Lesser Known Animals You've Never Heard Of
Fossa Although it is related to the mongoose, the feline-looking fossa (Cryptoprocta ferox) has some characteristics in common with cats, such as retractable claws. Their body length, including tail, can be up to 1.7 metres (5’6”) long, and they weigh about 12kg (26lb). They are the largest carnivorous mammal on Madagascar, and are highly adapted to climbing amongst trees.
Lowland Streaked Tenrec Also hailing from Madagascar is the Lowland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus), which has striking yellow and black fur with sparsely scattered quills. Found in lowland rainforest, this elusive tenrec measures less than 20 cm in length and has an extended snout ideal for its insectivorous diet.
Gharial The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a fish-eating crocodile native to the Indian Subcontinent. They are large, getting up to over 6 metres (20ft) in length, and have 110 teeth.
Numbat Australians will probably already know this one, but here’s the numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), a striped termite-eating marsupial once abundant throughout southern Australia, but its habitat was encroached upon and it was devastated by feral species until it was only found in a small area of Western Australia.
Nyala The nyala (Tragelaphus angasii) is a majestic spiral-horned antelope native to south-eastern Africa. Its feet are hairy and covered in glands which release its scent wherever it treads. It is sexually dimorphic, with females lacking horns entirely.
African Wild Dog Although it’s another canid, I couldn’t help but include my personal favourite, the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), natural predator of the nyala. The Latin name literally means “painted wolf”, in reference to its beautiful patchwork coat.
Maned Wolf The maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) is the largest canid to roam the grasslands of South America. They are the only species in their genus, and, despite their name and appearance, are neither foxes nor true wolves.
Fishing Cat The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium sized feline native to the wetlands of South and South-East Asia. It is approximately double the size of a typical house cat, and is a highly adapted swimmer, able to travel long distances beneath the water.
Okapi The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) are the only extant relative of the giraffe and, like the giraffe, has a long, purplish prehensile tongue, which it uses to strip leaves from plants as it wanders Congolese jungles.
Amazon River Dolphin The Amazon River dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) is the largest freshwater cetacean. It grows up to over 2 meters (6.6ft) long, with the females being larger than males. They have specialized flexible necks which enable them to navigate flooded forests.