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    The Chinese New Year is approaching and we want you to be prepared. Party animals around the country are ready to celebrate, but you have to be able to identify them first. Learn about the strangest species roaming China, so you're ready to get wild come February. 

    ASIAN VINE SNAKE 

    Family: Colubridae

    Habitat: Humid rainforests of Southeast Asia 

    Fun Fact: These snakes have unique, keyhole-shaped pupils, and are one of the few reptiles with binocular vision. 

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    TAIHU PIG

    Family: Suidae

    Habitat:  Yangtze River valley of China

    Fun Fact: Taihu pigs can give birth to 20 piglets in one litter. 

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    RUDDY KINGFISHER

    Family: Halcyonidae

    Habitat: Forests of Western China

    Fun Fact: This bird feeds on snails by picking them up and hitting them against rocks until the shells are broken. 

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    BAIJI

    Family: Lipotidae

    Habitat: River mouths outside Shanghai 

    Fun Fact: Traditional Chinese folklore says the baiji is the reincarnation of a drowned princess. 

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    INDIAN BALLOON FROG

    Family: Microhylidae

    Habitat: Southeast Asia

    Fun Fact: Indian balloon frogs can achieve their shape because their lungs are able to inflate past the amphibian's backbone. 

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    GOLDEN PHEASANT 

    Family: Phasianidae

    Habitat: Forests and mountains of Western China

    Fun Fact: The pheasant is able to fly in short bursts, but is rather clumsy in the air, so the bird spends most of its time on land. 

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    CHINESE GIANT SALAMANDER 

    Family: Cryptobranchidae

    Habitat: Rocky lakes and streams of China 

    Fun Fact: The Chinese giant salamander has several cries that sound like a human baby, earning it the name "infant fish."

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    SOUTHERN RED MUNTJAC

    Family: Cervidae

    Habitat: Forests and grasslands of Southern China 

    Fun Fact: The Southern red muntjac is also known as the barking deer because of the noise it makes when it senses a predator. 

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    PELAGIC THRESHER

    Family: Alopiidae

    Habitat: Tropical waters of China 

    Fun Fact: Newborn pelagic threshers can be more than 5 feet long. 

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    TEMMINCK'S TRAGOPAN

    Family: Phasianidae

    Habitat: Forests of Northern China

    Fun Fact: To attract mates, male tragopans will raise their colorful eyebrows up and down to get attention.

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    CHINESE SOFTSHELL TURTLE

    Family: Trionychidae

    Habitat: Brackish waters of China, Japan, Taiwan and Russia

    Fun Fact: The turtle's long snout allows it to snorkel in shallow water. 

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    JAVANESE COWNOSE RAY 

    Family: Myliobatidae

    Habitat: Shallow seas and lagoons of China 

    Fun Fact: These rays travel in large groups that sometimes number as many as 500. 

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    GREEN SAWFISH 

    Family: Pristidae

    Habitat: Ocean waters and rivers of China

    Fun Fact: Baby green sawfish are born covered in a gelatinous coating to protect their mother. 

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    GREAT BUSTARD

    Family: Otididae

    Habitat: Grasslands of temperate Asia

    Fun Fact: The great bustard is one of the heaviest flying animals in the world. 

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    Next: Check Out More Weird Animals!

    BAGARIUS

    Family: Sisoridae

    Habitat: Rocky pools and rivers of Southeast Asia 

    Fun Fact: After feeding on funeral pyres in Indian rivers, some of these creatures are rumored to have developed a taste for human flesh.