There are hundreds of weird animals in Africa when you really think about it. In this article we celebrate 12 of the weirdest animals in Africa, animals that you will not find anywhere beyond the African continent. They seem mythical, animals that exist only in photos and videos. Dig a little deeper and the weird animals of Africa can be beyond the imagination.
Cheetahs can run at 120 km/h! Springbok can spend an entire lifetime without drinking water!
1. Bat-Eared Fox
Sure, it looks weird, with those enormous ears and funky features. The bat-eared fox has incredible hearing. It can detect prey underground.
2. Ostrich
Ostrich can run at 70 km/h and are highly entertaining when they do so. Ostrich always appear like they are about to fall over. But their design is perfect.
3. Pangolin
Also known as the scaly anteater, the pangolin is perhaps the weirdest African animal of them all. Here is a mammal with scales. You don’t want to touch a curled up pangolin. The pangolin lives in holes or under dense bush. Unfortunately, the pangolin is the world’s most trafficked animal.
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4. Shoebill
Any bird that also goes by the name of whalehead is going to be weird. The shoebill is probably the most unusual bird in the world. Shoebills are bizarre Jurassic-looking animals that have evolved into expert hunters. Standing one metre high, these giant birds wait patiently in African swamps, then lunge at their quarry with a razor sharp beak. And what a looker!
5. Aardvark
Aardvarks look like pigs, except there is something rather weird in comparison to domesticated sows. While they look strange aardvarks are one of the oldest surviving animals in the world. They are the only remaining member of the Tubulidentata and only emerge after dark. Yet reminders of their presence exist in abundance as they dig holes throughout the bush.
6. African Penguin
Penguins, you know, those animals that live in the ice and snow, those animals that live in the cold. This weird African animal occupies the Atlantic shores of South Africa and Namibia.
7. Okapi
On the verge of extinction, the okapi is a funny mix between a horse and a zebra. This “forest giraffe” is dependent upon clearings and breaks in the canopy in order to feed. Very little is known on this elusive yet magnificent creature. So is it a horse or is it a zebra?
8. Elephant Shrew
What is this little mouse-like insectivore with an imposing snout? Elephant shrews are uncommonly seen yet distributed all across Southern Africa, in almost every biome. Out of the 15 species of elephant shrews widespread across the continent, our favourite has to be the golden-rumped elephant shrew. It has such a precious glossy coat! Did you know that this weird African animal is one of the little five? You’ve probably heard of the big five African animals - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo.
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9. Gerenuk
That weird long neck? Like springbok, gerenuk get all the water from vegetation.
10. Springhare
This weird African animal is an evolved hare species with kangaroo-like hind legs. If you ever get the chance to stay at Ndutu Lodge (Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania), you will probably see them at night.
11. Dung Beetle
These outstanding planetary citizens help to fertilise the soil and offset our carbon consumption. An animal that helps the world? That’s weird enough.
12. Porcupine
A rodent with spikes, that’s how weird the porcupine is.
There are more than just 12 weird animals in Africa. Maybe it’s a famous animal like the zebra - what is it with zebra stripes anyway?
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