The next animal on our list looks like something straight out of a sci-fi adventure film — the critically endangered saiga antelope. This four-legged beast hails from the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains and Mongolia. It has been hunted quite excessively over the centuries, especially in Romania and Moldova, and eventually became completely extinct in these areas.
The saiga antelope has had a very bad string of misfortune in the past few decades, including the death of over 200,000 of these in just 10 days. This mass death happened just a few years ago and is believed to have happened due to a shared infection. They are currently on the brink of extinction, and the odds of recovery depend on strong preservation efforts.
Tarsier
You may have seen the tarsier appear in various internet memes, pictures, and videos over the years, but in case you haven't learned about this primate yet, here's the short story behind it. The tarsier can mostly be found in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei. It's known for having extremely large eyes and a very unique body structure, which gives it an almost alien look.
Many people compare the tarsier to Gollum from "The Lord of the Rings" series, an association which we strongly agree with. The tarsier helps out farmers by living on a purely insectoid-based diet and is an excellent addition to the workforce when it comes to getting rid of agricultural pests. It's also very cute.
Casper Octopus
The ghost octopus is one of the more recent deep-sea discoveries made by scientists. It was found near the Hawaiian Island deep in the pacific ocean, and has gripped the internet to the point of being called "Casper".
This little guy likes to lay up to 30 eggs on a bed of dead sea sponges and then proceeds to nest on these eggs for years. At this point, Casper is more an internet and biology fad than an actual new species. It remains to be seen whether or not more of these will be discovered.
Achatina Fulica
Achatina Fulica, also known as the African giant snail, is often considered the largest and most invasive type of snail on earth. It thrives in areas with large climates and eats crops and vegetation at unbelievable rates. This massive snail can reach up to 2.8 inches in height, and 7.9 inches or more in length.
The Achatina Fulica loves feeding off vegetation, and could easily wipe out a large swath of crops if left unnoticed. Humans have used the giant African land snail as everything from a delicacy, to literal pets, especially in France and the UK. These snails are hermaphrodites, meaning that they have both male and female reproductive body parts.
Ankole-Watusi Bull
You may be wondering if the Ankole-Watusi is a real thing or just the result of some really good Photoshopping. This large-horned bull is actually an American creation and is the result of breeding the cattle with the largest horns until they reached this monstrous size. While the Ankole-Watusi has various colors and patterns on its skin, what makes it unique is the massive horns it packs on its head.
These horns are the largest in the world, and one such Ankole-Watusi holds the Guinness World Record for the horns with the largest circumference in the world (at 40.7 inches long). Many of these animals are used privately by farmers for various purposes. Despite being a relatively calm animal, this is one creature that you don't want to get on the bad side of.