Most Rare Animals in the World part 2

We have all watched Animal Planet and other television shows like Wild Kingdom that feature some pretty weird animals. I mean everyone has seen shows on such creatures as the duck billed platypus, or strange creatures from the ocean depths. Some of them you might have already heard of or seen, but I bet a few of them you haven't.

1 The Narwhal

The most conspicuous characteristic of male narwhal is their single extraordinarily long tusk, an incisor that projects from the left side of the upper jaw and forms a left-handed helix. The tusk can be up to 3 metres long (compared with a body length of 7–8 m) and weigh up to 10 kilograms. About one in 500 males has two tusks, which occurs when the right tooth, normally small, also grows out. Although rare, a female narwhal may also produce a tusk. There is a single recorded case of a female with two tusks.

The purpose of the tusk has been the subject of much debate. Early scientific theories suggested that the tusk was used to pierce the ice covering the narwhal’s Arctic Sea habitat. Others suggested the tusk was used in echolocation. More recently, scientists believed the tusk is primarily used for showmanship and for dominance: males with larger tusks are more likely to successfully attract a mate. This hypothesis was suggested by the activity of "tusking", in which two males rub their tusks together.


2 Komondor

King of the Hungarian livestock guarding dogs, the Komondor, is one of the most unusual breeds. A big muscular dog covered with dense, white cords. This coat protects the dog against the elements and predators . The Komondor is a large dog with males standing at least 27 1/2" at the shoulders, while females must be at least 25 1/2" tall. Occasionally one may see a Komondor as large as 31" or even bigger, but these cases are rare. While large, the Komondor is not an overly heavy dog. Males usually weigh more than 80 pounds and females more than 60 pounds. Despite its size, the Komondor is astonishingly fast, agile and light on its feet. The quick movement, large size, unique coat and majestic appearance of the Komondor can be awe inspiring. A fearless dog, the Komondor’s main task is to guard flocks of sheep or other livestock against predators such as wolves, coyotes, feral dogs, or human predators. The nature of the Komondor is that of a calm watchful dog who thrives on responsibility. Komondors need something to watch over. Be it livestock, children, or a cat, a Komondor is happiest when taking responsibility for another’s well-being. As a pet, the Komondor is quiet around the house, unless it perceives a threat to those entrusted to its care. If challenged, the Komondor becomes a fearless protector knocking down an intruder or breaking windows to protect its "flock". In the field, the Komondor is vigilant and trustworthy, reducing losses and even caring for orphans. It is important to remember that the Komondor is, first and foremost, a stock guard dog.


3 Hagfish

Hagfish are marine craniates of the class Myxini, also known as Hyperotreti. Despite their name, there is some debate about whether they are strictly fish (as there is for lampreys), since they belong to a much more primitive lineage than any other group that is commonly defined fish (Chondrichthyes and Osteichthyes). Their unusual feeding habits and slime-producing capabilities have led members of the scientific and popular media to dub the hagfish as the most "disgusting" of all sea creatures.


4 Yeti Crab

Yeti Crab (Kiwa hirsuta) is a crustacean discovered in 2005 in the South Pacific Ocean. This decapod, which is approximately 15 cm long, is notable for the quantity of silky blond setae (resembling fur) covering its pereiopods (thoracic legs, including claws). Its discoverers dubbed it the "yeti lobster" or "yeti crab" .

The ‘hairy’ pincers contain filamentous bacteria, which the creature may use to detoxify poisonous minerals from the water emitted by the hydrothermal vents where it lives. Alternatively, it may feed on the bacteria, although it is thought to be a general carnivore. Its diet also consists of green algae and small shrimp.


5 Alpaca

Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, southern Peru, northern Bolivia, and northern Chile at an altitude of 3500 to 5000 meters above sea-level, throughout the year. Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas, and unlike them are not used as beasts of burden but are valued only for their fiber. Alpacas only have fleece fibers, not woolen fibers, used for making knitted and woven items much as sheep’s wool is. These items include blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves, scarves, a wide variety of textiles and ponchos in South America, and sweaters, socks and coats in other parts of the world. The fiber comes in more than 52 natural colors as classified in Peru, 12 as classified in Australia and 22 as classified in America. Alpacas and llamas differ in that llamas have banana shaped ears and long tails and alpacas have straight ears and stubby tails. Aside from these differences, llamas are on average 1-2 feet taller and proportionally bigger than alpacas.


6 Axolotl

The Axolotl may not a common pet, but it is very unique. The axolotl is a type of salamander, native to Mexico. It’s scientific name is Ambystoma mexicanum. The common pet or laboratory Axolotl refers exclusively to A. mexicanum, although in Mexico the term Axolotl is used in reference to several species of Ambystoma, and is considered an edible food source!

The Axolotl is neotenic, meaning that it doesn’t routinely undergo metamorphosis from the larval to adult form, as happens with most other salamanders. Instead, the larval form (with gills) becomes sexually mature and reproduces, maintaining a strictly aquatic life style. Under some circumstances, the Axolotl can undergo metamorphosis into a terrestrial from, although this can be stressful on the animal.


7 Angora rabbit

The Angora rabbit is a variety of domestic rabbit bred for its long, soft hair. The Angora is one of the oldest types of domestic rabbit, originating in Ankara, Turkey, along with the Angora cat and Angora goat. The rabbits were popular pets with French royalty in the mid 1700s, and spread to other parts of Europe by the end of the century. They first appeared in the United States in the early 1900s. They are bred largely for their long wool, which may be removed by shearing or plucking (gently pulling loose wool).


8 Dumbo octopus

Also known as the "Grimpoteuthis", is a benthic mollusc found on the ocean floor at depths of 300-400 meters. Dumbo octopuses, which can grow to up to 20 centimeters, are soft-bodied or semi- gelatinous octopuses with a pair of fins located on their mantle and webbing between their arms. Grimpoteuthis swim by moving their fins, pulsing their webbed arms, pushing water through their funnel for jet propulsion, or all three at once. They can swim up off the bottom and hover a bit just above the seafloor looking for snails, worms, and other food.


9 Blobfish

The blobfish (Fathead, Psychrolutes marcidus) is a fish that inhabits the deep waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania. Due to the inaccessibility of its habitat, it is rarely seen by humans.

Blobfish are found at depths where the pressure is several dozens of times higher than at sea level, which would likely make gas bladders inefficient. To remain buoyant, the flesh of the blobfish is primarily a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows the fish to float above the sea floor without expending energy on swimming. The relative lack of muscle is not a disadvantage as it primarily swallows edible matter that floats by in front of it.


10 Emperor Tamarin

The Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator) is a tamarin allegedly named for its similarity with the German emperor Wilhelm II. The name was first intended as a joke, but has become the official scientific name.

This tamarin lives in the southwest Amazon Basin, in east Peru, north Bolivia and in the west Brazilian states of Acre and Amazonas.

The fur of the Emperor Tamarin is predominantly grey colored, with yellowish speckles on its chest. The hands and feet are black and the tail is brown. Outstanding is its long, white mustache, which extends to both sides beyond the shoulders. The animal reaches a length of 24 to 26 cm, plus a 35 cm long tail. It weighs approximately 300 to 400 g.

7 Highest Waterfalls on Earth

A tumbling torrent of water pours out from a thin rim of rock and drops. And drops. Plunging literally thousands of feet through thin air, and set against a steep and imposing cliff face, the waterfall might almost seem a trickle – and yet a trickle it most certainly is not. From the craggy heights of Venezuela’s Angel Falls to the only slightly less lofty crown of Yosemite Falls, rushing streams of water carve their course over the world’s highest waterfalls. The views from the top, though vertiginous, are like those found nowhere else on earth. Prepare for your jaw to drop almost as far as these falls.

7.Yosemite Falls, USA – 739 metres

Plummeting a total of 739 metres (2,425 ft), the world famous Yosemite Falls is the highest measured waterfall in North America and one of the treasures of Yosemite National Park. Formed by the swift waters of Yosemite Creek, which hurl themselves over the edge of a hanging valley in a dramatic and deafening show of force, the 436 m (1,430 ft) plunge of the upper falls alone is among the world’s highest. Difficult and treacherous to view, the smaller plunge of the middle cascades make up a drop of 205 m (673 ft), while the final 97 metres (318 ft) of the lower falls offers the waterfall’s most visited viewing point.


6.Mutarazi Falls, Zimbabwe – 762 metres

Located in Zimbabwe’s Honde Valley, the precipitous yet breathtaking Mutarazi Falls is a 762-metre (2,499 ft), free-leaping waterfall consisting of two delicate tiers in rapid succession, the higher of which is often hidden from view. The falls occur at a point where the Mtarazi River runs its course over the edge of the eastern escarpment of Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands, and its two near-indistinguishable drops present an impressive sight as the river pitches headlong over the cliff face. The waterfall is most impressive in the late summer period when the year-round flow of the river is at its greatest.


5.Gocta Cataracts, Peru – 771 metres

Peru’s stunning Gocta Cataracts is a perennial free-leaping waterfall with two drops that fall in dizzying fashion 771 metres (2,532 ft) straight down into the Cocahuayco River. Known for centuries to local residents of the province of Chachapoyas in Peru's Amazonas region, its existence only recently emerged as common knowledge to the wider world when it was discovered by German Stefan Ziemendorff, who constructed a trail to and measured the falls. Although Gocta shows a modest to high volume of flow, it grows into an immensely powerful cataract when its stream is full, and can be seen from many kilometres away.


4.Mongefossen, Norway – 773 metres

Cascading chaotically down a cliff face in Norway, Mongefossen is usually listed as having a height of 773 metres (2,535 ft). It holds the distinction of being the highest waterfall on earth that can be viewed from a railway station, situated as it is just north of the famous Rauma Railway as its passes through Monge. Unfortunately, as is the case with many of Norway's tallest waterfalls, Mongefossen has been tapped for hydroelectric production, resulting in a greatly diminished water flow during the summer tourist season – though it likely flows well during the snowmelt periods of mid-spring to mid-summer.


3.Ramnefjellsfossen, Norway – 818 metres

Ramnefjellsfossen – traditionally known as Utigardsfossen – is an exceptional waterfall that spills into Norway’s deceptively calm but beautiful Lake Lovatnet, its total drop of 818 metres (2,685 ft) formed by five free-leaping cascades. 599 m (1968 ft) are formed by the steepest part of the falls; the rest is made up by the cascades below the main part and those at the snout of the glacier above. Fed by the mighty Jostedal Glacier – continental Europe’s largest – Ramnefjellsfossen’s surprisingly small flow of water has ensured it is one of the few major waterfalls in Norway not to have been slated for hydroelectric usage.


2.Tugela Falls, South Africa – 948 meters

Indisputably the second tallest waterfall on the planet, South Africa’s mightily impressive Tugela Falls plunges a total of 948 meters (3,110 ft) in a series of five free-leaping tiers. Dropping from an escarpment in the Drakensberg (Dragon's Mountains) within the Royal Natal National Park, the spectacular cascades are easily viewed following heavy rain, when the torrent glistens from the reflection of the late afternoon sun. Reachable via stunning trails and nail-biting chain ladders, the summit of the escarpment and head of the falls offer spectacular views of the cascades rushing down through the natural amphitheatre.


1.Angel Falls, Venezuela – 979 metres

The tallest waterfall on earth at 979 metres (3,212 ft), Venezuela’s Angel Falls is an almighty sight to behold, and its 807 m (2,647 ft) main plunge is also the world’s highest single drop. So great is the height that before reaching anywhere near the base of the falls and Kerep River, much of the water is evaporated or carried away as a fine mist by the wind. Situated in isolated jungle in the Canaima National Park, the waterfall bursts from the cliff face near the brink of the heavily fractured Auyantepui table-top mountain, dropping over the edge, then cascading down steep slopes before dropping over another 30 m (100 ft) high plunge. Awe-inspiring.

Please note: This list does not claim to be indisputably official. Its order ties in with several publications, including The Top Ten of Everything, though not with others, such as the World Waterfall Database. There are no universally recognised standards of waterfall measurement.

10 Wonders of the World You Don’t Know

While most of these wonders will be known to a few people, they are, on the whole, not as well known as the famous “seven wonders”. Despite that, each has a reason for being considered wonderful and deserves its spot on this list. Enjoy the list and be sure to share other lesser-known wonders in the comments.


10 Banaue Rice Terraces - Philippines

The Banaue Rice Terraces are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines by ancestors of the indigenous people. The Rice Terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. It is commonly thought that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, largely by hand. The terraces are located approximately 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers (about 4000 square miles) of mountainside. They are fed by an ancient irrigation system from the rainforests above the terraces. It is said that if the steps are put end to end it would encircle half the globe. Locals to this day still plant rice and vegetables on the terraces. The result is the gradual erosion of the characteristic “steps”, which need constant reconstruction and care.

9 Sigiriya - Sri Lanka

Sigiriya (Lion’s rock) is an ancient rock fortress and palace ruin situated in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. A popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient paintings (frescos), which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India. The Sigiriya was built during the reign of King Kassapa I (AD 477 – 495), and it is one of the seven World Heritage Sites of Sri Lanka. Sigiriya may have been inhabited through prehistoric times. It was used as a rock-shelter mountain monastery from about the 5th century BC, with caves prepared and donated by devotees to the Buddhist Sangha.


8 Tower of Hercules - Spain

The Tower of Hercules is an ancient Roman lighthouse on a peninsula about 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the centre of A Coruña, Galicia, in north-western Spain. The name Corunna is said to be derived from the ancient column. The structure is 55 meters (180 ft) tall and overlooks the North Atlantic coast of Spain. It is almost 1900 years old, was rehabilitated in 1791, and is the oldest Roman lighthouse still used as a lighthouse.


7 Toruń - Poland

Toruń is a city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus. The first settlement in the vicinity is dated by archaeologists to 1100 BC. During medieval times, in the 7th-13th centuries, it was the location of an old Polish settlement, at a ford in the river. The Teutonic Knights built a castle in the vicinity of the Polish settlement in the years 1230-31. In 1263 Franciscan monks settled in the city, followed in 1239 by Dominicans. In 1264 the nearby New Town was founded. In 1280, the city (or as it was then, both cities) joined the mercantile Hanseatic League and was soon turned into an important medieval trade centre. As you can see from the photograph above, it is a beautiful medieval city and well worth visiting.


6 Ajanta Caves - India

The Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second century BC, containing paintings and sculpture considered to be masterpieces of both Buddhist religious art and universal pictorial art. By AD 480 the caves at Ajanta were abandoned. During the next 1300 years the jungle grew back and the caves were hidden, unvisited and undisturbed until the Spring of 1819 when a British officer in the Madras army entered the steep gorge on the trail of a tiger. Somehow, deep within the tangled undergrowth, he came across the almost hidden entrance to one of the caves. Exploring that first cave, long since a home to nothing more than birds and bats and a lair for other, larger, animals, Captain Smith wrote his name in pencil on one of the walls. Still faintly visible, it records his name and the date, April 1819.


5 Valley of Flowers - India

The Valley of Flowers is an outstandingly beautiful high-altitude Himalayan valley that has been acknowledged as such by renowned mountaineers and botanists in literature for over a century and in Hindu mythology for much longer. Its ‘gentle’ landscape, breathtakingly beautiful meadows of alpine flowers and ease of access complement the rugged, mountain wilderness for which the inner basin of Nanda Devi National Park is renowned. Valley of flower is splashed with colour as it bloomed with hundreds different beautiful flowers, taking on various shades of colours as time progressed. Valley was declared a national park in 1982, and now it is a World Heritage Site. The locals, of course, always knew of the existence of the valley, and believed that it was inhabited by fairies.

4 Metéora

The Metéora (“suspended rocks”) is one of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. Access to the monasteries was originally (and deliberately) difficult, requiring either long ladders lashed together or large nets used to haul up both goods and people. This required quite a leap of faith – the ropes were replaced, so the story goes, only “when the Lord let them break”.


3 Bagan - Myanmar

Bagan is an ancient city in the Mandalay Division of Burma. Formally titled Arimaddanapura or Arimaddana (the City of the Enemy Crusher) and also known as Tambadipa (the Land of Copper) or Tassadessa (the Parched Land), it was the ancient capital of several ancient kingdoms in Burma. Bagan was submitted to become a UNESCO heritage site[1] but many speculate of politics as partly the reason for the exclusion. UNESCO does not designate Bagan as a World Heritage Site. The main reason given is that the military junta (SPDC) has haphazardly restored ancient stupas, temples and buildings, ignoring original architectural styles and using modern materials which bear little or no resemblance to the original designs. Nevertheless, this is still a must-see wonder of the world.


2 Leptis Magna - Libya

Leptis Magna was a prominent city of the Roman Empire. Its ruins are located in Al Khums, Libya, 130 km east of Tripoli, on the coast where the Wadi Lebda meets the sea. The site is one of the most spectacular and unspoiled Roman ruins in the Mediterranean. The city appears to have been founded by Phoenician colonists sometime around 1100 BC, although it did not achieve prominence until Carthage became a major power in the Mediterranean Sea in the 4th century BC. It nominally remained part of Carthage’s dominions until the end of the Third Punic War in 146 BC and then became part of the Roman Republic, although from about 200 BC onward, it was for all intents and purposes an independent city.


1 Library of Celsus - Turkey

This is number one for strictly personal reasons. I love books, I love libraries, and this site is dedicated to knowledge (as are libraries). The library of Celsus (in Turkey) was built to store 12,000 scrolls and to serve as a monumental tomb for Celsus (who had been consul in 92 AD, governor of Asia in 115 AD, and a wealthy and popular local citizen). The building is important as one of few remaining examples of an ancient Roman-influenced library. It also shows that public libraries were built not only in Rome itself but throughout the Roman Empire. In a massive restoration which is considered to be very true to the historic building, the front façade was rebuilt and now serves as a prime example of Roman public architecture.

El Camino Del Rey, World's Most Scariest Path

El Caminito Del Rey (sometimes referred to as El Camino Del Rey) is more than a century old walkway built along the steep walls of Gorge El Chorro situated in the south of Spain. El Caminito Del Rey is one meter in width and is over 100 meters above the River. The walkway has now gone many years without maintenance, and is in a highly deteriorated and dangerous state. Some parts of the concrete walkway have completely collapsed and all that is remaining is the steel beam originally in place to hold it up.

Top 10 Geological Wonders You Didn’t Know

1. The Wave (between Arizona and Utah - USA)

A red-rock stunner on the border of Arizona and Utah, The Wave is made of 190-million-year-old sand dunes that have turned to rock. This little-known formation is accessible only on foot via a three-mile hike and highly regulated.

2. Antelope Canyon (Arizona - USA)

The most visited and photographed slot canyon in the American Southwest, the Antelope Canyon is located on Navajo land near Page, Arizona. It includes two separate, photogenic slot canyon sections, referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon --or “The Crack”-- and Lower Antelope Canyon --or “The Corkscrew.”

The Navajo name for Upper Antelope Canyon is Tse' bighanilini, which means "the place where water runs through rocks." Lower Antelope Canyon is Hasdestwazi, or "spiral rock arches." Both are located within the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation.

3. Great Blue Hole (Belize)

Part of the Lighthouse Reef System, The Great Blue Hole lies approximately 60 miles off the mainland out of Belize City. A large, almost perfectly circular hole approximately one quarter of a mile (0.4 km) across, it’s one of the most astounding dive sites to be found anywhere on earth. Inside this hole, the water is 480 feet (145 m) deep and it is the depth of water which gives the deep blue color that causes such structures throughout the world to be known as "blue holes."

4. Crystal Cave of the Giants (Mexico)

Found deep inside a mine in southern Chihuahua Mexico, these crystals were formed in a natural cave totally enclosed in bedrock. A geode full of spectacular crystals as tall as pine trees, and in some cases greater in circumference, they are a translucent gold and silver in color and come in many incredible forms and shapes. The Crystal Cave of the Giants was discovered within the same limestone body that hosts the silver-zinc-lead ore bodies exploited by the mine and it was probably dissolved by the same hydrothermal fluids that deposited the metals with the gypsum being crystallized during the waning stages of mineralization.

5. Eye of the Sahara (Mauritania)

This spectacular landform in Mauritania in the southwestern part of the Sahara desert is so huge with a diameter of 30 miles that it is visible from space. Called Richat Structure --or the Eye of the Sahara-- the The formation was originally thought to be caused by a meteorite impact but now geologists believe it is a product of uplift and erosion. The cause of its circular shape is still a mystery.

6. Blue Lake Cave (Brazil)

Mato Grosso do Sul region in Brazil (and especially the quiet town of Bonito) boasts many marvelous underground lakes: Gruta do Lago Azul, Gruta do Mimoso, Aquário Natural. The world famous "Gruta do Lago Azul” (Blue Lake Cave) is a natural monument whose interior is formed by stalactites, stalagmites and a huge and wonderful blue lake. The beauty of the lake is something impressive. The Blue Lake Cave has a big variety of geological formation but impresses mainly for the deep blue colored water of its inside lake.

7. Giants Causeway (Ireland)

An area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the Giants Causeway is a result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Located on the north-east coast of Northern Ireland, most of its columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 meters (36 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 meters thick in places. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom.

8. Hell Gate (Uzbekistan)

Called by locals The Door to Hell, this place in Uzbekistan is situated near the small town of Darvaz. When geologists were drilling for gas, 35 years ago, they suddenly found an underground cavern that was so big, all the drilling site with all the equipment and camps got deep deep under the ground. None dared to go down there because the cavern was filled with gas, so they ignited it so that no poisonous gas could come out of the hole, and since then, it has been burning. Nobody knows how many tons of excellent gas has been burned for all those years but it just seems to be infinite.

9. Wave Rock (Australia)

The Wave Rock is a natural rock formation located in western Australia. It derives its name from the fact that it is shaped like a tall breaking ocean wave. The total outcrop covers several hectares; the "wave" part of the rock is about 15 meters high and approximately 110 meters long. One aspect of Wave Rock rarely shown on photographs is the retaining wall about halfway up the rock. This follows the contours and allows rainwater to be collected in a dam. It was constructed in 1951 by the Public Works Department, and such walls are common on many similar rocks in the wheatbelt.

10. Chocolate Hills (Philippines)

Composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometres (20 sq mi), this highly unusual geological formation, called Chocolate Hills, is located in Bohol, Philippines. There are a number of hypotheses regarding the formation of the hills. These include simple limestone weathering, sub-oceanic volcanism, the uplift of the seafloor and a more recent theory which maintains that as an ancient active volcano self-destructed, it spewed huge blocks of stone which were then covered with limestone and later thrust forth from the ocean bed.