Amazing animals — A look at the weird and wonderful species that live on our planet

Male Patagonian maras follow females wherever they go and rub poop on the ground around them to deter rival males.

Shoebills reach up to 5 feet in height and they are formidable ambush predators, standing still in swamps before lunging forward to swallow their prey whole with their giant bills.

The Mary River turtle has adapted to life underwater after splitting from all other living turtle lineages more than 18 million years ago.

These tiny white bats, which can construct a leaf-made tent, are extremely picky eaters.

Diving bell spiders are also weird when it comes to sex, with males occasionally gobbling up females in reverse sexual cannibalism.

The flightless Aldabra rail went extinct 136,000 years ago when its atoll home sank beneath the waves. Then it evolved again.

Indian giant squirrels, with their extraordinarily colorful fur, are found in forests and woodlands of India.

Loggerhead shrikes can kill prey bigger than themselves by stabbing and shaking them, before impaling them on sticks to eat later.

Paradoxical frogs — also known as shrinking frogs — are about three times bigger as tadpoles as they are when adults.

The forests of Borneo are home to squirrels with extravagant tails and teeth so sharp they could slash a deer's throat — and folklore has it that's exactly what they use them for.