The Scariest Strange Creatures From Around the World

BABIRUSA

Family: Suidae

Habitat: Along the river banks of tropical rain forests

Fun Fact: If the Babirusa did not grind down its tusks, they would grow to the point of penetrating the animal's skull. 

MATSUBA KOI

Family: Cyprinidae

Habitat: Koi ponds and cold freshwater 

Fun Fact: The Matsuba Koi is sometimes known as the fish with the human face, due to its distinct features. 

AJOLOTE LIZARD

Family: Bipedidae

Habitat: Burrows in subtropic and tropic areas 

Fun Fact: This member of the worm lizard family has front legs that it uses for underground navigation. 

NORTHERN BALD IBIS

Family: Threskiornithidae

Habitat: Barren, semi-desert and rocky areas

Fun Fact: The Northern Bald Ibis males with longer bills are more successful at finding a mate. 

TOBACCO HORNWORM

Family: Sphingidae

Habitat: Tobacco plants of the Southern United States

Fun Fact: The Tobacco Hornworm has a special built-in mechanism to extract nicotine from tobacco plants. 

TAILLESS WHIP SCORPION

Family: Charinidae

Habitat: Tight spaces in humid environments

Fun Fact: The Tailless Whip Scorpion may look menacing, but it can inflict no harm on humans. 

RED-HANDED TAMARIN

Family: Callitrichidae

Habitat: Wooded areas of the Amazon River

Fun Fact: Red-handed tamarins stay in groups, attacking anything that poses a threat to one of the members. 

PROMACHOTEUTHIS SULCUS

Family: Promachoteuthidae

Habitat: Unknown area of the Atlantic Ocean

Fun Fact: This species of squid has only been found once -- a single specimen caught by a German research vessel.

ASIAN SHEEPSHEAD WRASSE

Family: Labridae

Habitat: Shallow seas and coral reefs

Fun Fact: The juveniles of this fish look totally different from the adults. The young are yellow-orange in color with a white stripe, and don't sport the signature bulbous head look. 

GIANT LEAF-TAILED GECKO

Family: Gekkonidae

Habitat: Tropical rain forests

Fun Fact: If this gecko is disturbed during sleep, it will open its large mouth and scream. 

WRINKLE-FACED BAT

Family: Phyllostomidae

Habitat: Evergreen forests in Central America

Fun Fact: Male bats release a musky odor from their chins to attract females for mating. 

AUSTRARCHAEA SPIDER

Family: Archaeidae

Habitat: The forest floor and vegetation of rain forests 

Fun Fact: This spider is also known as the "assassin spider" because it uses its long neck to catch and devour other spiders. 

SEA ANGEL

Family: Clionidae 

Habitat: Throughout ocean waters

Fun Fact: Certain types of Sea Angels eat only a diet of snails known as Sea Butterflies. 

ATRETOCHOANA

Family: Typhlonectidae

Habitat: Burrows in various bodies of water

Fun Fact: The Atretochoana is a rare creature that has no lungs. Since only a few specimens have been found, researchers are still unsure how the animal breathes. 

JAPANESE SPIDER CRAB

Family: Inachidae

Habitat: Southern coasts of Japan

Fun Fact: The Japanese Spider Crab can grow to  have a leg span of 12 feet. 

MARABOU STORK

Family: Ciconiidae

Habitat: Wet and arid lands near human villages

Fun Fact: The Marabou Stork is thought to have the largest wingspan of any land bird. 

OYSTER TOADFISH

Family: Batrachoididae

Habitat: The sea floor

Fun Fact: NASA sent several Oyster Toadfish into space to test the effects of gravity on the inner ear. 

PELAGIC SEA CUCUMBER 

Family: Pelagothuridae

Habitat: The sea floor and coral reefs 

Fun Fact: Thanks to the webbed swimming structure surrounding their bodies, these sea cucumbers are able to push themselves off the ocean floor to a new location. 

DOBSONFLY

Family: Corydalidae

Habitat: Flowing rivers and streams

Fun Fact: The mandibles of fully grown male Dobsonflies are so big they cannot bite humans. If they attempted to bite, the insect would most likely lose balance and fall over. 

TEXAS BLIND SALAMANDER

Family: Plethodontidae

Habitat: Underground streams and caves

Fun Fact: Females of this species initiate the courting rituals, biting at males if they don't get a response. 

TURTLE FROG

Family: Myobatrachidae

Habitat: Semi-arid river areas of Australia 

Fun Fact: This amphibian digs forward through the sand like a turtle, not backwards like a frog. 

GOBLIN SHARK

Family: Mitsukurinidae

Habitat: The sea bottom

Fun Fact: To catch prey in the dark, the Goblin Shark quickly protrudes its jaw and uses a tongue-like muscle to pull in its meal.  

*Animals in photo are preserved.

CYCLOCOSMIA TRAPDOOR SPIDER

Family: Ctenizidae

Habitat: Sandy soil and leaf litter across the United States

Fun Fact: The Trapdoor Spider gets its name from the plug it makes from soil, silk and vegetation for protection in its burrow.