Going Wild

The scenery of waterfalls, rainforest and snowcapped mountains are a wonderful sight but if you look a little deeper you may open up a whole new world, one that was once before not seen. Throughout your travels both domestically and to other countries you will not only have the chance to meet great people, experience new cultures and see landscapes that you had once before only seen in a picture, but also all the magnificent animals that live there.

Whether it's the rainforests of Peru or Glacier Bay Alaska each place is teaming with wonderfully diverse and beautiful wildlife. Some of these creatures may look as if they were bought here from another world or they can be as normal as the animals seen from back home. One thing is for certain, you never know what type of wildlife you may run into during your adventure. Here you will find a short list of weird, amazing animals from all different parts of the world and reasons why these little creatures are worth taking the time to find. You never know what types of animals you will spot on your next adventure so keep your eyes peeled and your camera ready.

Starting with my favorite little reptile whose home is in the northern parts of Australia, it is the Frilled Neck Lizard. A lizard not much larger than your shoe but with the confidence of a lion this little lizard starts off our list of unusual animals. These small creatures are best known for their large flat of skin that encompasses their neck. When threaten this lizard puts on a display like no other. Displaying its large and colorful hood, bright yellow mouth open wide and standing on its hind legs it then charges its attacker. As ferocious as these little animals may seem it's all in the cards, it's merely a bluff. If the predator is unshaken by this display it simply flees running with its hood open and still standing up on its hind legs to the nearest tree. These little animals stick mainly to the trees and only come down to feed on ants and other insects but are certainly worth taking the time to look for.

This next animal you may need to look long and hard for but this little guy is certainly cuter than the first animal on our list. The Pygmy Marmoset is among the world’s smallest primates and is native to the rainforests of northern South America and parts of Brazil. It's a great climber with little claws specially adapted to suit its main diet. It feeds primarily on sap from trees. It's very small, only about 15 cm in length excluding its tail and weighs a mere 5 ounces. Due to its small size and the amount of time it spends in trees, it may be another hard animal to spot. 

This next cute animal you see here is called the Red Panda, Panda meaning bamboo eaters. You can find these cute little Pandas in the Himalayas of Nepal. With appearances similar to a red fox they are only a little larger than a house cat. These small animals live at high elevations as their home is the Himalayas and can be found at elevations ranging from 7,000 to 15,000 feet. Unfortunately, this cute little Panda has seen a large part of its habit destroyed and a 40% drop in its population was reported over the last 50 years. They’re worth looking for if you ever have the chance to explore Nepal and parts of northern China.

The last little creature for today is the Platypus, an animal that looks half duck and half beaver with an unusual story. This animal can be found in parts of Australia and on the island of Tasmania. What makes this little animal so unusual is it's among the only egg lying mammal in the world. Instead of giving birth to live offspring like most mammals, the Platypus lays eggs. Male Platypuses are also venomous. On the rear of their feet they carry a sharp spur that can deliver toxic venom to its attacker. Another interesting fact about this creature is how long it’s been around. It's thought to be as old as 100 million years back from the time of dinosaurs, a cool looking animal with a long history.

So whether you are off to the desert or to the Arctic make sure to remember to take a good look around you and discover a few unique animals that you may have never known about. These are just a few animals from only a few places around the world. Take the time to do a quick search on the internet before you leave to your adventure. Bring some pictures of native animals and discover something new for yourself.