Here part 2 of the 10 Weird Animals segment, we published last week. For part 1, click here.

01. Miniature Melo

This snail looks like something that fell from the heavens and landed in the ocean. In fact, it’s actually a type of bubble snail, a Miniature Melo. The oval bubble-shaped shell is thin and fragile and is actually too small to contain the soft body of the snail. Therefore, the colorful snail has to rely on swimming and camouflage to avoid being eaten. It does have one other trick up it’s sleeve though… the Miniature Melo eats small little (we must be talking really little) toxic worms and incorporates the poison into their tissues as a defense mechanism. It only grows to be about 1/2 an inch in length.

02. Panda Ant

The Panda Ant an unusual species of insect. Their name derives from the obvious resemblance to a panda in its markings. This remarkable insect is not even an ant. The Panda Ant is actually a variety of wingless wasp! They were first discovered in 1938. Very little is known of this little seen insect. They are only known to exist in coastal regions of Chile. Their sting is exceptionally powerful for their size. They have been seen to bring down animals as large as cows with only a few dozen stings.

03. Patagonian Mara

Patagonian maras may look more like giant rabbits or small deer, but they are rodents. They are endemic to the open grasslands and shrubland steppes of Argentina. They have small, compressed feet that make them resemble hooves from a distance, and longer ears resembling those of a rabbit.

04. Picasso Bug

The Picasso Bug is one of the approximately 450 known species of shield-backed bug. They are a medium-sized species of shield-backed bug.  They are generally oval shaped. Though sometimes mistaken for a beetle, the Picasso Bug is actually a true bug. This dazzlingly patterned insect is distinguished from beetles by their extended thorax. This effectively forms a shield over their abdomen and wings. They feed on the nectar and fluids of a wide variety of plants within their endemic range.

05. Red Gurnard

Gurnards are distinctive looking fish, with big heads and large side fins that look like wings. They have firm white flesh that holds together well in cooking, so they are well suited to soups and stews. Gurnards are often caught in British waters as a bycatch and discarded, but are becoming increasingly popular as a sustainable choice of fish.

06. Sunda Colugo

The Sunda flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus), also known as the Malayan flying lemur or Malayan colugo, is a species of colugo. Until recently, it was thought to be one of only two species of flying lemur, the other being the Philippine flying lemur which is found only in the Philippines. The Sunda flying lemur is found throughout Southeast Asia. The Sunda flying lemur is not a lemur and does not fly. Instead, it glides as it leaps among trees. It is strictly arboreal(living in or among trees), is active at night, and feeds on soft plant parts such as young leaves, shoots, flowers, and fruits.

07. Thysanostoma Jellyfish

Thysanostoma Jellyfish has a dome-shaped bell with fine purple lining and purple fringes at the bottom of the bell. Its tentacles are also purple and can be withdrawn, or extruded, measuring up to half a meter long. It can be found in the Red Sea, on the Eastern coast of Africa to Indonesia, Malaysia and Fiji. There is no information on habitat or depth ranges other than it was seen several times on shallow reefs. It has been measured up to 60cm in length (with extruded tentacles). Sightings have been reported from East Africa to Fiji, but it is not a common species of jellyfish.

08. Wilson’s bird of Paradise

Wilson’s bird of paradise is a small, exotic bird that can be found only on Waigeo and Batanta (islands in Indonesia). This beautiful bird lives in lowland rainforests, but it also can survive in the mountain forests on the higher altitudes. Major factor which decreases number of Wilson’s bird of paradise in the wild is habitat destruction as a result of logging and forest fires. Luckily, wild population of these birds is still not seriously affected by habitat loss. Wilson’s bird of paradise is an elusive animal and scientists lack lot of information about life cycle and habits of this bird.

09. Yellow Boxfish

The Cubicus Boxfish is also referred to as the Yellow Boxfish, Polka Dot Boxfish, or Cube Boxfish. The juvenile form is easily identifiable as having a yellow box-shaped body with brown spots. As an adult, the yellow will fade and become brown.

10. Yoda Bat

The most obvious trait of the Yoda bat is its uncanny resemblance to the Star Wars character it was named after. Once you get beyond its strange appearance, however, this species possesses a whole host of other interesting features and behaviors. Discovered in 2011, there’s still a lot to learn about this creature.The Yoda bat is native to Papua New Guinea, and more specifically to a rainforest region that is so diverse, scientists discovered an average of three new species per week in 2010. Not much is currently known about the Yoda bat’s diet, but scientists do know that it eats certain types of fruits because they disperse seeds.