Strange Mammals

[VanceInWA]

Fur-bearing mammals are typical prey for hunters. Some mammals around the world can appear very strange to our American eyes. This is a thread showing strange mammals which may be of interest. Here are a couple to get started:

Siberian Musk Deer: a deer with fangs. No kidding. And no, this picture is not photoshopped. These deer live in northeastern Asia and can migrate down the Korean Peninsula.


Maned Wolf: Native to Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia, at first glance the Maned Wolf looks like a very long-legged fox. In fact, this timid animal is a unique species with only a very distant relationship to wolves.

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[VanceInWA]

Saiga Antelope: Here's one that may pique your interest. We've all heard of Saiga rifles, but perhaps not so many of us know that Saiga is named after the Saiga Antelope, a native of Mongolia. The Saiga Antelope is in the family Bovidae, which means it is related to cows; although with that floppy nose you'd think it was more closely related to elephants.

 

[Hop Sing]

Way cool thread - thanks!

 

[pharmseller]

The Aye-aye

Aye-aye - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Alexx1401]

The Aye-aye

Aye-aye - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Damn ugly little critter.

 

[VanceInWA]

Alexx1401 said that the Aye-Aye is an ugly little creature (and he's right!). Thought maybe some cuteness could bring balance to the universe:

Pygmy Marmoset: This is the smallest monkey on Earth. They grow up to 6 inches, although their long tail can add another 8 inches. They weigh less than a half-ounce at birth. Native to the Amazon rain forest, this is a picture of an adolescent Pygmy Marmoset.

 

[Alexx1401]

Alexx1401 said that the Aye-Aye is an ugly little creature (and he's right!). Thought maybe some cuteness could bring balance to the universe:

Pygmy Marmoset: This is the smallest monkey on Earth. They grow up to 6 inches, although their long tail can add another 8 inches. They weigh less than a half-ounce at birth. Native to the Amazon rain forest, this is a picture of an adolescent Pygmy Marmoset.
View attachment 1114077

Damn thing looks like a large spider missing some legs

 

[Rickenbacher39]

Well, the little animals are cute but you won't find a stranger mammal than humans.

 

[CamoDeafie]

A platypus.



If you had never heard of it, nor seen one.. then you might've dismissed stories as hoaxes or drunk fantasies about a semi aquatic mammal that has a duck bill, 4 webbed feet, no wings, lays eggs, and has fur instead of feathers, and also is venomous. (Has venom glands by hind feet in males)

 

[VanceInWA]

Hippopotamus:
Okay, I know what you're thinking, Hippo should not be included in this thread. They're not strange at all, right? But perhaps the ubiquitous Hippo is stranger than you think. For one thing, Hippos are bloody dangerous. Mosquitoes are said to be the most dangerous animal in Africa because they transmit diseases that kill upwards of one million annually, but that is an indirect kill. Hippos kill people directly with their huge jaws (their canine teeth can grow close to two feet in length!), and they are extremely territorial and aggressive. Hippos directly kill around 3,000 Africans per year, making them the most dangerous mammal on that continent and third most dangerous in the world (the second most dangerous is dogs which kill around 25,000 people per year, and of course the world's most dangerous mammal is humans). Second, only Elephants are larger than Hippos when it comes to land animals; they can weigh more than 7,000 pounds. Yet despite their massive girth, Hippos are fantastic swimmers. And last fun fact about Hippos, the ancient Greeks thought that they sweat blood due to the red liquid that appeared to ooze out of their skin. In reality, the red oily fluid is not blood, or even sweat for that matter, but a secretion from special glands all over their skin that both prevents the growth of disease-causing bacteria and acts as a natural radiation barrier against the sweltering African sun.

 

[Alexx1401]

I have read a few times how Hippo's kill a LOT of people down there. Most are shocked when they hear this as they seem so cut and clumsy.

 

[VanceInWA]

I have read a few times how Hippo's kill a LOT of people down there. Most are shocked when they hear this as they seem so cut and clumsy.

Yes, they may look clumsy, but most people would not be able to outrun a hippo. They average a land speed of 19 MPH, while the average running speed for a human male between 20 and 40 years old is 5.9 MPH. Human female average is 5.0 MPH. The fast human speed ever recorded was Usain Bolt at 23.35 MPH.

 

[VanceInWA]

STRAIGHT-HORNED MARKHOR:
Wouldn't you love to have this trophy? Dream on, because the Markhor is near the brink of extinction and protected. It is estimated there are only 3,000 remaining on the planet. A native to the mountain ranges of Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan (in fact it is the national animal for Pakistan), the Markhor is a type of wild goat that can reach up to 240 pounds. Male Markhors are twice as large as females. Their name comes from the Persian words mar ("snake") and chore ("eater") becaue they are known to stomp on snakes in order to kill them (but they don't eat the snakes). As seems unfortunately typical for weird and wonderful animals, they are considered to have magical medicinal properties by the Chinese and poaching for the Chinese market is threatening their existence.

 

[titsonritz]

SLOTH:
The only mammal that does not fart.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Patrick Mcmanus named his dog Strange. Because strange.

 

[VanceInWA]

This is not what I'd call a strange animal, but certainly a bit rare in the Pacific Northwest, not to mention protected (since 1967). This is a Columbian White-Tailed deer, picture taken at the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, Washington where they seem to like hanging out.

 

[Flopsweat]

The long-eared Jeroba is pretty weird.

The long-eared jerboa stands—and hops—in a class of its own

The tiny, furtive rodent—native to the deserts of northwest China and southern Mongolia—has a mouse-like body, rabbity ears, a snout like a pig’s, and back legs that look like a kangaroo’s.

www.worldwildlife.org