There are many unusual creatures that inhabit our planet, but some are so weird and unusual, we had to point them out to you. So, won’t you join us as we countdown 15 most unusual animals you won’t believe are real.
SAIGA ANTELOPE
The saiga antelope is superbly adapted to the harsh conditions of the semi-desert grasslands of Central Asia, which are among the last remaining wilderness areas in Eurasia.
These unusual antelopes have a distinctive large, bulbous nose and live in what used to be vast nomadic herds, but sadly their numbers are plummeting, and they are now critically endangered. Only males have horns. They are ringed at the bottom and positioned vertically.
Unfortunately, hunters kill saiga because of the horns and there is great disproportion in the number of males and females in the wild. Horns are used for fights during the mating season. Fights are very aggressive, and they usually end fatally.
Mortality rate can reach 90% during the mating season. Saigas are very famous for their long and exhausting migrations that take place each year. Migrations start at November and they are directed toward the winter grounds in the south.
Saiga is a very fast animal. It can run up to 40 miles per hour, especially when it is trying to escape from predators. Main predators of the saiga are wolves and humans.
GIANT OARFISH
The Giant Oarfish resembles a Sea Monster and because of their size, they have been confused as “sea serpents” frequently. It has been swimming deep at the bottom of the ocean since the days of the dinosaurs.
It still exists today. The giant oarfish is the world’s longest bony fish. They can reach a length of 110 feet. The biggest oarfish ever recorded weighed 600 pounds. While that may seem heavy, it is not very much for a fish that may reach lengths longer than a school bus.
Whenever these deep-sea fish wash up on shore, they make headlines because they are just gigantic.
They are silver with dark markings and swim in an undulating manner. We name them after their long, oar-shaped fins. We know very little about these creatures.
Their diet comprises krill, other small crustaceans, fish, and squid. The adults are solitary. The first few elements of the dorsal fin are long and wispy, resembling a crown, and give rise to yet another common name for this species, the King of Herrings.
Oarfish have enormous eyes that they use to see in the low light conditions of the deep parts of the open ocean, their preferred habitat.
They rarely come to the ocean surface, perhaps only when dying or disoriented, and occasionally wash up on beaches around their home range.
Oarfish are likely the source of sea serpent myths that are part of most maritime cultures around the world.
However, oarfish are harmless. They have tiny mouths and no teeth, and they feed by filtering small prey from the water, swimming with their mouths open and capturing their food with changed bones that support their gills.
