10 Animals You’ve Never Heard Of

The world is a wonderful place. If you venture out of your comfort zone, you’re likely to see new things including, some animals you’ve never heard of.

Of course, most of the animals that aren’t commonly known are scarce, hard to find, and live in areas that aren’t heavily populated with people. Because of this, you might not venture toward an area where these animals live but rather spend time reading about them and learning more online. Here are ten animals that live in the world that you’ve probably never known.

Aardwolf

This animal sounds like a cross between a wolf and an aardvark, but it’s not. Instead, these African wolves eat lots of insects, which is where the name comes from. These animals are found mostly in South Africa and are closely related to hyenas. Aardwolves can eat up to 200,000 termites in a single sitting, which means they don’t need to wait for the leavings of a carcass like their cousins. This diet allows the aardwolf to survive in some of the driest climates, which is probably why you’ve never heard their name.

Amami Rabbit

This rabbit is named for the location where its found. The Amami Rabbit is only found on two small islands that are part of the Amami Archipelago in Southern Japan. These are certainly animals you’ve never heard of, not only because of where they live but also because they are nocturnal rabbits. These bunnies are primitive and related to ancient versions, making them living fossils. Unfortunately, because the Amami Rabbit is prey for other animals, their numbers are dwindling. These rabbits only breed twice a year, with births that only consist of one or two offspring at a time.

Glass Frogs

These amazing little frogs live in the treetops of tropical environments, mostly Costa Rica and Panama. These amazing little animals are typically green in color and have translucent skin on their bellies. There are actually sixty different species of glass frogs across Southern Mexico, along with Central and South America. These frogs are small and because they live in warm, wet climates and the treetops they are animals you might not know. If you take a tropical vacation to an area where they live, see if you can spot these little creatures in the trees.

Bilby

In Australia, the bilby is a common animal that’s replaced the Easter Bunny as the symbol of the holiday. This small marsupial is a desert-dwelling creature with a long tail, silky fur, and large ears. Australians buy Easter bilbies instead of chocolate bunnies, and proceeds from these sales are used to help this species survive. Bilbies are burrowing creatures that live in the desert area of the land down under, where it’s a common sight, but everywhere else, this is one of the animals you’ve never heard of.

Bongo

This isn’t a drum played with your hands but a large member of the antelope family. Bongos have horns and a reddish coat with yellow or white stripes. These antelope-like creatures live in the African lowlands and mountains, and they are easily frightened. As you would expect of an animal in Africa, bongos are fast runners and run to safety when in danger. These creatures are typically found alone and only interact with others of their species when mating.

Matamata

The matamata is a type of turtle native to South America. These turtles are known for their shell, which is black or brown, and their triangular-shaped flat head. This turtle has a long neck that is rough and bumpy. These turtles typically live in slow-moving blackwater streams, rivers, and swamps and only come to land to lay eggs. Because of its natural habitat, the matamata is one of the animals you’ve probably never heard of. These rare turtles stay in deep swamp water for as long as they can.

Red-Lipped Batfish

How do I look? That’s what you expect this strange-looking fish to ask when you see it. This animal is flat and a bottom dweller that uses its pectoral fins to walk. The most distinct feature of this fish is the bright red lips that make it look like this animal just got done putting on makeup. These fish are native to the Galapagos Islands. This is one of the few fish in the world that are not good swimmers, leaving them to walk on the ocean floor.

Pangolin

The pangolin became better known when COVID-19 hit the world because this animal was mentioned as a possible transmission source of the virus. Otherwise you might never know that there is a scaled mammal. The pangolin looks like an armadillo, but it has more in common with bears, cats, and dogs. These animals live in Asia and Africa and have existed for 80 million years but are now in danger of extinction. The pangolin feeds on insects and is an excellent pest control animal. Strangely, more than 200,000 pangolins are eaten by people each year because it’s meat is believed to have medicinal and sexual benefits.

Chinese Water Deer

A quick glance at this animal might make you think it’s a typical deer that you see in North America, but when you look closer, you see a pair of tusks growing out of the sides of its mouth. This deer is native to the floodplain areas of Korea, and its related to a musk deer. These deer are also known as vampire deer, but they aren’t a danger to people when in the wild. The tusks are used mostly to root around for food, such as weeds, grasses, and herbs.

Markhor

The final animal that you’ve never heard of on our list is the Markhor. This goat has spindly-shaped horns and is known as the old man of the mountains. This goat is found in the northeastern areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. This animal is Pakistan’s national animal, but it’s on the most endangered list in the world. Markhor spit is sought after as an anti-venom, which is easily harvested from these sloppy eaters. Often, the spit falls on the ground and dries where locals scrape it and use it.

Have you ever heard of any of the animals on this list? Which one is your favorite?