Amazingly Unique Pets, Insects and Other Animals

Angora Rabbit

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This is not a stuff toy. It’s an animal. If the Angora Goat and Angora Cat (World’s Most Unique Breed of Cats) are unique, the Angora Rabbit, a variety of domestic rabbit from Turkey is equally unique. It is bred for its long, soft hair and considered as one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit. This rabbit was a popular pet with French royalty in the mid 1700s and spread to other parts of Europe by the end of the century.

Devil’s Flower Mantis

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One of the most unusual and weird-looking species of mantis is the Idolomantis diabolica. It is commonly called Devil’s Flower Mantis or Giant Devil’s Flower Mantis. This unique creature is one of the largest species of praying mantis that mimic flowers.

Lionhead Rabbit

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This animal, originally from Belgium, is certainly unique. It is called Lionhead Rabbit, one of the newest breed of domesticated rabbits that has a normally furred body but with Angora-like wool surrounding the face, reminiscent of the mane of a male lion, hence the name. Lionheads come in many colors as other breeds. However, the wool on the mane and flanks diffuses the color, so that black rabbits will often have gray-looking manes and flank wool.

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Six-eyed Sand Spider

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The Six-eyed Sand Spider whose binomial is Sicarius hahni means Hahn’s assassin or murderer. It is a medium-sized spider found in deserts and other sandy places in southern Africa and close relatives may be found in both Africa and in South America. It is also distantly related to the recluses (Loxosceles) which are found worldwide. Studies of its venom have led some to recognize this spider’s bite as the most dangerous on record.

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The spider on the above picture is a species from South America. This distinct spider buries itself in the sand and strikes from ambush at prey that wanders too closely. Sand particles adhere to cuticles on its abdomen, thus acting as a natural camouflage if uncovered. If disturbed, it will run a short distance and bury itself again.

Northern Leopard Frog

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The Northern Leopard Frog, Rana pipiens, a species of frog of Canada and US, is the State Amphibian of Minnesota and Vermont. This frog normally inhabits water bodies with abundant aquatic vegetation. One thing unique about this frog is its ability to live on cold places and can survive staying on frozen areas for relatively long period of time. It can be found above 3,000 meters or 9,800 ft above sea level. It eats a wide variety of animals including ants, beetles, flies, worms, and smaller frogs. Using their large mouth, they can even swallow birds, and garter snakes. It can reach a length of up to 11 cm or 4.3 in long.

Phricta aberrans

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This is not a mechanical toy or electronic gadget created as a prop for a new movie. It is actually an insect.

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It is one of the most unusual-looking creatures in the insect world; it is scientifically named Phricta aberrans. It is a species of Spiny Rainforest Katydid native to Northern New South Wales and South-east Queenland in Australia.

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Ozyptila praticola

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This unique spider can move sideways and backward like crabs. Ozyptila praticola, a species of crab spider of Europe and the Middle East does not build web to trap prey but hunts and ambushes. Females reach up to 4 mm and males grow up to 3 mm. It is called a crab spider because it resembles a crab with two front pairs of legs angled outward and bodies that are flattened and often angular.

Japanese Dormouse

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The Japanese Dormouse, Glirulus japonicus, a species of rodent that is native to Japan is locally called Yamane. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. Among dormice, it has the special ability of running at great speed upside down, suspended from branches. Its main food is nectar or pollen, although nursing females will eat small insects.

Pink Katydid

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There are more than 6,400 species of Katydids or Bush Crickets. They are also known as Long-horned Grasshoppers, although they are more closely related to crickets than to grasshoppers.

Pink-orange Katydid

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Some species of Katydid are affected by a phenomenon called Erythrism, an unusual reddish pigmentation of an animal’s body, hair, skin, feathers or eggshells. Based on studies, causes of erythrism include genetic mutations which cause an absence of a normal pigment and/or excessive production of others and diet.

Baby Pink Katydid

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Most Katydids are green in color or dull colored like drab, brown to brown-black. Erythrism in Katydids has been occasionally observed as manifested on the above photos. The coloring might be a camouflage that helps some members of the species survives on red plants.

Chacoan Peccary

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The odd-looking Chacoan Peccary, Catagonus wagneri, is a species of peccary found in the dry shrub habitat or Chaco of Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina where it is locally known as tagua. About 3000 exist in the world. It was originally thought to be extinct but in 1975, the animal was discovered to be still alive and well. The species was well known to the native people, but it took a while for scientists to rediscover its existence.

Malaysian Orchid Mantis

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This amazingly unique and pretty insect called Malaysian Orchid Mantis, Hymenopus coronatus, of Malaysia and Indonesia lives in humid, warm areas of rainforests. Other common names of this insect include Malaysian Praying Mantis, Pink Orchid Mantis and Orchid Mantis. It can be found on papaya trees, orchids, or frangipani trees with flowers. In captivity, the nymph’s diet can consist mainly of fruit flies, but it will eat other small insects. This species is characterized by brilliant and beautiful coloring and unusual structure; their four walking legs resemble flower petals, and the coloration of the bodies tends to match the environment in which they were raised.

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For more amazing animals see

15 Simply Amazing Animals
Animals with the most Prolific Body Parts
15 Amazing Animals from Around the World