Hi, everyone! Chris here.
Welcome to World List!
From glow-in-the-dark turtles to venomous mammals, here are 8 of the strangest and most
unique animals in the world.
HAWKSBILL SEA TURTLE The hawksbill sea turtle, is listed by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature as critically endangered due to climate change,
bycatch, illegal trade, and hunting.
This sea turtle can be found almost all over the world, from the Caribbean Sea to the Indo-Pacific
Ocean and sub-species in the Atlantic.
Since they have to go on land to lay their eggs, their nests can be found in almost 80
countries.
In July 2015, researchers from the American Museum of Natural History embarked on an expedition
to the Solomon Islands.
They took a night dive in search of biofluorescent marine life, only to discover that the hawksbill
sea turtle also glows in the dark!!
While using a special camera equipped with blue lights, the crew spotted the glowing
turtle about 65 feet (20 meters) beneath the water’s surface.
As Museum Research Associate David Gruber put it, the turtle appeared suddenly, like
a “UFO...a bright red and green spaceship.”
The encounter was brief but valuable.
It was the first discovery of bio-fluorescence in a reptile in the wild, according to Gruber.
When an animal is biofluorescent, it means that they absorb light from the sun or another
source and radiate it back out, usually in shades of red and green.
More research is needed, but scientists speculate that at least some of the red glow is caused
by algae on the turtle’s shell.
Over the past 15 years or so, researchers have discovered numerous biofluorescent marine
creatures, including corals, fish, eels, and sharks.
7.
PANGOLIN You may not have heard of the pangolin but
sadly it is the most trafficked animal on Earth.
Pangolins are dispersed primarily throughout Southern, Central, and East Africa, as well
as some parts of Asia.
They typically dwell in woodlands and savannas that are near water.
Despite their appearance, pangolins, also known as the “scaly anteaters,” are not
reptiles.
They’re covered in “armor” made of keratin - the same substance as human hair and nails.
Pangolins have small heads and broad tails, and they lack outer ears, but have good hearing.
They also don’t have any teeth, instead relying on their gizzard-like stomach to grind
their food.
Numerous factors threaten the pangolin population.
Pangolin is a popular type of bush meat, and these animals are hunted and eaten in many
parts of Africa.
Here in many countries they are also used as a source of traditional medicine.
There’s also a demand for pangolin meat in Vietnam and southern China, where it’s
considered a delicacy.
In certain parts of Asia, some believe that ground-up pangolin scales possess medicinal
qualities, such as the ability to cure asthma or cancer, or to stimulate lactation.
Every year, an estimated 100,000 pangolins are trafficked to China and Vietnam, totaling
at least one million over the past decade.
Despite an international ban on the pangolin trade, it remains in high demand.
They’re even considered commercially extinct in certain ranges.
In addition to overhunting, the species is also threatened by ongoing habitat loss that
is caused by deforestation.
Had you ever heard of the Pangolin before??
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6.
YANGTZE GIANT SOFTSHELL TURTLE With only three individuals left, the elusive
Yangtze giant softshell turtle is considered the world’s most critically endangered turtle.
Until this year, there were four of these turtles left.
On April 13, a 90-year-old female passed away at a zoo in Suzhou, China.
She died shortly after zoo staff attempted to artificially inseminate her.
There were supposedly no complications during the procedure, but she struggled to come out
of anesthesia.
For years, scientists tried unsuccessfully to breed her with the zoo’s other Yangtze
giant softshell turtle, who is still alive and around 100 years old.
The other two remaining specimens live in Vietnam in separate ponds.
Scientists are unsure if they would be able to artificially inseminate or not to keep
the species going.
Like many others, this once-abundant species fell victim to overfishing, hunting, and the
destruction of its habitat.
Conservationists aren’t ready to give up on the Yangtze giant softshell turtle.
Aiman Wang, director of the China Division of the Wildlife Conservation Society and a
National Geographic explorer, is devoted to saving the species.
He hopes to discover a female turtle and breed it before what little time is left runs out.
5.
GLASS FROGS Glass frogs are a group of largely arboreal
tree frogs found in parts of Central and South America.
One glance at a glass frog will explain its name - several of its organs are visible through
its transparent underbelly.
A new species of glass frog was discovered in Ecuador in 2017.
Unlike other glass frog species, its heart is exposed by its see-through skin, which
extends over its chest.
A completely exposed heart is unusual, even though all frogs in this genus have completely
transparent undersides.
Until this most recent discovery, scientists had only found two other species of glass
frog with visible hearts.
Researchers believe that more glass frog species will be discovered in the region - if the
amphibian group can withstand the threats caused to them by human activity, including
the potential pollution of water by oil extraction and the possibility of newly-constructed roads
dividing and isolating frog populations.
4.
AXOLOTL The axolotl is a carnivorous salamander and
hails exclusively from the lake complex of Xochimilco, near Mexico City.
This species is unique because it retains many of its larval features throughout adulthood
- a trait called neoteny.
Its tadpole-like dorsal fin, which runs most of the length of its body, is an example of
neoteny.
Another example of this rare trait is the feathery external gills that protrude from
the back of the axolotl’s wide head.
Unlike most other salamanders, axolotls live permanently in the water, with the very rare
exception of one that reaches maturity and relocates to land.
Axolotls grow up to a foot long, but their average length is about half a foot, and they
live up to 15 years.
They’re typically black or mottled brown, but there are albino and white varieties.
This species is considered critically endangered.
Much of the Xochimilco Lake complex that the axolotl calls “home” has been drained
and contaminated due to the demands of nearby Mexico City, and axolotl populations are declining.
Their numbers are further threatened because axolotl meat is considered a delicacy in Mexico,
and they are popular in the aquarium trade.
Many people have them as pets although hopefully from a domestic breeder and not from the lake
in Mexico!
3.
SUN BEAR Sun bears are found throughout Asia, from
southern China to eastern India, and as far south as Indonesia.
They’re named after the golden or white patch on their chest, which represents a rising
sun, according to legend.
The sun bear is the smallest of the bear species, reaching only about half the size of an American
black bear.
An adult sun bear is typically four to five feet long and weighs between 60 and 150 pounds,
with males being slightly larger than females on average.
Gathering conservation data on the species is difficult, due to their shy personalities
and remote habitats.
However, it’s known that they’re heavily poached, and that their habitat is being rapidly
destroyed by deforestation.
Additionally, females are often killed so their cubs can be stolen and raised as pets,
and farmers often kill sun bears that wander onto their property to prevent them from eating
their crops.
2.
SAIGA ANTELOPE The saiga is a small, critically endangered
species of antelope, about the size of a goat.
It’s one of the most ancient mammals on the planet, and has survived millennia of
extreme harsh weather.
Until the fall of the Soviet Union, the saiga population throughout Europe was well-managed,
despite being commonly hunted.
When the Soviet Union fell, people began hunting saiga even more, due to widespread unemployment
and poverty.
It was hunted for both food and trade.
The problem only worsened when China opened their border to trade.
There’s a large demand for saiga horn in China due to its purported uses in traditional
medicine.
Global saiga populations have dropped by 95 percent in the past 15 years.
In 2001, the saiga was added to IUCN’s Red List as Critically Endangered.
In 2015, around 200,000 saigas died over just a few days.
Female saigas gathered in huge numbers on the remote steppes of central Kazakhstan to
give birth - an annual practice among the species.
By gathering, the saiga antelopes increased the chances of their newborns by swamping
their predator, the wolf, with an abundance of food.
At the time, the females were under immense physiological stress, and were therefore more
prone to disease and birth-related mortality, as well as the ill effects of the weather.
As they gathered, the females became weak and uncoordinated, and began dying rapidly.
Calves began to die next, and after a few days, it appeared as if every animal had lost
their life.
After the tragedy, a worldwide search for answers ensued.
Scientists determined that the saigas died from an infection caused by opportunistic
bacteria that is found naturally in the respiratory tract.
However, they don’t know why the bacteria turned on their hosts.
Factoring in climate change, experts predict an increase in tragic events like this.
1.
PLATYPUS Native to Australia, the platypus is one of
the world’s few - and most - venomous mammals.
It’s also known for its strange appearance, which can be described as a combination between
a duck and a beaver.
When explorers first saw a specimen, they thought it was a hoax!
The platypus also lays eggs - an extremely rare trait among mammals.
It feeds on the bottom of the freshwater rivers and wetlands it tends to inhabit, hunting
for worms, insects, and shellfish.
The animal’s tail and webbed feet are ideal for navigating effectively through water.
Platypuses do not have teeth and rely on nearby bits of gravel to help mash up their food.
Eggs are laid near the water’s edge in an underground burrow and hatch after ten days.
Babies nurse from their mother for around four months before foraging on their own.
The platypus is so revered by its native Australia, the Commonwealth features the animal on their
20-cent coin.
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