Top Ten Ugliest Animals

Simon Watt is a biologist who loves all things science. He brings his Ready, Steady, Science program to schools, museums, theatres and festivals across the UK to teach kids about science through fun, hands-on experiments. Simon is also president of the Ugly Animal Preservation Society (for real!) and is working to raise awareness for some very interesting…different…okay, ugly animals. In this Top Ten we take a look at some of Simon’s top cringe worthy animals.

1. The blobfish was elected the ugliest animal in the world in an online poll that we ran. It lives off the coast of Australia and Tasmania and is being driven to the brink thanks to deep sea trawling. We don’t even eat them, they just get caught in the nets by accident.

Photo credit: Flickr user:  jamasca66
Blobfish Photo credit: Flickr user: jamasca66

2. The giant Chinese salamander is the world’s largest amphibian and it can breathe through its skin!

chinese giant salamander
chinese giant salamander. Photo credit Flickr user: Muzina Shanghai

3. The proboscis monkey has an enormous nose that might be used to help attract a mate, or to make loud honking calls.

Proboscis monkey
Proboscis monkey

4. At one point there were only eight Californian condors left alive. Breeding programs are helping them, but they are still seriously endangered.

Californian condor
Californian condor

5. Hagfish can produce gallons of snot from their skin in a matter of minutes. This snot will clog the mouth of anything that tries to eat it.

Hagfish
Hagfish. Photo credit: NOAA

6. Naked mole rats live in communities with several dozen rats. The colony is led by one rat queen; she is the only female in the group that breeds.

naked mole
Naked mole rat. Photo credit: Kevin McGee

7. The Roti Island snake necked turtle has a neck as long as its body.

Roti Island snake necked turtle
Roti Island snake necked turtle. Photo credit: Flickr user: Silvain de Munck

8. Aye-ayes are critically endangered and can only be found on the island of Madagascar.

Aye-aye
Aye-aye. Photo credit: Flickr User Frank Vassen

9. The Monkfish is a bottom-dwelling fish that lives in the western Atlantic.

Monk fish
Monk fish. Photo credit: Flickr User Ryo Sato

10. The flightless dung beetle can rolls massive balls of poo in straight lines, walking backwards and navigating by the stars.

Dung beetle
Dung beetle

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