Our Spectacular Planet

Pangolins or scaly anteaters are mammals in the order Pholidota. There is only one extant family (Manidae) and one genus (Manis) of pangolins, comprising eight species. There are also a number of extinct taxa. Pangolins have large scales on their skin and are found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The name "pangolin" derives from the Malay word pengguling ("something that rolls up"). Pangolins are nocturnal animals, using their ...

The Star-nosed Mole (Condylura cristata) is a small North American mole found in eastern Canada and the north-eastern United States. It is the only member of the tribe Condylurini and the genus Condylura.The Star-nosed Mole lives in wet lowland areas and eats small invertebrates, aquatic insects, worms and mollusks. It is a good swimmer and can forage along the bottoms of streams and ponds. Like other moles, this animal digs ...

The Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is a whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. Male narwhals weigh up to 1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb), and the females weigh around 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb). Narwhals have a relatively restricted and specialized diet. Their prey is predominantly composed of Greenland halibut, polar and Arctic cod, shrimp and squid. The tusk The most conspicuous characteristic of the male narwhal is its single 2–3 meter (7–10 ft) long ...

A Viperfish is a deepwater fish with long, needle-like teeth and hinged lower jaws. They grow to lengths of 30 to 60 cm (12 - 24 inches). Viperfish stay at 250-5000 feet depth in the daytime and shallow at night. Viperfish mainly stay in tropical and temperate waters. It is one of the fiercest predators in the very deep part of the sea and is believed to attack its prey by ...

Musk deer (Moschus moschiferus) They are more primitive than the cervids, or true deer, in not having anlers or facial glands, in having only a single pair of teats, and in possessing a gall bladder, a caudal gland, a pair of tusk-like teeth and—of particular economic importance to humans—a musk gland. They are approximately 80-100 cm in length, 50-70 cm tall at the shoulder, and weigh between 7 and 17 kg. The ...

The Pygmy Seahorse, Hippocampus bargibanti, is a seahorse of the family Syngnathidae in the western central Pacific. It is tiny, no larger than 2.4 cm. This species is known to occur only on gorgonian corals of the genus Muricella, and has evolved to resemble its host. The tubercles and truncated snout of this species match the color and shape of the polyps of the host gorgonian, while its body matches the ...

The Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is the largest land-living arthropod in the world. It is known for its ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the contents. It is also called the Robber Crab or Palm Thief, because some Coconut Crabs are rumored to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents. Another name is "terrestrial hermit crab", due to the use ...

The naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber), also known as the sand puppy, or desert mole rat is a burrowing rodent native to parts of East Africa and the only species currently classified in genus Heterocephalus. It is notable for its eusocial lifestyle, nearly unique among mammals, and for a highly unusual set of physical traits that enables it to thrive in a harsh, underground environment; including a lack of pain ...

The Saiga (Saiga tatarica) is an antelope which originally inhabited a vast area of the Eurasian steppe. The Saiga typically stands 0.6-0.8 meters at the shoulder and weighs between 36 and 63 kg.  Males, who are the only sex to carry horns, are slightly bigger than females . The Saiga are now endangered by poaching, as horns have some value as Chinese traditional medicine. What make the Saiga so weird is no ...

The Babyrusa is a genus in the pig family (Suidae) found in Indonesia. This weird pig is the king of mispelling! We can found it under: Babyrussa Babyrusa Babyrousa Babyroussa Babirousa and much more... Adult males of all babyrussas have conspicuous tusks formed by their greatly elongated canine teeth. The canines in the maxilla penetrate the top of the snout, curving back toward the forehead. This species is protected by Indonesian law but is threatened by illegal hunting. [youtube ALRbNuArTlg]