lives at a depth of one and a half kilometers in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It has a snake-like body up to 2 m long and dark brown in color. Large and mobile jaws with rows of sharp teeth are capable of holding and swallowing large prey.
- At a depth of one and a half to three kilometers in the dark thickness of the oceans, deep-sea anglerfish live - fish with huge teeth. Females (they are the predators) of some species can be only 5 cm in length, while others can reach 1 m. The luminous processes on the head give them this name.
No less terrible-looking are the sea dragon and monkfish, pelican fish and giant squid, blue-ringed octopus and goblin shark - inhabitants of the depths, which are included in the top 10 most terrible creatures in the world of oceans.
Mysterious and mythical forest inhabitants
As soon as a person finds himself in an unfamiliar forest at night, any rustle or crack of a branch awakens his imagination. It is he who populates the darkness with the monsters that his distant ancestors feared. Among them there are both real animals and fantastic creatures:
- The Yeti is an anomaly, perhaps some kind of dead-end branch of human development, which has been repeatedly observed, photographed and filmed, but its habitats have never been discovered.
- A werewolf, or werewolf, is a legendary creature that turns into a man or a wolf. There are many written documents about this phenomenon since the Middle Ages, and in our time films are made about them and novels are written in the horror genre.
Windigo and Chupacabra are also creations of the human mind, but people are still looking for evidence of their existence.
Mysterious creatures of exotic countries
These countries have this name not only because the constant warmth and gentle ocean are exotic for the inhabitants of the Northern Hemisphere, but also because the animals and insects living there have an unusual and often downright frightening appearance. Modern legends about huge spiders, deadly snakes and terrible inhabitants of coral reefs have a basis.
- found in the waters near Papua New Guinea, has square teeth very similar to human ones. Considering that it reaches a size of more than a meter, and its jaws are capable of cracking nuts, then it causes superstitious fear (not without reason) in people. Maybe this is not the most terrible creature in the world, but it is certainly frightening and unusual.
- The Australian spiny dragon may be small in size, but its spines give it a fearsome appearance, and the fact that it cannot drink adds a strange piquancy to it. It is enough for a spiny dragon to fall on wet sand, and all the moisture from it is transferred through special channels in the skin directly into the lizard’s mouth.
The aye-aye looks no less alien, looking like a cross between a bald monkey and a rat.
The most terrible snakes
Among the 5 most terrible creatures in the world are snakes, which most of the planet's inhabitants are unconsciously afraid of. Among them:
- Anaconda has always frightened people with its huge size, reaching 5 meters. The powerful body, unnoticed approach to prey and the incredible force of compression of the victim’s body still makes this snake one of the most terrible in the world, otherwise horror films would not be made about it in Hollywood.
- The South African mountain viper has horn-like projections on its head. This makes her look like a devilish serpent-tempter. It’s good that the population of this poisonous snake is extremely small, so encountering it is very rare.
- Nosed enhydrina lives in warm waters Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf and off the coast of Australia. It is dangerous for divers, since its bite contains up to 9 mg of poison, while 1.5 mg is fatal to humans.
The Gaboon viper and krait, other snakes, even if they are beautiful, are always mentioned in the lists of the most terrible creatures on the planet, so great is the fear of them among people.
Scary creatures with wings
From the ancient myths of all the peoples of the world, legends about terrible fire-breathing dragons that incinerated people with their breath or demanded tribute in the form of young virgins have survived to this day. Some huge creatures with wings were described in ancient manuscripts, and sometimes they are observed in our time, as evidenced by hundreds of people.
Of the flying creatures living in our time, the most terrible are recognized:
- vulture guinea fowl;
- African marabou;
- Indian marabou.
These birds not only look unpleasant, but also have a very bad temper.
The most terrible and mysterious creatures of the planet
The top 5 most terrible creatures in the world include several mysterious creatures that scientists have not yet been able to identify. This:
- The Loch Ness monster, photographs of which spread throughout the world at one time. There is a possibility that representatives of these prehistoric plesiosaur-like animals were able to survive all this time in the depths of lakes, as they were seen not only in Scotland, but also in New York, Norway and Sweden.
- The Mothman was discovered in 1966 and was a creature 2 m tall with wingspan up to 3 m. Many people saw it, there are fuzzy photos of this creature. What it is and where it came from is not known.
How true the facts about these terrible anomalies are is unknown, but when so many people talk about what they saw, and their testimonies coincide, it means there is truth in their words. It is up to scientists to study it.
Our days
It is difficult to choose a photo of the most terrible creature in the world, since each person has his own set of phobias and fears. For some it will be a giant crocodile, while for others it will be a bald rat. Nevertheless, there are many creatures on the planet that are frightening with their appearance. Many people have yet to find and study.
The more a person learns about terrible and previously unseen creatures, the less afraid he is of them.
This selection contains unusual creatures that challenge our imagination. There are no prehistoric monsters here, the list only includes creatures of nature living in our time. These creatures aren't big or scary, but they look fantastic and deserve more attention than they usually get.
This topic is a continuation of the selection about the most unusual animals, only it includes smaller creatures that look no less amazing than their larger counterparts. Let's start with an unusual creature called Proteus anguinus. This amphibian lives in the deepest and darkest caves in Europe (most common in Slovenia). In ancient times, it was mistaken for a baby dragon. Look at it - there is no doubt that it is one of the most bizarre creatures in the world 
Proteus is completely blind, lacks pigmentation, and lives in its own sensory universe. It receives electrical signals and smells through receptors throughout its body, which help in searching for small invertebrates on which it feeds. Its skin is very pale, but there are also black-skinned varieties that have vision
Next is the octopus Tremoctopus violaceus. In general, there is no such thing as a “normal octopus”. These extraordinary animals are like aliens from another planet who landed in our oceans and fell in love with them. Among the many strange features of octopuses, it is worth highlighting three hearts, poisonous saliva and a sharp beak. They are able to change the color and texture of their skin with incredible ease and speed (much faster than chameleons) 
But there is also a more unusual octopus - the purple tremoctopus. The mere fact that the female is 40,000 times larger than the male already suggests that this creature is unique. The male does not reach more than 3 centimeters in length and leads a planktonic lifestyle, while the female reaches more than 2 meters in length. When she feels threatened, she expands her cape-like membrane, which gives her an even more menacing appearance. Another interesting fact– this octopus is invulnerable to the sting of the deadly Portuguese jellyfish, and moreover, it often tears off its tentacles using them as a weapon. After fertilization of the female, the male dies, having fulfilled his natural function
Our list of unusual creatures also includes a glass frog. What makes her so unusual? The answer to this question is simple - glass frogs have transparent skin, which turns this creature into a living anatomy lesson. Indeed, some of their internal organs, such as the heart, intestines and liver, are clearly visible from the underside of the frog. The glass frog does not differ in its structure from ordinary tree frogs
In eighth place is a gelatinous deep-sea fish with a sad face. This fish lives in the seas off Australia and Tasmania and leads a rather passive life, feeding only on what swims within its reach. This unusual creature lacks muscle mass and actually expends no energy because its body is less dense than water. The blob is often caught by fishermen and is therefore endangered 
In the next position is an assassin spider from the Archidae family. This spider is only 2 mm long and, despite its name and creepy appearance, is completely safe for people. His long neck is powerfully developed to support the weight of his huge jaws, which are armed with poisonous fangs - with which the assassin captures other, smaller insects 
In fifth place is another fish from the hatchet family. That’s what they call it, the hatchet fish; it lives in a world of great depths, different from ours. This deep-sea fish has been found in all oceans except the coldest areas. Like Proteus and the blobfish, the hatchetfish spends its entire life in almost complete darkness. On its skin there are special organs - photophores, which emit light and allow them to see the prey at least a little and avoid predators. The hatchet fish looks very unusual and scary, but does not pose any danger - its length is only a few centimeters
Have you ever held a crab in your hands? If you held it, imagine it covered with thick hair. Is it really an unusual sight? This is a hairy crab. Also called the yeti crab, its body is covered with chitinous processes, similar to the shell of shrimp. The Yeti Crab is blind and colorless and lives its entire life in the dark, just like its predecessors. It feels like nature sends such creatures into places where people are unlikely to see or reach them, on purpose.
And this is a leafy sea dragon. This marine fish, a relative of the seahorse, lives in the waters of southern and western Australia, usually in shallow waters. The dragon is unusual in that its body and head are completely covered with leaf-like shoots. These leaves look like fins, but they do not take any part in swimming, but serve to camouflage themselves from enemies and to hunt prey. 
In second place is an unusual creature with a terrifying name - the satanic gecko. This gecko's tail looks like a fallen leaf. Body color varies from brown-gray to yellow, orange or clove color. There are individuals with red eyes. The satanic gecko lives in fallen leaves and under low bushes, in dimly lit places. At night, the gecko actively hunts insects on the forest floor, and during the day it can sit motionless for long hours, masquerading as fallen leaves. 
The first place goes to the humble caterpillar, but it really deserves it. This snake caterpillar (Hemeroplanes caterpillar), an incredibly rare species found only in