There are millions of different animal species living on Earth, with new ones being discovered all the time. Each week, we take a closer look at some of the amazing animals wandering, flying or swimming about, zooming in on the amazing adaptations that help them survive and thrive, from the bottom of the ocean to the highest mountain peaks.
Discover more amazing animals
—Animal quiz: Test yourself on these fun animal trivia questions
—Evolution: Facts about the processes that shape the diversity of life on Earth
—32 of the world's smartest animals / loudest animals / most dangerous animals
Latest about amazing animals
Asian hermit spider: The arachnid that gets stronger after ejecting its own penis
Female Asian hermit spiders gobble up their partners after mating, so males detach their penises and sometimes offer up an amputated leg to escape.
Great potoo: The 'tree stump' bird with a haunting growl and can see with its eyes closed
Throughout the night, great potoos emit a loud, moaning growl that has earned the bird a mythical status, with some communities believing the sounds to be children calling for lost parents.
Sparklemuffin peacock spider: The spider with secret iridescent scales that busts a move to win a mate
This bedazzled arachnid woos its mate with a sexy thrusting dance.
King of the cave centipede: The deadly, blind giant that evolved in the darkness of a Romanian cave
The venomous centipede crawled into the Movile Cave millions of years ago and adapted to live in the pitch black, surrounded by deadly gases.
Labord's chameleon: The color-changing lizard that drops dead in 4 months
Labord's chameleons are only found in Western Madagascar and have developed a live fast die young life cycle to cope with the extreme environmental conditions.
Mount Kaputar pink slug: The giant hot-pink mollusk found only on a single, extinct volcano
The 8-inch, bright pink slug has been isolated in a "sky island" for millions of years.
Antarctic scale worm: The glitzy frilly horror show with giant protruding jaws that look like Alien's xenomorph
This deep-sea polar worm looks like it can't decide if it's dressed for a glitzy party or a gruesome massacre.
Giant phantom jelly: The 33-foot-long ocean giant that has babies out of its mouth
Giant phantom jellies were discovered in 1899 and since then have only been spotted around 120 times.
