Most weird mammals

 Lesser Grison

Galictis cuja

A little-known carnivore found in Patagonia and neighbouring South American countries. About 30 cm long, with black and grey fur, they look a bit like otters but are more like stoats or martens. In Peru they were once domesticated like ferrets, where they were used to hunt chinchillas.

 Moon Rat

Echinosorex gymnurus

Also known as the Hairy hedgehog, this odd-looking animal is native to south east Asia. Its black or dark brown fur contrasts with a white face that ends in a long, whiffly nose. Around 25 cm long, the moon rat is the largest creature in the order Insectivora. Its other claim to fame is the extremely strong smell produced by its musk glands.

 North American Cacomistle

Bassariscus sumichrasti and B. astutus

Native to the southern USA, the cacomistle is a small, shy, raccoon-like creature, sometimes called the cat squirrel or ringtailed cat because of its long, stripy tail. The name comes from the Nahuatl word meaning ‘half-cat’ or ‘half mountain lion’. It is not highly endangered but is regarded as a species under threat.

 Lesser pichiciego

Chlamyphorus truncatus

This is the fairy armadillo (or pink fairy armadillo), an unlikely Argentinian creature that is only about 115 mm long. It lives largely in underground burrows and is seldom seen, almost never in captivity. Fairy armadillos are great escape

artists, that can rapidly dig themselves into the ground and hide.

 Hairy Saki

Pithecia monachus

This monkey from the Amazon Basin lives almost entirely in the trees. It is also known as the monk saki, because its head fur curves forward like a monk’s cowl. Hairy sakis are seldom seen in captivity because of an unfortunate character trait: they tend to panic and die of shock at the smallest fright.