The life on this Earth is extremely diverse.  According to UCSB, there is over 75 billion tons of living biomass! That’s insane! You could learn about a new creature everyday and still not cover the amazing diversity of life. Here’s just a few of the most interesting, crazy, or adorable animals that you should definitely know!  

             The Atlantic Puffin

  Atlantic Puffins, also know as “sea parrots” or “clowns of the sea,” are colorful, small seabirds that live in the open ocean surrounding Iceland. Although they are reminiscent of penguins, there’s no relation. They mate for life, and their colorful feet and beaks are used to attract a partner. Just look at this cutie!   

Photographer: Richard Bartz

          The Amazonian Giant Centipede

   The Amazonian Giant Centipede  lives in western and northern South America in tropical and subtropical rainforests. They feast on whatever they can catch and this includes things such as  lizards, rodents, tarantulas, and even bats! They can grow to over a foot long. Imagine finding this monstrosity in your backyard!

Photographer: Katka Nemčoková

The Aye-aye

Dr. Mirko Junge
nomis-simon

    These things give me the absolute creeps. There’s always been an irrational fear when it comes to these lemurs. Aye-ayes only inhabit the island Madagascar, and are nocturnal. They eat termites and bird eggs. They use their abnormally thin third finger to dig into eggs and hollow termite nests. What if you had fingers like that?

Photographers:

Dr. Mirko Junge and nomis-simon

The Kiwi

The.Rohit

Kiwi birds are native to New Zealand, and are the national symbol of New Zealand. They are the smallest birds that are incapable of flight. There are 5 known species, and each one is somehow threatened by growing deforestation. Their eggs are unusually large for their body size. They’re like a walking shag carpet but alive!

The Fennec Fox

The Fennec Fox is the smallest in the fox family, despite the fact that their ears can be over six inches tall. Also known as “desert foxes,” Fennec Foxes live in the deserts of North Africa. They are nocturnal animals that live in small groups of up to ten individuals.

Photographer: Joachim S. Müller

The Capybara

Capybaras are the largest living rodent and they live in South America. They are semi-aquatic animals that feed on grass and other vegetation. Capybaras have recently been used as therapy animals.