Did you know that there are so many different species of animals out there scientist don’t even know the exact number? Some are the first animals that come to mind when you think of the word “animal”, like your brother, your sister, cats, dogs, horses or birds. But some are so strange and rare very little people even know they exist! Here is the top 5 weirdest animals I composed.

1.) Portuguese Man O’ War

This animal lives in the ocean and is truly beautiful. It looks very much like a jellyfish, ’cause it looks like a coloured blob of goo with long tentacles. That’s why it’s sometimes called a False Jellyfish. You can find it mostly in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the Pacific and Indian ocean. The thing is, technically we should call it “Men Of War” and not refer to it at “it” but “they”. Here’s why. It’s an animal that’s made up of a colony of organisms cooperating together! Man Of War has tentacles that could be 30 feet long, which it uses to paralyze and kill fish and other small creatures! A Man Of War, to humans, luckily isn’t deadly but only EXTREMELY painful. The worst thing about it’s venom is that it can stay on beaches for days after the animal has already left!

2.) Blobfish

Don’t let the miserable, scowling, slimy face fool you. The blobfish is a harmless fish found in the deep sea off Australia, Tasmania and even New Zealand. The blobfish has won the contest for World’s Ugliest Animal in 2013. Poor blobfish! There is even quite a few memes, my favourite being a picture of Mr. Blobby (a very photogenic blobfish) with the words saying; “Go home Evolution. You’re drunk! Overall, the blobfish is basically a loose, gelatinous sack.

3.) Venezuelan Poodle Moth

This moth was only discovered in 2009, and doesn’t it look like a tiny, furry poodle?! Mammals need hair or fur to keep their body heat, but insects are cold-blooded, meaning even though the poodle moth looks like it should be in Antarctica with all its poofy hair, it in fact comes from Venezuela, a tropical country. It’s hairs don’t serve for heating! Most insects use hairs for smelling and sensing what is around them in the environment or for protection. Maybe that’s what the poodle moth’s hairs are for as well. Seeing as it was a pretty recent discovery, not much is known about the poodle moth.

4.) Trumpapillar

Trust me when I say I am not joking about the name. The scientific name for this caterpillar is the Flannel Moth caterpillar, but it is also widely known as the Trumpapillar because it looks EXACTLY like Donald Trump lost his hairdo. At least, the yellow ones do. There are a variety of colours. If you were to put this caterpillar on his head, no one would even notice. That’s the main reason why this caterpillar is on this list. The other reason is because the Trumpapillar’s hairs, even though they look like a wig, are extremely painful to the touch because they cause burning and irritation. If you were to look really closely at the hairs under a microscope, you would see tiny little needle-like things covering every single hair. This acts as protection against predators! Unfortunately for Trump, his hairdo lives in the Amazon.

5.) Glass Frogs

Like the name suggests, this frog is completely translucent, which means its almost completely see through, like looking through a fogged window! Glass frogs are found in Central and South America, and this type of frog, like you may guess, is extraordinary at camouflage. Sometimes these frogs have green bones to help blend in with leaves or grass behind them. The coolest thing about this froggy is that you can see it’s heart beating through it’s skin! Also know the following picture is a female glass frog with eggs.

That’s my top 5. If you know about another super-weird animal, or think one of my five is crazy, tell me in the comments!

Have a great day!

~Sarah