Ugly Animals: 12 of the World’s Weirdest-Looking Animals and Why They Look That Way
Some animals are cute. These are not. The animals on this list have droopy faces, bald heads, huge noses, and wrinkled skin. They look strange to us. But every odd feature has a job. This guide covers 12 ugly animals, what makes each one look odd, and why that look helps it survive.
Key takeaways
- The blobfish won the title of ugliest animal in a 2013 public vote. It looks normal at home in the deep sea.
- Most ugly looks have a purpose. Big noses, bald heads, and wrinkled skin all help the animal live.
- The naked mole-rat lives underground in colonies, like ants. It can live past 30 years.
- Ugly does not mean dangerous. Most animals on this list are shy and eat plants, fish, or bugs.
- You can see some of these animals in US zoos.
The Blobfish: Voted the Ugliest Animal in the World
The blobfish holds the title. In 2013, the Ugly Animal Preservation Society asked the public to vote for the ugliest animal on Earth. The blobfish won. It beat the proboscis monkey and the axolotl. The group picked it as a mascot to show that ugly animals need care too.
The blobfish is a deep-sea fish. Its real name is Psychrolutes marcidus. It lives 600 to 1,200 meters down, off the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. Down there, the water pressure is huge. The fish has a soft, jelly-like body. It has almost no muscle. It floats just above the sea floor and eats what drifts past.
Ugly Animals at a Glance
| Animal | Odd Feature | What the Feature Is For |
|---|---|---|
| Blobfish | Droopy, sagging face | A soft, jelly body for floating in deep water |
| Naked mole-rat | Pink, wrinkled, hairless skin | Living in warm, damp tunnels underground |
| Aye-aye | Huge eyes and a long, thin middle finger | Tapping wood to find grubs at night |
| Proboscis monkey | A nose up to 7 inches long | Making loud calls and attracting mates |
| Warthog | Warts and big curved tusks | Shielding the eyes in fights and digging for food |
| Marabou stork | A bald head and a huge bill | Staying clean while eating dead animals |
| Goblin shark | A long, flat snout and a jaw that shoots out | Sensing prey and snatching it in the dark |
| Star-nosed mole | A nose with 22 pink tentacles | Feeling and eating prey in a split second |
| California condor | A bald head and a huge wingspan | Staying clean while scavenging and soaring for miles |
| Hammer-headed bat | A huge, box-like head in males | Making loud honking calls to attract females |
| Shoebill | A giant shoe-shaped bill | Grabbing fish and baby crocodiles in swamps |
| Purple frog | A purple, bloated body and a tiny head | Digging and living underground most of the year |
12 Ugly Animals and What Their Looks Are For
1. Blobfish
The blobfish lives deeper than most fish ever go. It sits 600 to 1,200 meters down. Its body is mostly jelly. It has no swim bladder, the gas sac most fish use to float. The jelly body does the job instead. It lets the fish float just above the sea floor with no effort. The fish eats crabs, sea pens, and other small animals that drift past. It is not a strong swimmer. It does not need to be. Food comes to it.
2. Naked Mole-Rat
The naked mole-rat looks like a pink sausage with teeth. It has almost no hair. Its skin is loose and wrinkled. Its eyes are tiny. Its front teeth stick out past its lips. It lives in East Africa, in big tunnels under dry ground. The tunnels are warm and damp. Hair would only get in the way. The loose skin helps the rat slip through tight tunnels. The big teeth dig the tunnels. The rat can even move its teeth apart, like chopsticks, to grab dirt. Naked mole-rats live in colonies of up to 300 animals. Only one queen breeds. The rest work, dig, and guard. They can live past 30 years.
3. Aye-Aye
The aye-aye is a lemur from Madagascar. It has huge eyes, big bat-like ears, and a long, thin middle finger. The finger looks like a twig. It is the aye-aye’s main tool. At night, the aye-aye taps on dead wood with that finger. It listens for hollow spots where grubs hide. Then it gnaws a hole and fishes the grub out with the same finger. The big eyes help it see in the dark. The big ears help it hear grubs moving inside the wood. Some people in Madagascar fear the aye-aye. Old stories say it brings bad luck. It is now endangered.
4. Proboscis Monkey
The proboscis monkey lives on the island of Borneo. The male has a nose that can reach 7 inches long. It hangs down over the mouth. The nose works like a horn. It makes the male’s calls louder and deeper. Females like males with big noses. A big nose tells a female the male is strong and healthy. The nose also helps the monkey cool down. It has blood vessels that release heat. Proboscis monkeys are good swimmers. They leap from trees into rivers. They have webbed toes that help them paddle. Their bellies are round because they eat leaves. The leaves ferment in the gut, like in a cow.
5. Warthog
The warthog is a wild pig from Africa. It has warts on its face. The warts are not warts at all. They are thick pads of skin. They shield the eyes and face when males fight. Males fight by pushing head to head. The pads keep the eyes safe. Warthogs also have long, curved tusks. The tusks dig up roots and bulbs. They also work as weapons against lions and leopards. Warthogs kneel on their front legs to graze. They have hard pads on their knees for this. They can run fast, up to 30 miles per hour.
6. Marabou Stork
The marabou stork stands about 5 feet tall. Its wingspan can reach 10 feet. It has a bald head and a huge bill. The bald head is useful. The stork eats dead animals. Feathers on the head would get dirty and stay dirty. Bare skin is easy to clean. The stork also has a pink throat pouch. The pouch hangs from its neck. It helps the bird cool down in hot weather. Marabou storks live in Africa. They eat dead animals, fish, and trash. They clean up what other animals leave behind. They look grim, but they do a useful job.
7. Goblin Shark
The goblin shark lives in the deep sea. It is pink. It has a long, flat snout that sticks out like a blade. The snout is full of sensors. The sensors pick up tiny electric signals from prey in the dark. When the shark finds prey, its jaw shoots forward. The whole jaw slides out of the mouth to grab the animal. Then it snaps back. It looks strange, but it works. The goblin shark is rare. People almost never see one alive. Most of what we know comes from dead ones caught in fishing nets.
8. Star-Nosed Mole
The star-nosed mole lives in North America. It has a nose like no other animal. The nose has 22 pink tentacles in a star shape. The tentacles are touch organs. They feel the ground and find prey by touch. The mole is the fastest eater of any mammal. It can find and eat a bug in about 120 milliseconds. That is faster than the blink of an eye. The mole lives in wet soil near streams and marshes. It digs tunnels and hunts worms and bugs. It is also a good swimmer. It can hunt under water.
9. California Condor
The California condor is the largest land bird in North America. Its wingspan reaches about 9.5 feet. It has a bald head and a black body with white patches under the wings. The bald head stays clean when the bird eats dead animals. The condor is a scavenger. It eats deer, cattle, and other dead animals. It can soar for hours without flapping. In 1987, only 27 condors were left in the wild. Zoos bred the birds and set them free. Today there are more than 500 condors. Most live in California, Arizona, and Utah.
10. Hammer-Headed Bat
The hammer-headed bat lives in Africa. The male has a huge, box-like head. The head holds big vocal cords and air sacs. The male uses them to make loud honking calls. The calls can be heard from far away. Females pick males by the sound. A loud, deep call wins. The male’s head looks too big for its body. The female’s head is small and fox-like. The two sexes look so different that early scientists thought they were two species. The bat eats fruit, mostly figs. Its wingspan can reach 3 feet.
11. Shoebill
The shoebill lives in the swamps of East Africa. It stands about 5 feet tall. It has a huge bill shaped like a shoe. The bill is about 9 inches long. It can grab fish, frogs, and even baby crocodiles. The shoebill stands still for hours in shallow water. It stares at the water. When a fish comes near, the bill snaps shut. The bird also makes a loud clattering sound with its bill. It sounds like a machine gun. The shoebill looks stern and grumpy. But it is a shy bird. It lives alone and avoids people.
12. Purple Frog
The purple frog lives in the Western Ghats mountains of India. It has a bloated, purple body and a tiny head with a pointed snout. It spends most of its life underground. It digs with its strong legs and eats termites. It comes to the surface only during the monsoon rains. Then it breeds for a few weeks and goes back down. Scientists found the frog only in 2003. It had lived in the hills for millions of years. No one had seen it. Its closest cousins live far away, in the Seychelles islands.
Why Do Some Animals Look So Strange?
Looks follow the job. An animal that lives in the dark needs big eyes or strong touch. An animal that eats dead meat needs a bald head that stays clean. An animal that digs needs strong teeth and loose skin. The odd look is the tool that fits the life. People call these animals ugly. But the strange looks are the ones that help them live.
What Is the Ugliest Animal in the World?
The blobfish is the ugliest animal in the world, by public vote. In 2013, the Ugly Animal Preservation Society ran a vote. More than 3,000 people voted. The blobfish won. The group made it their mascot. The point was to raise care for animals that are not cute. Cute animals get most of the funding. Ugly animals get less. The blobfish changed that a little. It is now one of the most famous deep-sea fish in the world.
Is the Blobfish Really That Ugly?
Not in its own home. The blobfish looks normal at depth. It has a soft, jelly body that floats in deep water. The droopy face shows up only when the fish is pulled to the surface. The pressure drops fast. The body swells and sags. The famous photo shows a dead fish out of water. At home, 600 to 1,200 meters down, the blobfish looks like a plain fish.
Are Ugly Animals Dangerous?
Most are not. The animals on this list are shy. The blobfish floats and eats what drifts past. The naked mole-rat eats roots and lives in a tunnel. The aye-aye eats grubs. The shoebill eats fish. None of them hunt people. The goblin shark lives in the deep sea. People almost never meet one. The warthog can be dangerous if cornered. It has sharp tusks. But it would rather run. Give any wild animal space, and it will leave you alone.
Why Do Naked Mole-Rats Look Like That?
Naked mole-rats live in warm, damp tunnels underground. Hair would get in the way. Their loose, wrinkled skin helps them slip through tight tunnels. Their big teeth dig the tunnels. Their small eyes do not matter in the dark. They feel their way with whiskers. The look fits the life. They are also odd in other ways. They live in colonies with a queen, like ants. They can live past 30 years. They almost never get cancer.
Do Aye-Ayes Really Have a Long Middle Finger?
Yes. The aye-aye has a long, thin middle finger. It looks like a twig. The aye-aye taps on dead wood with that finger. It listens for hollow spots where grubs hide. Then it gnaws a hole and fishes the grub out with the same finger. The finger can bend in ways other fingers cannot. It is the aye-aye’s main tool for finding food at night.
What Is the Ugliest Dog Breed?
There is no set answer. Dog shows have “ugliest dog” contests. The winners are often Chinese Crested dogs, with patchy hair and a long tongue. Pugs, bulldogs, and Neapolitan mastiffs also get named. Beauty is in the eye of the owner. Many people love the dogs that others call ugly. The dogs do not care what they look like. They care about food, walks, and a warm bed.
Are There Ugly Animals in the US?
Yes. The star-nosed mole lives in the eastern US and Canada. It has a nose with 22 pink tentacles. The California condor lives in California, Arizona, and Utah. It is the largest land bird in North America. US zoos also keep aye-ayes, naked mole-rats, and shoebills. You can see them in person. The San Diego Zoo and the Bronx Zoo both keep naked mole-rats. The Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina keeps aye-ayes.
Why Do Proboscis Monkeys Have Big Noses?
Male proboscis monkeys have noses up to 7 inches long. The nose works like a horn. It makes the male’s calls louder and deeper. Females pick males with big noses. A big nose tells a female the male is strong and healthy. The nose also helps the monkey cool down in the hot jungle. Females and young monkeys have smaller noses.
Ugly animals are easy to laugh at. They are also easy to miss. Every odd face on this list has a job. Next time you see an ugly animal, look twice. The strange look is often the smartest part of the animal.
Related reading: American Bulldog Breed Guide: Size, Temperament, Health and Cost and Can Dogs Have Blueberries? A Complete Guide for Owners.
