Most travelers would kill to get a chance to see exotic wildlife, and it becomes the sole reason for planning a trip. We belong to this avid animal fans category as well. However, what steals our attention the most is weird yet cute animals.
Wild animals moving around their natural habitat is a sight to behold. Imagine watching these animals in the flesh traversing through the length and breadth of a forest or a national park with gay abandon?
It is so much better than staring at them through the TV screens. Of course, we love to watch them on TV too. However, that comes a close second. Here are a few animals you need to know about: bold, beautiful, and can make your jaw drop!
Pangolin
Have you ever set your eyes on Pangolins? They resemble a bit like armored anteaters. No wonder they are also known as ‘scaly anteaters’! However, they are closer to dogs, cats, and seals than armadillos, the mammals they resemble.
They are a perfect blend of cute and weird looks with their beady eyes and strange feet.
They are cute in their actions, too, as they curl themselves up if anything or anyone threatens them. You may find this scaly ball of an animal in sub-Saharan Africa, where you may spot as many as three subspecies.
However, sadly these species are moving towards the brink of extinction in Africa and Asia. And that is because there is a huge demand for their meat and scales! Yes, poaching may soon make these cute animals disappear from the face of the earth.
Aye-aye
Are you a big fan of spotting strange animals? Then, Madagascar is the place to be. The surprising thing you may not find these creatures anywhere around the world.
A case in point is this animal with eerily bulging eyes and his ever-growing teeth and long fingers. Imagine meeting up with a small yet weird animal at a midnight rendezvous?
Aye-aye’s, are a kind of lemurs who move across the jungles of Madagascar, stealthily at night, their iridescent eyes following the rituals of a midnight jungle!
Capybara
Capybaras are a type of rodents, and you can spot them all around Latin America. They mostly move in large groups and shelter around water bodies. You may spot as many as 100 of them at a glance during the dry season.
They often act as perch for various birds, and it may call for a cute sighting if you come across them suddenly. Capybara is lightning fast as runners and may give stiff competition to horses. They can hide underwater for as many as five minutes when they want to hoodwink predators.
Magnificent frigatebird
These magnificent birds hail from Galapagos Islands. They bost of distinctive looks as their wingspans are around two and a half meters and soar high, reaching almost 2,500 meters above sea level.
These birds are often at loggerheads with other birds, and hence they are also known as man-o-war birds. They may often steal food from other birds. What sets them apart from other birds is the big red sack on their chests which becomes bigger at the sight of a prospective mate.
Sloth
Sloths get their name because of their sloth-like movement patterns. They are often seen hugging trees for dear life in Latin American countries such as Panama, Brazil, and more.
Their dopey grins give them an adorable and cute appearance. They are perpetually on a leaf diet, and hence their metabolism is not as sharp as the other breeds of animals. It also helps them dupe predators who prowl around looking for sloth-like smaller animals to hunt.
About 11,000 years ago, sloths’ ancestors bore a striking resemblance to elephants. They were larger than our present-day elephants.
Velvet ants
Are these velvet ants or wasps of different breeds. Well, their appearance defies our perception of them, as they are indeed wasps. The wingless and hairy female velvet wasps look like ants.
The Chilean specimens are black and white. Their monochromatic look also makes people know them as panda ants. Their stings are painful, and such is their potency that people also name them cow killers!
Rare to look at and find, these animals also deserve as much attention from us. What do you think of them? Would you like to visit them sometime in their near future?