Strange Animals around the World You have already seen the strange animal on the inside front cover of this issue (have you guessed what it is?). Last issue, we talked about the strange-looking narwhals. There are a large number of strange creatures in our world. Here are some of them, with descriptions from the on-line encyclopedia, Wikipedia. Alpaca The Alpaca (Vicugna pacos) is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in superficial appearance but are not used as beasts of burden. They are valued for their fibres. Aye-aye The Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) is native to the island of Madagascar. It combines rodent (rat)-like teeth with a long, thin middle finger to fill the same ecological niche as a woodpecker. It is the world's largest nocturnal primate, about 2.5 kg, and is characterized by its unique method of finding food; it taps on trees to find grubs, then gnaws holes in the wood and inserts its elongated middle finger to pull the grubs out. The Aye-aye sleeps during the day in nests built in the forks of trees. Emperor Tamarin The tamarins are squirrel-sized monkeys mostly found in South America. Tamarins are inhabitants of tropical rain forests and open forest areas. Tamarins are omnivores, eating fruits and other plant parts as well as spiders, insects, small vertebrates and bird eggs. The Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator) is a tamarin allegedly named for its similarity with the German emperor Wilhelm II. The name was first intended as a joke, but has become the official scientific name. It weighs approximately 300 g and lives about 15 years. Komondor dog The Komondor is one of the most unusual livestock guardian dog breed, originally from Hungary. It is a large dog, about 70 cm tall and heavy, but very light on their feet. The unusual coat not only protects against the weather but also allows the dog to blend with the sheep it is guarding. This is an advantage when predators such as wolves attack. Red panda Panda is the Nepalese name for "small, cat-like animal. They appear to be equally related to three different groups of animals that include skunks, weasels and raccoons. The Red Panda is mostly seen in the Himalayas in Bhutan, southern China, India, Laos, Nepal, and Burma. Red Panda is the state animal in the Indian state of Sikkim. It is also the mascot of the Darjeeling international festivals. It is named after the fiery color of its long, soft coat, which helps in camouflage so that it blends with the red lichen that occurs in fir trees of China. It is a mostly herbivorous mammal, specialized as a bamboo feeder. It is slightly larger than a domestic cat (40 - 60 cm long, 3 - 6 kg weight). There is an estimated population of less than 2,500 mature individuals. Their population continues to decline due to habitat fragmentation. Saki monkey Sakis, or saki monkeys are small monkeys with long, bushy tails, native to South America. Their furry, rough skin is black, grey or reddish-brown colored depending upon the species. The faces of some species are naked, but their head is hooded with fur. Their bodies are adapted to life in the trees, with strong hind legs allowing them to make far jumps. Sakis reach a length of 30 to 50 cm, with a tail just as long, and weigh up to 2 kg. Sakis are diurnal animals. They live in the trees of the rain forests and only occasionally go onto the land. They are generally very shy, cautious animals. Sakis are omnivores. They eat fruits, leaves, flowers, insects, and small vertebrates, such as rodents and bats. Shoebill Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), also known as Whalehead, is a very large bird, about 1.2 m tall, related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill. The adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are browner. It lives in tropical east Africa in large swamps. Shoebills feed in muddy waters, preying on lungfish and similar fish. They nest on the ground and lay 2 eggs. Tapir Tapirs are large browsing mammals, roughly pig-like in shape, with short, prehensile snouts. They inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, Central America, and Southeast Asia. All four species of tapir are classified as endangered or vulnerable. Tapirs exceed 1 m in height and can reach a weight upto 300 kg. Their closest relatives are the other odd-toed ungulates, horses and rhinoceroses. Tapirs with access to rivers spend a good deal of time in and under the water, feeding on soft vegetation, taking refuge from predators, and cooling off during hot periods. Tapirs near a water source will swim, sink to the bottom and walk along the riverbed to feed, and have been known to submerge themselves under water to allow small fish to pick parasites off their bulky bodies. In the wild, the tapir's diet consists of fruit, berries, and leaves, particularly young, tender growth. They eat around 40 kilograms of vegetation in one day.