weird animals

The Okapi may look like the result of a horse and a zebra mating, but in actual fact, this species is closely related to the giraffe family - not the zebra family! The Okapi is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa, and we think they're actually pretty cute.

The Venezuelan Poodle Moth was only discovered fairly recently in 2009. Found in Venezuela, this strange looking creature has even become the subject of a popular meme! We think this species is probably the most adorable moth we've ever seen, and we can definitely see the resemblance to a poodle.

The bongo is a large forest antelope native to Central and Western Africa. Pictured is an eastern bongo, an endangered species only found in Kenya, with more animals in captivity than believed to be in the wild.

The Coati is a relative of the raccoon that are native to Southern North America, Central America, and Northern South America. They are omnivores, eating mostly insects and fruit, but are noted as being one of the few animals that can eat large tarantulas.

The dik-dik are a small antelope native to eastern and southern Africa. They weigh 3 to 6 kilograms (about 6.5 to 13 pounds). Female dik-diks tend to be larger than males. The black spots at the corners of their eyes carry a gland that produces a dark and sticky secretion that the animals use to scent-mark their territories.

The Iriomote cat is a critically endangered species of cat only found on the Japanese island of Iriomote. It is one of four species of cat that can not sheath their claws, the others being the fishing cat, the flat-headed cat, and the cheetah. An estimated 100 animals are believed to be alive, their decline due to habitat destruction and over hunting. A third of the Iriomotes 289 square kilometers (about 111.5 square miles) of land was declared a natural reserve, but most of their preferred habitats remain outside of this region. The species is also threatened by their ability to breed with feral cats on the island.

Javelinas are the wild suinans native to the Americas. While they appear similar to Afro-Eurasian pigs and hogs, javelinas are placed in their own order. One way to tell the difference is that Afro-Eurasian hogs have curved tusks, while javelinas have straight tusks.

The Kanchil is the worlds smallest hoofed animal. It is native to southern Asia.

The yellow-cheeked gibbon is a gibbon native to Southern Asia.

Zebus are a line of domestic cattle mostly found in South Asia and Africa. They are more suited for dry and warm climates than non-humped cattle, and have a distinctive hump on their shoulders, and large dewlaps.