Lonely Planet Kids - Worlds Wackiest Animals

B elieve it or not, these scavengers are bald for a reason. Their main source of nutrition is dead meat! That means these birds have to dive head-first into animal carcasses to eat. Condors can stay much cleaner without any feathers on their heads.

N ot much is known about these elusive creatures. Most bats huddle together but ghost-faced bats like to roost at least 15 centimetres apart. Apparently they dont like to stay too close to anyone - not even each other!

D espite its scary name and venomous bite, this animal moves too slowly to be much of a threat to humans. Plus, it rarely needs to eat. By storing fat in its tail, the Gila monster can survive on as few as three meals a year!

O nly male frigatebirds have a brilliant red throat pouch used to attract mates. But both males and females are bold in other ways. These birds feed by piracy. They chase and peck other birds until they drop or even throw up their food! Then they swoop in to steal the other birds catch.

W hat has two arms, no legs and looks like a snake but isnt? The Mexican mole lizard! These animals dont need legs when theyve got two clawed arms perfect for burrowing underground. They spend most of their time digging in the soil for whatever critters and bugs they can munch on.

S tar-nosed moles use their strange snouts for a special purpose: sniffing out food! Their nose extensions help the moles sense bugs underground as they dig. They can even smell underwater when diving in wet marshland!

Y ou probably dont want to meet one of the largest snakes in the world. Anacondas weigh more than 200 kg and can sometimes grow up to nine metres! They feast on large animals like capybaras, deer and even jaguars!

O nly male condors have the large head comb you see here, but both male and females share a peculiar habit: they sometimes poop directly onto their own legs. Disgusting! Or so youd think. Scientists believe the liquid poop actually cleans the bird and helps cool it off.

T his blob of a frog is tougher than it looks. It can and will eat anything that can fit in its mouth! Most of the time its lizards, rodents and other frogs. But how? These amphibians have powerful jaws that crush their prey!

T hose little wings are mostly for decoration because cormorants cant fly! Luckily, theyre much better at swimming. Flightless cormorants tuck in their tiny wings then dive deep to hunt for octopus and eels.

S low and steady wins at life. The oldest recorded Galpagos tortoise lived to 175 years old! Thanks to a slow metabolism and the ability to store a lot of water, these giants can survive up to a year without eating or drinking.

A re you a picky eater? Well, these mammals only eat ants! Sometimes theyll try termites, or bits of fallen fruit, but its mostly all ants, all the time. They even have long, specialised tongues for lapping up their favorite insects. Anteaters can consume as many as 35,000 ants in one day!

T hese tiny frogs have transparent skin, so you can see their internal organs! The males of this species are super-dads who guard their eggs day and night. They often have to kick away wasp predators that are as big as they are!

I s it a wolf? Is it a fox? Actually, its neither. The maned wolf is a distinct species that lives in the savanna, where its long, deer-like legs help it see above all that tall grass!