UNUSUAL CREATURES

THE PANDA ANT

The Mutillidae are a family of more than 3,000 species of wasps

(despite the names) whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants.

Found in Chile, they are known for their extremely painful stings,

hence the common name cow killer or cow ant.

Black and white specimens are sometimes known as panda ants due to their

hair coloration resembling that of the Chinese giant panda.

LOWLAND STREAKED TENREC

Found in Madagascar, Africa, this small tenrec is the only mammal

known to use stridulation for generating sound –

something that’s usually associated with snakes and insects. 

AYE-AYE

The aye-aye is a lemur, a strepsirrhine primate native to Madagascar

that combines rodent-like teeth and a special thin middle finger to fill

the same ecological niche as a woodpecker.

PATAGONIAN MARA

The Patagonian mara, Dolichotis patagonum, is a relatively large rodent

in the mara genus. It is also known as the Patagonian cavy,

Patagonian hare or dillaby.

SUNDA COLUGO

The Sunda flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus), also known as the 

Malayan flying lemur or Malayan colugo, is a species of colugo 

(see below for notes on the common name "flying lemur").

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 in 

Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore

GOBI JERBOA

The Gobi Jerboa is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family.

It is found in China and Mongolia.

Its natural habitats are temperate grassland and temperate desert. 

STAR-NOSED MOLE

The star-nosed mole is a small mole found in wet low areas of eastern

Canada and the north eastern United States, with records extending along the

Atlantic coast as far as extreme south eastern Georgia