7 Strange and Cute Animals You've Never Heard Of

Aardwolf

Don't let the name deceive you. Aardwolves are not linked to wolves or aardvarks. Rather, their name means 'soil wolf' in Afrikaans, referring to their ravenous taste for insects.

Bilby

The bilby is a rare Australian desert-dwelling mammal known for its long tail, silky hair, and large ears.

Pink Fairy Armadillo

The tiniest armadillos, pink fairy armadillos are adorable and exclusively live in Argentina's grasslands and sand plains. With a pink shell and white silky hair, these pocket-sized creatures are popular pets.

Chinese Water Deer

The Chinese water deer is native to the Yangtze floodplain and certain sections of Korea, and it is more closely related to a musk deer than a real deer.

Streaked Tenrec

Despite its spikes, the striped tenrec is not a hedgehog. Sure, it curls itself into a ball when frightened, and it will send quills into the mouth of any predator foolish enough to attempt to eat it, but it is more closely related to otters than moles.

Star-nosed mole

The characteristic star-shaped organ on the end of their nose is touch-sensitive and contains over 25,000 minute sense receptors, which they utilize to navigate.

Ili Pika

The very uncommon ili pika, discovered in 1983 in China's Tian Shan Mountains, was last sighted in 2014. The 'Magic Rabbit', as it is known locally, is estimated to exist in numbers of less than 1,000.