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.
Latest about amazing animals
Cantor's giant softshell turtle: The frog-faced predator that spends 95% of its time completely motionless
These leathery turtles spend most of their lives buried motionless in river mud, but burst into action to catch their unsuspecting prey.
Gharial: The prehistoric crocodilian that buzzes and blows bubbles to find a mate
This critically endangered animal, known for its long, thin snout with a bulbous growth at the end, split off from other crocodilian species 40 million years ago.
Northern sea robin: The bizarre fish with crab legs it uses to taste the seafloor
The northern sea robin is a strange-looking fish with legs that it uses to "taste" the seafloor.
Babirusa: The prehistoric 'deer' pigs with huge antler teeth
Babirusas are believed to have diverged from their pig ancestors between 26 million and 12 million years ago after getting isolated on Sulawesi when sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age.
Short-horned lizard: The inflatable 'horny toad' that squirts toxic blood from its eyes
This little lizard can fire blood up to 5 feet from its face, has spiky horns and inflates itself to choke predators.
Alligator gar: The 'living fossil' that has barely evolved for 100 million years
This living fossil can grow as large as an alligator, has two rows of needle-sharp teeth, and such strong armor that it survived predatory dinosaurs.
Siphonophores: The clonal colonies that can grow longer than a blue whale
Siphonophores are unusual animals made up of individual organisms called "zooids," which each have a distinct function — despite being genetically identical.
Antechinus: The tiny marsupials where males have sex until they die — then females eat their corpses
All species in the antechinus genus have the same frenzied mating system, where males have sex until they die from organ failure, then the females gobble up their corpses.
