The animal kingdom is so diverse that one can't hope to see all the species that exist on our planet's land and deep oceans. According to one estimate by Bored Panda, if you wanted to see all the 8 million plus species that inhabit our planet, it would take around eight years - and that too if you'd spend just 30 seconds on each photograph and do it non-stop, with no breaks in between. Mind boggling, right? And yet, thanks to the World Wide Web, we have been lucky enough to view some of the strangest, rarest animals of the world.
Over the years, many animals have gone viral on the Internet by virtue of their rarity or unusual nature. Take a look at some of them:
A yellow turtle
A rare yellow turtle was spotted & rescued in Balasore, Odisha yesterday.
— Susanta Nanda IFS (@susantananda3) July 20, 2020
Most probably it was an albino. One such aberration was recorded by locals in Sindh few years back. pic.twitter.com/ZHAN8bVccU
Turtles are typically green, but earlier this month, residents of a village in Odisha's Balasore district witnessed a unique sight - they spotted a turtle, yellow in colour. A senior wildlife officer said it is a rare spotting. "Most probably it was an albino. One such aberration was recorded by locals in Sindh few years back," IFS (Indian Forest Services) officer Susanta Nanda wrote on Twitter.
Yellow bullfrogs
Have you ever seen Yellow frogs. Also in this number. They are Indian #bullfrog seen at Narsighpur. They change to yellow during monsoon & for attracting the females. Just look how they are enjoying rains. @DDNewslive pic.twitter.com/Z3Z31CmP0b
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) July 13, 2020
On the topic of yellow animals, a video of bright lemon-coloured frogs also went viral a few weeks ago. The army of yellow frogs was spotted in Madhya Pradesh, and they were identified as Indian bullfrogs that change colour from olive green to yellow during the mating season.
White cobra
Tamil Nadu: A 3 feet long white cobra rescued from a residential area in Edayarpalayam, Coimbatore, today. The snake was later released in Madukkarai forest. pic.twitter.com/F4sZLFfqj1
— ANI (@ANI) September 15, 2019
Have you ever seen a pure white cobra? There have been a few sightings of these rare reptiles, with the colour aberration being attributed to albinism. Last year, one of these exotic snakes was spotted near Coimbatore.
A zonkey
In April this year, an unusual sighting in Kenya created waves on the Internet. The birth of a "highly unusual hybrid" between a zebra and donkey - also known as a zonkey - delighted social media. The baby zonkey was born after a stray zebra ventured out of the Tsavo East National Park and soon became an honorary member of a local woman's cattle herd. It apparently mated with a donkey before it was rescued and relocated.
Axolotl
The incredible reflexes of the axolotl pic.twitter.com/2ok9rQoXzh
— Life on Earth (@planetpng) July 16, 2020
You could be forgiven for thinking the axolotl is a Disney character and not a real animal. Also known as the Mexican walking fish, these amphibians can regenerate their limbs - for which they have been used extensively for research purposes. Axolotl are critically endangered in the wild, and only found in a few water bodies in Mexico.
Satanic leaf-tailed gecko
Spot the lizard...! Satanic leaf tailed lizard is native to rainforests of Madagascar. It's tail is like a leaf and it has capability to sit on a thin branch and blend in with the surroundings. Another good example of camouflaging in nature. pic.twitter.com/sODUTHq1EK
— Ramesh Pandey IFS (@rameshpandeyifs) May 29, 2020
The Satanic leaf-tailed gecko is a species endemic to Madagascar - which means it is not found anywhere else in the world. A master at disguise, these geckos occur in a variety of colours including tan, yellow, orange and shades of purple, aside from the common brown.
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