Our 50th post! - and animals 1-5 in the '50 incredible animals' series

Hello Everyone,

Today is a special post - to celebrate our 50th post we are starting a new series. This series is about 50 incredible animals. We can't promise that you haven't heard of any of them, but we have tried our best to find some of the most rare and in some cases bizarre animals possible. We can't fit 50 animals into one post so we have split them out over 10 posts. We'll try and publish at least one post every one or two weeks, but you know that we're not very good at keeping to the schedule!

So the first five animals that you will (hopefully) find incredible:

1. Dumbo octopus

They are the deepest living of all octopus species and are able to pounce on their prey and eat it whole. Their diet includes snails and other creatures they 'hoover up from the ocean floor'. They are called Dumbo elephants as a nod to Disney's elephant because they have fins that resemble the elephants infamous big ears! There are about 17 different species of Dumbo Octopus that form a group called 'Umbrella Octopus' because their shape also resembles an umbrella. It is fairly widespread across the world and is fairly small, about 20-30cm in length. They move using their ears with an apparently 'peculiar grace and ease'. Little is known about them so we don't know how many there are or if they are in any way endangered.

2. The gerenuk

Gerenuks are tall antelopes. They have long necks which is why, in Somali, their name means 'giraffe-necked'. Their ability to stand on their hind legs when feeding looks bizarre. They are herbivores, feeding on leaves, shoots, flowers, fruits and buds. They do not need to drink water, as their food already contains moisture!

Gerenuks live in East-Africa. They are well camouflaged against the African plains. They have small heads, but large eyes and ears. The males have antlers.

3. Sunda colugo

The sunda flying lemur, also known as the sunda colugo, is not a lemur and does not fly! It's called a flying lemur because it glides between trees, giving the impression that it is flying. They are mammals. The skin leading from its legs to its body is like a pair of wings.

It is nocturnal and eats leaves, shoots and flowers. This species lives in forests in Southeast Asia.

4. Red-lipped batfish

The Red-lipped batfish lives in water at a depth of 30-60 feet but can live in up to 400ft. They can camouflage with the sand and rocks and use their fins to 'walk' along the sea floor. They are exclusive to the Galapagos Islands (which we did a series of posts about which you can view here). Like several, if not all of the animals in this post, they are still an object of curiosity and little is known about them. The biggest mystery is the reason for their red lips and what they mean. Some scientists say it is to attract a mate, but more needs to be known to really be sure. It is a carnivore and eats small fish and crustaceans. Interestingly, it doesn't have any predators of it's own!

5. The panda ant

Wikipedia states that "Euspinolia militaris is a species of wasp in the family Mutillidae. Though it is a wingless wasp, it has sometimes been referred to by the name panda ant." The species first came to our knowledge in 1938 and it has a painful and powerful sting. They are small creatures at under an inch in length. They are mainly found in Chile but are close relatives to the velvet ant which is found worldwide. Adult panda ants do not form colonies or groups and stay on their own. They primarily eat nectar but females are known to also eat ants and caterpillars.

Hope you enjoyed these five animals. If you think of any more not well known animals, feel free to write them into the comments, send us an email at contact.greenworldblog@gmail.com! The next five animals will come out as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Sources:
https://oceana.org/marine-life/dumbo-octopus/
https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/gerenuk
https://animalia.bio/sunda-flying-lemur
https://factanimal.com/red-lipped-batfish/
https://www.animascorp.com/panda-ant/

Images:
50 Candles, owned by Jlhinton (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Dumbo Octopus, owned by NOAA Ocean Exploration (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
P1010918, owned by Wouter Van Vliet (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Sunda Colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) "red" morph ..., owned by Bernant DUPONT (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Untitled, owned by Vlad Karpinsky (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

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