The Strangest Animals You've Never Heard Of

Here’s a small collection of bizarre animals that we hope some of you may have never heard of. The animal kingdom does love variety - and feel free to add your own in the comments section.

PACU FISH

Pacu is actually a common name for numerous different fish species that are related to piranhas. Pacus are vegetarian fishes that are traditionally found in the major river systems of South America. They look a bit like a piranha, but they’re usually a lot larger than your average piranha. So what’s so interesting about these fish, they look pretty uninspiring- right? WRONG.

Peering into the chomping jaws of these fish will reveal their totally bizarre set of gnashers that look scarily like human teeth. They have these teeth because they normally feed on hard things like nuts and seeds which is why they have been nicknamed nutcracker fish, but a few joke articles came out stating they were also “testicle-biting” fish, as they supposedly left men in Papua New Guinea castrated after they took a shine to their crown jewels. After one was caught in Sweden, a fish expert Henrik Carl joked in a news article “They bite because they’re hungry, and testicles sit nicely in their mouth,” but it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, so don’t worry- they won’t actually eat your knackers, they’re safe around these guys.

There are 18 different species of octopus within the genus Grimpoteuthis which are commonly referred to as a “Dumbo octopuses” due to their characteristic ear-like fins that make them resemble Disney’s Dumbo. These enigmatic cephalopods are a pretty rare sight since they usually dwell in deep waters ranging from 400 meters to 4,800 meters, but the few times they have been spotted has revealed that they usually eat crustaceans and worms. They’ve also been observed around deep sea hydrothermal vents, which are areas on the sea floor where hot and mineral rich fluids spew out due to volcanic activity.

Check out this awesome video of a graceful Dumbo octopus filmed at a depth of around 2000 meters.

SPINY ORB WEAVER SPIDER

These spiky spiders look pretty damn awesome. There are numerous different species of spiny orb weavers, all belonging to the genus Gasteracantha. One such example is G. cancriformis which is found in some parts of the US, Central America and some parts of the Caribbean. They’re around 2-9mm in total length and come in a variety of colors and shapes, and some have colored legs too.

Gasteracantha fornicata. Image credit: Amos T Fairchild, via Wikimedia Commons

Gasteracantha dalyi. Image credit: L. Shyamal, via Wikimedia Commons.

PINK FAIRY ARMADILLO

I included these guys because LOOK. AT. THEM. Isn’t that just the darn cutest yet totally weird thing you’ve ever seen? It’s like a rabbit wearing a shield. With alien paws.

The pink fairy armadillo, or Chlamyphorus truncates, is the smallest species of armadillo, measuring a mere 10 centimeters in length on average. You’ll find these guys in Argentina, digging holes in dry grasslands or sandy plains. They live underground but surface at night to find food, which mostly consists of ants.