many of the extant rhinoceros species are weird in one way or another - here are examples of three: the one-horned Javan and Indian varieties are among the animals historically most mistaken for unicorns (in this connection the narwhal also deserves special consideration), and that may be the basis of some classical accounts of unicorns (certainly the one-horned beast described in Pliny the Elder's natural history sounds more like an Indian rhinoceros than like anything else we know about), and they both have (different) ridiculous skin textures giving them a mythic feel. the Sumatran rhinoceros, meanwhile, is prettymuch the dwarfed version of the extinct woolly rhinoceros.
the last point brings us to the various extinct dwarf mammoths associated with various islands. the population on Wrangel Island in Siberia is believed to have survived until less than 4000 years ago, which really shockingly recent.
armadillos are always good. aside from their inherent weirdness, some varieties have a reproductive biology that involves always bearing litters of identical quadruplets, which must be good for some extra weird points. there's also the special case of the pink fairy armadillo, which has a ridiculous name and which is genuinely very small and sort of pink.
kiwis are a classic, of course.
prosimians generally are pretty good. the excellent aye-aye has already been mentioned, and the mouse lemurs get some points for being tiny.
no subject
chameleons have a pretty good assortment of special features, as do cuttlefish.
many of the extant rhinoceros species are weird in one way or another - here are examples of three: the one-horned Javan and Indian varieties are among the animals historically most mistaken for unicorns (in this connection the narwhal also deserves special consideration), and that may be the basis of some classical accounts of unicorns (certainly the one-horned beast described in Pliny the Elder's natural history sounds more like an Indian rhinoceros than like anything else we know about), and they both have (different) ridiculous skin textures giving them a mythic feel. the Sumatran rhinoceros, meanwhile, is prettymuch the dwarfed version of the extinct woolly rhinoceros.
the last point brings us to the various extinct dwarf mammoths associated with various islands. the population on Wrangel Island in Siberia is believed to have survived until less than 4000 years ago, which really shockingly recent.
armadillos are always good. aside from their inherent weirdness, some varieties have a reproductive biology that involves always bearing litters of identical quadruplets, which must be good for some extra weird points. there's also the special case of the pink fairy armadillo, which has a ridiculous name and which is genuinely very small and sort of pink.
kiwis are a classic, of course.
prosimians generally are pretty good. the excellent aye-aye has already been mentioned, and the mouse lemurs get some points for being tiny.