Blobfish
The blobfish is an endangered deep-sea fish which is found off the coast of Southern Australia and Tasmania. This fish poses no danger to humans, but it is under threat from fishing activity. It gets its ‘blob’ appearance due to a lack of muscle and bone structure.
Star-nosed mole
This animal is a super talented – it has a place in the Guinness book of World Records as the fastest forager. It can be found in earthy areas in Canada and North East America. The ‘star nose’ gives this animal the ability to find and consume a meal in just 120 milliseconds! They are also great swimmers as they have water repellent fur and clawed feet, so they can paddle.
Naked mole rat
The naked mole rat is primarily found in Eastern Africa. This unfortunate looking rodent is pain and cancer resistant., as they do not have a neurotransmitter called substance P which is found in mammals. This substance is responsible for transporting pain to the central nervous system. As the naked mole rat does not have this, it is unable to feel any pain. The naked mole rat has nearly no body hair, so they are unable to regulate their own body temperature.
The aye-aye
The aye-aye is the largest nocturnal primate, related to the lemur. This animal has extremely sensitive ears and long, black bony fingers which they use to forage for food. They use an echo-location hunting technique to find their food under tree bark. The Aye-aye is found in the forest areas of Madagascar.
Chinese giant Salamander
The Chinese giant salamander is the world’s largest amphibian – they can measure up to a staggering 180cm! they are sometimes referred to as a living fossil, as this species dates back a huge 170 million years. They are critically endangered due to hunting and river pollution. The Chinese Government have protected the Salamander, by classing it as a Class II Protected Species. Although this has been put into place the poor animal is still hunted and eaten as a luxury delicacy and used in traditional medicine.
Do you know of any animals uglier than these? Let us know in the comments!
