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

This parasitic worm crawls into the eyestalks of snails, takes over its brain then pulsates to make the mollusk look like a dancing caterpillar.

Lampreys belong to an ancient group of fish called Agnatha that evolved 450 million years ago, predating both dinosaurs and trees.

The maned wolf, a gorgeous canine from South America, is neither a wolf nor a fox, despite resembling both.

The "yeti" crab is white and hairy, as its nickname suggests, and it thrives in hydrothermal vents in Antarctica's frigid waters.

These tiny crustaceans, also known as boxer crabs, use the venomous anenomes to protect themselves from predators and to eat with. They also wave them around while fighting with each other.

Thanks to a yellow pigment that filters out sunlight, barreleyes can't be fooled by a common deep-sea camouflage tactic.

The Mexican salamander is only found in two lakes and is considered critically endangered, with pollution and invasive predators driving the species' decline.