Below is a photo of the Asian Arowana, the most expensive aquarium fish in the world. Sold with an average price tag of around $150,000 (or more, depending on the seller), because this fish is illegal to import into the US, many of them are sold at an even higher rate on the black market. A beautiful fish rarely spotted in the wild, the Asian Arowana, also known as the dragon fish, hails from the waters of Southeast Asia.
In the wild, this fish can grow up to three feet long—roughly the size of a single snowshoe. A predator fish traced all the way back to the prehistoric age of the dinosaurs, this fish is distinguished by its red color, the whiskers on its chin and its coin-like, metallic scales. Combined, these distinct features are said to resemble the Chinese dragon. It is this striking similarity that eventually led to the belief associated with the Arowana’s good luck and prosperity.
Three Beavers Sit Along the Water
Beavers gonna beav. In the below photo sit three happy beavers, obeying their natural animal instincts, appearing adorably proud of themselves as they relax after a long day’s work of cutting down trees. While most view these animals as cute, fuzzy little creatures, for those who have had a beaver bite down a tree on their property, these creatures are seen as a large, annoying nuisance. However, scientists have proved the benefits of these animals on their surrounding habitats.
Believe it or not, similar to humans, beavers also use goggles to swim! However, unlike the man-made, artificial goggles humans use to better see under water, beavers actually posses a set of transparent eyelids. This adaptation allows beavers to see underwater.
Looking Straight Into the Soul of the Emperor Tamarin
Staring directly into the lens of the camera responsible for the below photo is the primate known as the emperor tamarin. The size of a squirrel, this primate lives deep within the Amazon basin of South America. Despite its regal name, in reality, this species of primate is not particularly high up in the species hierarchy—it just has a very, very large mustache. Given its name by a Swiss zoologist, the tamarin was given its royal name as a comical tribute to Emperor Wilhelm II, who was widely known in his country as a man with an extremely powerful mustache.
These animals are diurnal primates, meaning the majority of their activities take place during the day. The emperor tamarin lives in trees, leaping from branch to branch to move around and find food. As such, they are extremely small and impressively agile creatures. It is interesting to note that two-thirds of female emperor tamarins only see three colors: an adaptation which makes it easier for these females to detect and find ripe fruit in the trees. In contrast, other females and males of these species only see two colors, which ables them to better detect camouflaged predators.
Night of the Living…Raccoons?
For one woman with a particularly bad case of the raccoons (see the below photo for reference), enough was enough. To catch the creature that was repeatedly mooching off her dog’s kibble, she devised an ingenious plan: set up a camera atop a motion detector, and attempt to catch the thieving culprit in the act. After checking her camera’s pictures the next morning, the woman’s suspicions were correct: the thief was in fact a raccoon. But it was not just one thief, it was a few dozen, hungry raccoons.
Thankfully, the seemingly terrifying looking, brain-hungry, undead looking zombie raccoons captured in the photo were, in reality, normal raccoons, whose eyes were simply eerily lit up by the flash of the camera. And while appearing to walk in a zombie-like fashion, this stance is actually common among these nocturnal animals, who often stand upright when feeling startled or treated. Thus, it makes sense that the multiple, unexpected flashes set off by the camera throughout the night would freak these little guys out.
Black Panthers and Jaguars Unite…Wakanda Forever!
While the below animal is indeed a black panther, it is not of African. In the animal world, experts use the term “black panther” to describe “melanistic big cats,” wherever they may live in the world. On the continents of Africa and Asia, “black panthers” are known as leopards characterized by an abundance of the melanin pigment.
In the above photo, this American black panther is known as a Jaguar. Whether black panthers are technically black leopards or black jaguars, all-in-all, this species is relatively common. In total, approximately 6% of all Jaguars are known to be melanistic.