You might think you've seen the world over, under, around and through, but there will
still be wonders that will make your eyes pop.
Even if you're a dedicated animal enthusiast, you can't honestly expect to know all of the
1,367,555 non-insect animal species, that are identified on the face of Earth today.
In this video, we are going to look at the 10 cute land animals you never knew existed.
Number 10. Galagos also known as bush babies, or nagapies
are small nocturnal primates native to continental Africa.
Galagos have large eyes that give them good night vision in addition to other characteristics,
like strong hind limbs, acute hearing, and long tails that help them balance.
Their ears are bat-like and allow them to track insects in the dark.
They are fast, agile creatures, catching insects on the ground or snatch them out of the air.
A unique feature typical for galago is presence of a double tongue.
Underneath the regular tongue, galago has additional tongue made of cartilage which
plays an important role in grooming. Galago vocalizes by producing child-like cries,
and this is the reason why galago is also known as bush-baby.
Number 9. The binturong, also known as bearcat, is a
viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia. Although called 'bearcat', this omnivorous
mammal is not closely related to either bears or cats but to the palm civets of Asia.
The body of the binturong is long and heavy, with short, stout legs, with a thick fur of
strong black hair. The bushy and prehensile tail is thick at
the root, gradually diminishing in size to the extremity, where it curls inwards.
The muzzle is short and pointed, somewhat turned up at the nose, and is covered with
bristly hairs, brown at the points, which lengthen as they diverge, and form a peculiar
radiated circle round the face. This animal is omnivorous, feeding on small
mammals, birds, fish, earthworms, insects and fruits.
Major threats to the binturong are habitat loss and degradation of forests through logging
and conversion of forests to non-forest land-uses throughout the binturong's range.
Because of this, binturong is uncommon in much of its range, and has been assessed as
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because of a declining population trend that is estimated
at more than 30% over the last three decades.
NUmber 8. Curious and cute, pangolins are among the
strangest of mammals. This cute mammal has no teeth, and feeds off
a diet of mostly insects using their long, thin tongues to probe ant and termite colonies.
The word Pangolin comes from "penggulung," the Malay word for roller, the action a pangolin
takes in self-defense. Because of this, pangolins have very few if
any natural predators since their scales protect them by withstanding attacks from teeth and
claws. Unfortunately, the pangolins have been pushed
to the brink of extinction by illegal businesses that market the meat and scales as "magical
and medicinal", and their rarity and cost has made them into
a culinary status symbol in East Asian restaurants. This high market value has created a black
market where pangolins have been cruelly poached from their natural environments of Africa
and Asia to the point that all eight varieties of the
pangolin are currently listed as critically endangered.
Number 7. The red panda is a mammal native to the eastern
Himalayas and southwestern China. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red
List because the wild population is estimated at fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and
continues to decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression.
Also called lesser panda or red bear-cat, the red panda has reddish-brown fur, a long,
shaggy tail, and a waddling gait due to its shorter front legs.
The light face has white badges similar to those of a raccoon, but each individual can
have distinctive markings. Their long, bushy tails with six alternating
transverse ochre rings provide balance and excellent camouflage against their habitat
of moss- and lichen-covered trees. It is roughly the size of a domestic cat,
though with a longer body and somewhat heavier. The red panda is arboreal, feeds mainly on
bamboo, but also eats eggs, birds, and insects.
Number 6. Numbat is an insectivorous marsupial native
to Western Australia and recently re-introduced to South Australia.
Once widespread across southern Australia, its range is now restricted to several small
colonies and it is listed as an endangered species.
The numbat is a small, colourful creature between 35 and 45 centimetres (14 and 18 in)
long, including the tail, with a finely pointed muzzle and a prominent, bushy tail about the
same length as its body. Colour varies considerably, from soft grey
to reddish-brown, often with an area of brick red on the upper
back, and always with a conspicuous black stripe running from the tip of the muzzle
through the eyes to the bases of the small, round-tipped ears.
Its diet consists almost exclusively of termites. An adult numbat requires up to 20,000 termites
each day. The only marsupial fully active by day, the numbat spends most of its time
searching for termites. It digs them up from loose earth with its
front claws and captures them with its long, sticky tongue.
Despite its banded anteater name, it apparently does not intentionally eat ants.
Number 5. The Ili pika is a species of mammal endemic
to northwest China. After its discovery in 1983, it was not documented
again until 2014. The Ili pika inhabits talus slopes at high
elevations, usually from about 2,800 to 4,100 meters.
This species constructs haypiles and is a generalized herbivore as it primarily feeds
on grasses and herbs. The Ili pika somewhat resembles a short-eared
rabbit. It is large for a pika, with a length of 20.3-20.4
cm and a weight of up to 250 g, with brightly colored hair and displays large rusty-red
spots on forehead, crown, and the sides of the neck.
Almost nothing is known about the ecology or behavior of this endangered species.
Its population is declining, likely due to the effects of climate change, with approximately
less than 1,000 left.
Number 4. The Japanese dwarf flying squirrel is an extremely
small and fluffy squirrel. It's a native Japanese species and one of
the two Old World flying squirrels. This rodent is one of the cutest and most
lovable creatures ever known. Despite the common name, this unique squirrel
doesn't fly. Instead, it glides with a membrane, stretching
from its forelimbs to hind limbs and covered with fur.
The Japanese dwarf flying squirrel is known to glide long distances of up to 100 meters
at a time, using this ability to move between trees or escape predators.
The life expectancy of this animal is unknown, although other flying squirrels typically
live 4 - 5 years in the wild and as long as 10 - 15 years in captivity.
Number 3. The golden-mantled tree-kangaroo is endemic
to the Northern New Guinea montane rain forests ecoregion of northern New Guinea island.
This marsupial has a chestnut brown short coat with a pale belly, and yellowish neck,
cheeks and feet. A double golden stripe runs down its back,
with the tail being long and has pale rings. Its appearance is similar to the closely related
Goodfellow's tree-kangaroo but differs from the latter by having a pinkish or lighter
coloured face, golden shoulders, white ears and smaller size.
Like in many places around the world, deforestation impacts wildlife habitat.
It's the same where tree kangaroos live. In fact, the golden-mantled tree-kangaroo is
considered to be one of the most endangered of all tree-kangaroos.
It has been extirpated from most of its original range and has been listed as an IUCN Red List
Critically endangered species since 2015.
Number 2. This golden brushtail possum is actually a
common a brushtail possum, but has a genetic mutation that resulted in low levels of melanin,
causing the fur to be golden in color. Not many golden possums are seen in the wild,
as those born with the mutation do not always live long because their unusual coloring makes
them stand out more to predators. Like most possums, this possum is nocturnal.
It is mainly a folivore, but has been known to eat small mammals such as rats.
Despite of its cute appearance, this animal is one of the major agricultural problems
in Australia and New Zealand. It most often seen by city dwellers, as it
is one of few that thrive in cities and a wide range of natural and human-modified environments.
Around human habitations, common brushtails are inventive and determined foragers with
a liking for fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and kitchen raids.
The common brushtail possum was introduced to New Zealand in the 1850s to establish a
fur industry, but in the mild subtropical climate of New Zealand,
and with few to no natural predators, it thrived to the extent that it became a major agricultural
and conservation pest.
Number 1. At first glance, the malabar giant squirrel
may look too big to be a squirrel, more like a primate.
But of course, the Malabar giant squirrel is indeed a squirrel, although it looks very
different from the squirrels we're used to seeing.
For one, Malabar giant squirrel is huge, it is two times the size of an eastern grey squirrel,
with bodies that span 36 inches from head to tail.
Secondly, the color of his fur is also unique. It can be black, brown and orange, as well
as maroon and purple. Even among its relatives, the Indian giant
squirrel stands out with its vibrant colors, which makes one wonder why evolution would
select for pelage that would call so much attention to itself.
No one knows for sure, but the squirrel's purple patterns likely play some sort of role
as camouflage. This is because the broadleaf forests these
squirrels inhabit create a "mosaic of sun flecks and dark, shaded areas."