1. Alligator Snapping Turtle

Weird, isn’t it? This is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles worldwide – and one of the most powerful too! With a bite force of 158 kgf, the Alligator Snapping Turtle is surely something you don’t want to annoy.

Thanks to its really strange appearance (which is used as a defense mechanism), it’s also known as the ‘dinosaur of the turtle world.’ Chances are you may not even see it because it lets algae grow on its shell and simply hides in the water.

2. Ginkgo-Toothed Whale

One of the most unique whale species in the world, this creature has a truly rare feature: two tusks that are growing upwards, over its upper jaw.

Although it might seem useful, these guys can’t open their mouth more than a few inches because the teeth, which start growing on the lower jaw, get to surround the upper jaw by creating a 45 degree angle. This is why their main meal is squid and they’re actually not as dangerous as other whale species.

3. Gharial

Say ‘Hello’ to the second-longest alligator in the world! Located in the northern Indian subcontinent, this little guy feeds only on fish and you can recognize it pretty easily thanks to its giant, thin jaws. The only time Gharials step on the shore is when they lay eggs or chill in the sun for a while.

Unfortunately, the population of this species has been declining 97% for the past 70 years because of hunting.

4. Shoebill

This very gracious fella is mostly known for its giant bulbous bill resembling a shoe. Sometimes over 55 inches tall, these birds have an impressive wingspan of 7’7” to 8’6”. Their hunting tactic is plain and simple, yet effective: they stand very still (sometimes for a long time) until the prey gets close enough so they can grab it.

5. Sarcastic Fringehead

Big, scary and fierce: those would be the first words used to describe this truly unique creature. Although it length of 10-12 inches isn’t very impressive, this guy really is aggressive and will put his life at stake to fight anyone who’s messing with him. When two males of this species fight, though, they do it by pressing their giant mouths against each other – kind of romantic, right?

6. Purple Frog

Located in the Western Ghats of India, this funny-looking creature has been recently discovered. Unlike other members of its species, this one spends his life underground and only comes out into the world for the special mating season.

This is exactly why it’s been so difficult to find him: purple frogs are only found on the surface for a couple of weeks – and they surely do hide well. Research shows that this is the only surviving species of an amphibians group that evolved 130 million years ago!

7. Promachoteuthis Sulcus

Look at those teeth! Although some will say it’s Photoshop, this recently discovered squid species has a similar mouth and teeth like a human being (which will probably give you some weird nightmares tonight).

In fact, the teeth are circular folded lips, which help the creature catch its prey before chopping it really well. But don’t be deceived! The size of these guys only reaches one inch long and, so far, only one 25 mm long specimen was captured, back in 2007.

8. Black Swallower

And I thought snakes were weird for swallowing their prey like that… The Black Swallower is a deep-sea creature that can consume other fish by sort of collecting them into its giant expandable stomach. Sounds like a horror movie script?

This 45 cm long fella can eat fish that are even 10 times larger than him simply by swallowing them slowly digesting them. In fact, sometimes the prey is so large that it actually starts to decompose in the stomach of the fish before the digestion process actually ends. Wow.

9. Flying Lemur

Back to the surface, somewhere in the Philippines lives this flying lemur that doesn’t fly and is not a lemur. (Oh, the irony of it!) This interesting species can only glide and sometimes leap between the trees. The flying lemur has a thin membrane that connects its neck to its limbs and fingers and that’s exactly what helps it glide from one tree to another.

Up until now, there are only 2 flying lemur species known to man.

10. Saiga Antelope

Nope, this isn’t a Photoshop artist’s work, but a truly unique kind of antelope located in the Eurasian steppe zone. In fact, the creature is just a normal antelope that grows a really big, bulbous, flexible nose that grows over its mouth.

The nose was actually developed overtime to help the Saiga antelopes breathe clean air during the dusty hon season and warm air during the cold one. Unfortunately, the species is now listed on the Critically Endangered species of the IUCN Red List.

11. Hammer-Headed Bat

Nicknamed the big-lipped bat, this is the largest bat you can find on the African continent. What’s interesting about this species is the major physical difference between males and females. The males have a very big head, mouth, and lips, which help them produce a really loud noise.

Long story short, the males were definitely created to be ugly, scary and to shout really loudly, while the females have a fox-shaped muzzle and look quite similar to fruit bats.

12. Babirusa

If you thought pigs were a bit gross, why not try out an interesting combination between a deer and a pig? Also known as the Deer-Pig (very subtle), this species can be found in the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi, Sula, Buru and Togian.

As you can see, the weirdest thing about this animal is its giant canine tusks. However, only males have them, and they have to grind them regularly because they grow all of their lives. In fact, the tusk of a Babirusa can grow so big it can, at some point, penetrate its own skull. Now that’s an interesting way to die!

13. Ribbon Worm

Although they look different and have different sizes, these worms have something in common: proboscis. Proboscis is a muscular structure found in the body of some worms, which is used to attack prey. Basically, the worm throws the proboscis outside and it catches the prey thanks to its ability to expand.

Whenever it’s in danger, the ribbon worm shrinks to one-tenth of its normal size, but it can also double its size to swallow fish, other worms, snails and even crustaceans. The length of the ribbon worms varies a lot and it can reach even 60 meters!

14. Hooded Seal

As you can see from this photo, hooded seals are very special. Located in some parts of the North Atlantic, the males of this species have a bulbous hood on the top of their heads.

As for that red ‘bubble,’ it’s actually the extrusion of an internal membrane that starts in one of the nostrils and is used, of course, to impress the ladies (because why else would you grow something like that?).

15. Bush Dog

Do you like bears? Do you like dogs? Great, then this may become your new favorite animal! Often found in Central and South America, this canid is quite an agile member of its species. Its short feet help him swim very quickly and efficiently – and that’s very useful considering the fact that it spends half of its life into water.

So far, there is very little known about this overly-cute species, but it might be more related to otters and badgers than actual dogs. Quite confusing, isn’t it?

16. Frilled Sharks

You thought we were done with underwater spooky creatures? Here is the frilled shark, a deep water creature that doesn’t know a lot – meaning that this is the most primitive shark species on Earth. With a body structure that reminds us of snakes, a lizard head and a giant mouth, this is definitely something you don’t want to cross paths with.

What you see inside its mouth is 300 extremely sharp teeth that point inwards so its prey never – ever – escapes once it’s caught.

17. Tardigrade

How can you not love a tiny creature that looks like it’s wearing a spacesuit and just walks around forever? Cute as they seem, these extremely small guys are the toughest animals on this planet. Basically, tardigrades can go on with their lives as usual in solid ice, boiling water and space radiation.

It can survive in the desert too. Or in sea trenches. You name it, they survive it! The secret of these micro-animals is that they can dry out entirely. This means that it replaces the water from its body with a sweet substance named trehalose. In other words, tardigrades have been on Earth before mankind and will stay here probably much longer than our species.

18. Musky Rat-kangaroo

Having a length of 32 cm and a 12 cm long, hairless tail, this member of the marsupial family might be the scariest one to those who are afraid of rats. The 5 toes on each of the creature’s feet suggest that it might be closely related to the primitive marsupials.

However, the guy is totally harmless. It only feeds on fruits, seeds and very small invertebrates.

19. Giant Isopod

Okay, this is the last one. The Giant isopod is a distant, much bigger relative of crabs and shrimps. Often found in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans, these guys can measure up to 50 centimeters which, as you can see, it’s quite a lot! When they are threatened, the creatures simply curl up into a ball and stay like that until the danger goes away.