Red-Lipped Batfish

Speaking of weird Galapagos animals, check out the red-lipped batfish.

Also native to the islands, this fish dwells along the ocean floor and is known for its red lips, which makes it look like it's recently devoured a bloody feast.

The second part of the fish’s scientific name, Ogcocephalus darwini, is a nod to Charles Darwin, who famously studied evolution while visiting the Galapagos.

Parrotfish

You can find parrotfish in tropical reef environments, where they use their external teeth – which look like a beak – to break algae off rocks, coral and other hardened substrate. This ability allows them to carve out a living in places where many other species cannot survive.

Another fun fact? Parrotfish defecate sand. As it turns out, many of the sand grains found on white-sand beaches are actually parrotfish poop.

Parrotfish are found in the Indian and Pacific oceans; the Seychelles islands off East Africa boast a particularly sizable population.

Mantis Shrimp

Mantis shrimp are ancient, fierce and more than a little weird. 

Various forms of mantis shrimp have been around for an estimated 400 million years, and they aren’t like any other shrimp around. They are so freakishly strong that their appendages, called “clubs,” can smash crab shells and bust open clams. (Some varieties have spears rather than clubs, which are equally formidable.) 

These clubs can also be used to used to dish out around 500 punches in under a second, delivering enough force to break glass.

And that's not all. Because these shrimp have incredible eyesight (they can see in two different directions at once), they strike with pinpoint accuracy.

There are about 400 different species of mantis shrimp, the most dazzling-looking of which is undoubtedly the multi-hued peacock mantis shrimp, pictured here.

The waters of Costa Rica and Bali are particularly rich with mantis shrimp; book a diving expedition to see one up close.

Glass Frog

Just as you can see through glass, you can see through the extraordinary glass frog.

Many of these frogs have lime-green skin, but some lack any coloration on their underside, making their organs visible to the naked eye. Equally amazing are their spotted backs, which scientists speculate are meant to resemble eggs – so predators going after their offspring get confused.

Your best chance of spotting this tree-dwelling frog is in Costa Rica or Panama. Costa Rica's Tortuguero National Park in particular promises a good chance of seeing one, in all its transparent glory. 

Axolotl

The axolotl salamander manages to be at once adorable and kind of disturbing.

Though it develops legs, it never reaches land, instead spending its time strolling the underwater surface. Its nickname? Walking fish.

This extraordinary creature – which comes in colors ranging from creamy white to olive – is only native to Mexico. Your best chance of seeing one exists near Mexico City in the lakes of Xochimilco. 

A population decline is largely attributed to habitat loss, but is also due to the fact that the axolotl is considered a culinary delicacy. 

Japanese Spider Crab

Blob Fish

Sunda Colugo

Lamprey

Naked Mole Rat

Tufted Deer

Aye-aye

Sea Pig

Scotoplanes live on deep ocean bottoms, specifically on the abyssal plain in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, typically at depths of over 1000 meters. They are deposit feeders, and obtain food by extracting organic particles from deep-sea mud.

Thorny Dragon

Coloured in camouflaging shades of desert browns, this lizard has a “false” head, which he presents to his predators by dipping the real one. 

Narwhal

This toothed whale, found in the arctic, has been valued for over 1000 years by the Inuit people for its meat and ivory. The narwhal, however, is especially sensitive to the climate change. 

Okapi

This mammal is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Despite the zebra-like stripes, it is actually more closely related to giraffes.

Indian Purple Frog

Indian Purple FrogFound in India, this species of frog have bloated body and an unusually pointy snout; it only spends two weeks a year on the surface of earth, leaving the underground for mating.

Blue Parrotfish

This bright blue fish can be found in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and spends 80% of its time searching for food.

Saiga Antelope

This saiga, spread around the Eurasian steppe, is known for its an extremely unusual, over-sized, flexible nose structure, the proboscis. 

Giant Isopod

This one is the largest of the existing isopods. “The enormous size of the giant isopod is a result of a phenomenon known as deep sea gigantism. This is the tendency of deep sea crustaceans and other animals to grow to a much larger size than similar species in shallower waters.”

Pacu Fish

You probably don’t need much explanation as to why the residents of Papua New Guinea fear this fish.” 

Venezuelan Poodle Moth

Discovered in Venezuela in 2009, this new species of alien-looking moth is still poorly explored.

Mantis Shrimp

Also called the “sea locusts“, “prawn killers” and even “thumb splitters”, this is one of the most common predators in tropical and sub-tropical waters; little is known about them, however, because of how much time they spend hiding in their burrows. 

Glaucus Atlanticus

Also known as the blue dragon, this creature is a is a species of blue sea slug. You could find it in warm waters of the oceans, as it floats on the surface because of a gas-filled sac in its stomach.

Hummingbird Hawk-Moth

As this hawk-moth feeds on flowers and makes a similar humming sound, it looks a lot like a hummingbird. What’s interesting is that it is surprisingly good at learning colors. 

Umbonia Spinosa

These thorn bugs are related to cicadas, and use their beaks to pierce plant stems to feed upon their sap. Their strange appearance still poses many questions to scientists.

Lowland Streaked Tenrec

Found in Madagascar, Africa, this small tenrec is the only mammal known to use stridulation for generating sound – something that’s usually associated with snakes and insects.

Goblin Shark

This rare shark is sometimes even called a “living fossil”, “is the only extant representative of the family Mitsukurinidae, a lineage some 125 million years old.” Goblin sharks inhabit around the world at depths greater than 100 m (330 ft), with adults found deeper than juveniles. Given the depths at which it lives, the goblin shark poses no danger to humans.