Miniatur Wunderland – a unique place in the world where in one room you can see several European countries in miniature. Live and stunningly detailed exposition hides a whole arsenal of technology. In 2000, the brothers Frederick and Gerrit Browns undertook a major project – the construction in Hamburg, the world’s largest toy railroad. Nine years later Miniatur Wunderland is not just a railway, and the whole world in miniature, covering an area of 1150 square meters. meters and includes more than 10 thousand locomotives and wagons, 700 trains, almost 1 thousand semaphores, 4 thousand vehicles, 160 thousand unique figures of people, as well as several ships.

Almost all of the exhibit moves and lives its own life: changing the time of day, the streets are lit and extinguished lights, trains, trucks, barges and cargo being taken, the police catch the offenders, fire brigades were going to call, people walk in the park, and ride the cable car, lunch at lawns, swimming, waiting for the bus to ski. In short, do what their prototypes of the big world. To create all this, in addition to nine years of hard work the brothers took 4 tons of steel, 700 kg of artificial grass and about $ 16 million

Miniature Wunderland Video

There are not many people who believe in clairvoyants’ predictions. However, such beliefs stay strong until those predictions begin to come true. Vanga presumably became known for her predictions of global disasters.

Life:

Vangelia Pandeva Dimitrova was a blind Bulgarian mystic, clairvoyant and herbalist who spent most of her life in the Rupite area in the Kozhuh mountains, Bulgaria. Her followers were convinced that she possessed paranormal abilities. her predictions are well known and we can say really disturbing if you believe in anything paranormal.

A turning point in “Baba Vanga” (grandma Vanga’s) life was a storm which lifted her up and threw her in the field (this claim has not been verified with meteorological records or other accounts from that time). She was found after a long search–very frightened, and her eyes were covered with sand and dust, so she couldn’t open them because of the pain. No healing gave results. There was money only for a partial operation, so her eyesight was failing.
In 1939 Vanga caught pleurisy, although she had been quite healthy in the previous years. The doctor’s opinion was that she would soon die but she recovered quickly.

Vanga’s most shocking prediction include:

“At the turn of the century, in August of 1999 or 2000, Kursk will be covered with water, and the whole world will be weeping over it.” (1980)

The prediction did not make any sense back then. Sadly, twenty years on, it did make a lot of sense, when a Russian nuclear submarine sunk in an accident in August of 2000. The submarine was named Kursk. Kursk – the city (after which the submarine was named), could by no means have been covered with water (probably that’s why her prediction seemed so unrealistic at first).

“Horror, horror! The American brethren will fall after being attacked by the steel birds. The wolves will be howling in a bush, and innocent blood will be gushing.” (1989)

Happened as predicted. The World Trade Center Towers in New York collapsed following terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The WTC Towers were dubbed “Twins” or “Brothers.” The terrorists drove passenger planes –“the steel birds”- into the towers. “The bush” obviously relates to the surname of the current U.S. president.

Specialists also say that the renowned fortune-teller also predicted the events connected with the armed conflict in South Ossetia. Vanga supposedly said that the Third World War would break out as a result of attempts on the lives of four government heads and after a conflict in Hindustan.

The presidents of four countries – Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland departed to Georgia in the middle of the conflict to see the situation with their own eyes.

Vanga predicted that the Third World War would break out in 2010.The war will begin in November of 2010 and will end in October of 2014. Will start as a normal war, then will include usage of nuclear and chemical weapons.

Vanga was illiterate or semi-literate and she did not write any books herself. Her speech was difficult to distinguish and she spoke a heavy dialect (recent TV recordings used subtitles for the Bulgarian audience). What she said or allegedly said has been captured by staff members. Later numerous esoteric books on Vanga’s life and predictions were written.

Vanga claimed that her alleged extraordinary abilities had something to do with the presence of invisible creatures, but she couldn’t clearly explain their origin. She was saying, that those creatures were giving her information about people, which she could not transmit to them, because, distance and time didn’t matter. According to Vanga, the life of everyone standing in front of her, was like a film to her, from birth till death. But changing “what was written on the generation” was beyond her power.

More predictions about the future:

2010 – The start of WWIII. The war will begin in November of 2010 and will end in October of 2014. Will start as a normal war, then will include usage of nuclear and chemical weapons.
2011 – Due to the radioactive showers in Northern Hemisphere – no animals or plants will be left. Muslims will begin chemical war against Europeans who are still alive.
2014 – Most of the people in this world will have skin cancer and skin related diseases. (as a result of chemical wars)
2016 – Europe is almost empty
2018 – China becomes the new world power.
2023 – Earth’s orbit will change slightly
2025 – Europe is still barely populated
2028 – Development of a new energy source. (Probably controller thermonuclear reaction) Hunger slowly stops being a problem. Piloted spaceship to Venus deploys.
2033 – The world’s oceans rise as the polar ice caps melt.
2043 – World economy is prosperous. Muslims are running Europe.
2046 – Any organs can be mass produced. Exchange of body organs becomes the common method of treatment.
2066 – During it’s attack on Rome (which is under control of the Muslims) U.S.A. uses a new method of weapons – has to do with climate change. Instant freezing.
2076 – No class society (communism)
2084 – Nature restores herself.
2088 – New disease. – People are getting old in few seconds.
2097 – This disease is cured.
2100 – Man made Sun is lighting up the dark side of the planet Earth.
2111 – People become robots. Think ‘The Terminator’.
2123 – Small countries are at war and the larger countries don’t get involved.
2125 – Signals from space are received in Hungry. An interest in Vanga will be renewed.
2130 – Colonies are built under water with advice from aliens.
2154 – Animals become half-humans.
2167 – A new religion is formed.
2170 – World-wide drought.
2183 – Colony on Mars becomes nuclear nation and asks for independence from the Earth.
2187 – Two volcano eruptions are successfully stopped.
2195 – Sea colonies are fully supplied with energy and food.
2196 – Asians and Europeans are no longer distinguishable from each other.
2201 – Thermonuclear reactions on the Sun slow down. Temperatures Drop.
2221 – Humans engage with something very frightening while in the search of Alien life.
2256 – Spaceship brings a freighting new disease into Earth.
2262 – Orbits of planets start to change progressively. Mars is under threat of being hit by a comet.
2271 – Physic properties are re-calculated because of changes.
2273 – A new race emerges that is a mix of Asian, European and African.
2279 – Energy can be made out of nothing (probably from vacuum or black holes)
2288 – Travel through time. New contacts with the aliens.
2291 – Sun cools. Humans make attempts to fire it up again.
2296 – Bright flashes on the Sun. Force of gravity changes. Old space stations and satellites begin to fall to Earth.
2299 – In France, there is a guerrilla uprising against Islam.
2302 – Important new laws and mysteries about the universe are uncovered.
2304 – The mystery of the Moon is uncovered.
2341 – Something frightening is approaching Earth from the space.
2354 – An accident on one of the man made suns will result in drought.
2371 – World-wide hunger.
2378 – New and fast growing race.
2480 – Earth is dark when two man made suns collide.
3005 – War on Mars. Trajectory of planets changes.
3010 – A comet will ram into the Moon throwing a belt of rocks and dust around the Earth.
3797 – By this time, everything living on Earth dies. But humans are able to put in the essentials for the beginning of a new life in a new star system.
3803 – A new planet is populated by a few humans. There are few contacts between people. The climate on the new planet causes people to begin mutating.
3805 – Humans go to war over resources. More than half of people dying out.
3815 – The war is over.
3854 – The development of civilization virtually stops. People live flocks like animals.
3871 – New prophet tells people about moral values, religion.
3874 – New prophet receives support from all segments of the population. Organized a new church.
3878 – along with the Church to re-train new people forgotten sciences.
4302 – New cities are growing in the world. New Church encourages the development of new technology and science.
4302 – The development of science. Scientists discovered in the overall impact of all diseases in organism behavior.
4304 – A cure for any disease is discovered.
4308 – Human mutations result in people using their brains more than 34% and losing notions of evil and hatred.
4509 – Getting to Know God. Man reaches a level of development that can communicate with God.
4599 – People achieve immortality.
4674 – The development of civilization has reached its peak. There are about 340 billion people living on different planets. Assimilation begins with aliens.
5076 – Humans find the universe boundaries.
5078 – The decision to leave the boundaries of the universe. While about 40 percent of the population is against it.
5079 – End of the World.
Believe it or not, you have to admit that this story disturbed you… just a little bit?

The photos in this post are some world’s biggest stuff. Although many of these things are totally useless, other than to have your picture taken with, they are very interesting. Most represent real life items that are simply hugely oversized.

World’s Largest Cheesecake

On 25 January 2009, in Mexico City, Mexico, Philadelphia of Kraft Foods Mexico was recognized by Guinness World Records™ as the creator of the largest cheesecake ever made. The colossal confectionery weighed 2,133.5 kg (4,703 lb), had a diameter of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and was 56 cm (1 ft 10 in) tall. The recipe for the world’s largest cheesecake included 800 kg (1,764 lb) of Philadelphia cream cheese, 800 kg of yogurt, 350 kg (772 lb) of cookies, 250 kg (551 lb) of sugar, 150 kg (331 lb) of butter and 100 kg (220 lb) of strawberries, along with other ingredients.

World’s Largest Plate of Hummus

Hummus is a dish that often finds different varieties depending on the creator, but is normally made from mashed up chickpeas, sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. While eaten for centuries, the exact origin seems to be unknown. Lebanon decided to take things into their own hands, and with the collaboration of some 300 chefs, they filled a massive ceramic plate of hummus in downtown Beirut. The final 4,532 lb. (2,056 kilograms) dish utilized 2,976 pounds of mashed chickpeas, 106 gallons of lemon juice and 57 pounds of salt. Shortly after, a representative from the Guiness Book of World Records confirmed their record-breaking dish.

World’s Largest Easter Egg

The Easter egg or Ukrainian ‘Pysanka,’ was constructed in 1975 to commemorate early Ukrainian settlements in an area east of Edmonton. Professor Resch was responsible for the entire Pysanka concept which required the development of new computer programs. The Pysanka is really an immense jig-saw puzzle containing 524 star patterns, 2,206 equilateral triangles, 3,512 visible facets, 6,978 nuts and bolts, and 177 internal struts.

World’s Largest Lily

Flaming Red Giant was erected in 1990 by Ralph Korody, as a symbol of community recognition to a pioneer and long time resident of our district, DR. A. J. (Bert) Porter. This represents one of many varieties developed at Honeywood Nursery. Home town of this flower is Parkside, Saskatchewan.

World’s Largest Thermometer

Will Herron, a businessman, dreamed of a huge thermometer for 25 years before he made it a reality in California’s high desert. The World’s Largest Thermometer is 134-ft.-tall, symbolic of the record high temperature in the US, in Death Valley — 134 degrees Fahrenheit in 1913.

World’s Largest Motorcycle

The world’s largest motorcycle comes with a $300,000 price tag and stands at 11 feet high and measures 20 feet long. Created by Greg Dunham, this monster motorcycle could actually drive.

World’s Largest Pool

Already drawing the crowds in the South American resort of San Alfonso del Mar in Chile, this artificial lagoon and swimming pool is eight hectares in size and contains an incredible 250,000 cubic meters of water. Acknowledged by Guinness World Records as being the world’s largest swimming pool, the lagoon trounces all other record holders in the category, including the Orthlieb pool in Casablanca, Morocco, itself a huge 150 meters by 100 meters – the San Alfonso pool is 1km in length.

World’s Largest Plane

The An-225 is quoted as having a maximum takeoff weight of over 1.3 million pounds (600,000 kg). The FAI gives credit for a slightly lower weight of 1.12 million pounds (508,200 kg), the record set by an An-225 in 1989 for the largest mass ever lifted by an airplane to an altitude of 6,500 ft (2,000 m). The An-225 was originally built to ferry the Soviet Buran space shuttle but it is now used to transport various outsize cargos. Only one example was ever completed, and it is currently available for charter flights. The An-225 is a cargo transport only and has never been used as an airliner.

World’s Largest Building

Burj Dubai (Arabic for “Dubai Tower”) is a skyscraper under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure on Earth other than broadcasting towers. Construction began on September 21, 2004, and it is expected to be completed and ready for occupation in September 2009.

World’s Largest TV

While Sharp and Panasonic are claiming largest for individual technologies, TecnoVision is having none of it and pitching its 205in screen as the World’s Largest Television full stop. The Luxio measures a whopping 455x256cm – that’s enough to almost fill an entire wall.

World’s Largest Aquarium

This is one of the world’s biggest fish tanks – so big that it’s even been named the Kuroshio Sea.
Located in the Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan, the enormous tank is some ten metres deep, 35 metres wide and 27 metres long. It holds a staggering 7,500 tonnes of water – roughly equal to three Olympic-sized swimming pools.

World’s Largest Crayola Crayon

It weighs 1,500 pounds and is 15 feet long. Apparently, this crayon could draw a line 10 miles long! Crayola created this monster sized crayon with crayons donated by children to celebrate the company’s 100th birthday! This is a great story.

World’s Largest Six Pack

It is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. You can’t keep a good roadside attraction down! The World’s Largest Six-Pack has risen anew. Once painted in the colors of Heileman’s “Old Style Lager” beer, the six aging tanks that make up the six pack were painted over following the closure of the brewery back in 2001.
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World’s Largest Ice Cream Cake

Chinese workers were seen celebrating after they broke the Guinness World Record for the biggest ice-cream cake more than a year ago in Beijing, January 16, 2006. The cake is 4.8 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 1 meter high, and weighs 8 tons. It was recognized as the largest ice-cream cake, according to the Guinness World Records.

World’s Largest Cruise Ship

Oasis of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship in the fleet of Royal Caribbean International. The first of her class, she is expected to be joined by her sister ship Allure of the Seas in December 2010. Both vessels are expected to cruise the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She set a new record of carrying over 6,000 passengers. Oasis of the Seas offers passengers features such as two-story loft suites and luxury suites measuring 1,600 sq ft (150 m2) with balconies overlooking the sea or promenades. The ship features a zip-line, a casino, a mini-golf course, multiple night clubs, several bars and lounges, a karaoke club, comedy club, four swimming pools, volleyball and basketball courts, theme parks and nurseries for children.

World’s Largest Fountain

The fountains, which has yet to be named, will be capable of shooting water over 150 metres into the air – the height of a 50-storey building – and stretch over 275 metres – the length of two football fields. The $218 million project will be 25 percent larger than the iconic fountains at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas. Like the Fountains of Bellagio, Emaar’s fountains will include an integral light and sound show and is expected to become one of Dubai’s major tourist attractions, drawing over 10 million visitors per year.

World’s Largest Golden Nugget

It’s named “Hand of Faith,” it’s the size of a baby, and it weighs almost 62 pounds. It was found in 1980 by a guy in Australia with a metal detector, who reportedly almost didn’t bother to dig it up because he thought that his machine was faulty. Hand of Faith was only six inches below the surface. The Golden Nugget bought it for a million dollars. WOW!

How many times did you see something huge and ask yourself – How big this world is… But when you see it from the insects perspective things are a lot different, aren’t they? Lets imagine that we are the same size as insects for a moment and see how it would be…

A tunnel is typically an underground passageway, built in an effort to address the growing needs of roads, highways and bridges to handle a large volume of traffic. The exact definition of a tunnel has been twitched many times in the past. Irrespective of that, tunnels are the results accomplished by a magnificent feat of engineering, with boring giant holes in mountains, or laying several feet of pathway under the ocean. Let us have a look at the world’s strangest tunnels.

Channel Tunnel

Channel Tunnel: Located in Coquelles, France, this tunnel is commonly known as the Chunnel. This 31 mile tunnel that links England and France was built in 1994 with a staggering cost of more than $20 billion. The idea of linking England and France through the English Channel was being toyed at for several years. However, the project could not take shape owing to a variety of reasons, technical and political included. The invention of modern boring machines coupled with the irrefutable benefit of linking the two countries finally made it possible. In order to provide protection from fire hazards, designers have built a smaller service tunnel in between the teo main tubes to act as an escape passage.

Smuggling Tunnel

Smuggling Tunnel: Located in Tijuana, Mexico, this 1000 feet long tunnel was recently unearthed by U.S. and Mexican officials. Tunnels used by slick criminals to smuggle contrabands is not unheard of in the past. During recent years, a large number of illegal tunnels have been discovered in the U.S., coming from Canada and Mexico. This tunnel digs 860 feet into the U.S. The incomplete tunnel was fitted with lighting, a ventilation system, electricity and even an elevator. The Drug Enforcement Agency in U.S. issued a statement saying that the construction of this tunnel has been going on for over two years.

Infiltration Tunnels

Ih2nfiltration Tunnels: In the 1970s, three different tunnels were discovered along one of the most disputative borders of the world. In 1990, a fourth tunnel was discovered creeping under Korea’s Demilitarized zone. The third invasion tunnel, also known as the Third Tunnel of Aggression, came dangerously close to just 26 miles of Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. These secret tunnels gave North Korea a huge advantage of launching a massive military against its strong enemy South Korea. The tunnels were large enough to shuttle an entire military division per hour.

Cu Chi Tunnel

Cu Chu Tunnel: Situated in Cu Chi, Vietnam, this giant labyrinth of tunnels played an important role during the French Indochina War and the Vietnam War. The size of these tunnels range from 75 miles to over 150 miles. The Cu Chi tunnels have been a popular tourist destination in recent years, enabling visitors to travel through the cramped spaces, check out deadly booby traps and even travel to an underground command center from where the Tet offensive was planned. Tunnel size varies from a few feet tall to larger ones refashioned for accommodating larger tourists.

Tokyo Bay Aqua-line

Tokyo Bay Aqua-line: This tunnel is located in Kawasaki city, Japan. The tunnel is 6 miles long with a 3 miles long bridge dipping into it. Traffic was permitted to commute in 1997, enabling travelers between Kawasaki city and Kisarazu City to save roughly 45 minutes each day. The unique thing about this bridge-and-tunnel combination is that a large rest area lies on top of an artificial tunnel constructed at the entrance of this tunnel. The island is called Umi-Hotaru, meaning “firefly of the sea”, and serves primarily as a rest area consisting of shops and restaurants, along with an observation deck that looks out on to the bay.

Soldiers are one of the most wanted and paid profession in the world but women hasn’t been soldiers until now. So here is some of women soldiers from around the world. You will find that some of them are really hot

Algeria

Australia

Austria

Bahrain

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Chile

China

Colombia

Czech Republic

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Holland

India

Indonesia

Iran

Israel

Italy

Japan

Kenya

Serbia

Mexico

Nepal

New Zealand

Norway

Pakistan

Peru

Poland

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Serbia

South Korea

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Turkey

Ukraine

USA

Vietnam

69-year-old Ruth Flowers is a living example that age shouldn’t get in the way of things you’re passionate about. Ruth does extraordinary things, for her age.

Known as “Mammy Rock“, around the European club scene, Ruth Flowers is probably the oldest professional DJ in the world. The British granny wears bling-bling headphones, trendy clothes and sports an electrifying hear-do as she works the turntables in popular clubs, in France.

Mammy Rock’s career began when she was 65. Her grandson was celebrating his birthday in a London nightclub, and asked Ruth to join him and his friends. There were a few problems with the bouncers, who didn’t feel right letting a senior citizen inside such an establishment, but as soon as she stepped in, Mammy Rock was bewitched by the lively atmosphere that made her feel so much younger.

She talked to her grandson about becoming a DJ herself, and although he thought she was mad, he agreed to introduce her to a young music producer. After learning the basics of electro music, Mammy Rock developed her very own style, and one of today’s most in-demand DJs.

Ruth had had a pretty interesting youth, going to balls all the time, but with the coming of old age, she became bored out of her mind. She says she’d much rather “sign a contract with a record company than to sign up for the nursing home.”

Ruth Flowers Mamy Rock:

Bryan Berg has launched an attempt to break his own Guinness World Record for the largest house of freestanding playing cards at The Venetian Macao, the world’s largest resort-hotel. The attempt to build a replica of The Venetian Macao, The Plaza Macao, and Sands Macao buildings will use more than 190,000 cards and will take 44 days to complete.

Bryan Berg broke the Guinness World Record for the World’s Tallest House of Freestanding Playing Cards in 1992 at the age of seventeen, with a tower fourteen feet, six inches tall. He has been commissioned to break his own record more than ten times. His latest structure in the category is over twenty-five feet tall. In 2004, Guinness created a new record category for the World’s Largest House of Cards to further recognize Berg’s work. He continues to hold both records, which require that the builder use no tape, glue, or tricks in his constructions. Touring regularly, Berg has stacked cards in virtually every major US and Canadian city, Europe, and Asia.

Berg has appeared on CNN, 20/20, MTV, VH1, Showtime, The Discovery Channel, ESPN, Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, Good Morning America, The Today Show, Live! with Regis & Kelly, Ellen Degeneres, Martha Stewart, Guinness Prime Time, CBS This Morning, and various international television. His work has been featured in nearly every major US newspaper and publication, including: The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Orange County Register, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, USA Today, Fast Company, the Huffington Post, FHM, Maxim, Men’s Health, Wired, Reader’s Digest, The National Enquirer, ESPN Magazine, National Geographic Kids, and Time Magazine for Kids. He has also been featured in publications across Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America.

Berg’s clientele includes a host of brands worldwide, among them: Lexus, Walt Disney World, Intercontinental Hotels, Fuji Television, Baseball Hall of Fame, Procter and Gamble, Fed Ex, National Hockey League, and the San Francisco Opera. Projects have also been produced in conjunction with various corporate entities, including: Warner Brothers (Batman: The Dark Knight), Coca-Cola, Pepsi, American Airlines, Major League Baseball, Star Wars, World Series of Poker, and Langham Place Hong Kong in celebration of the Beijing Olympics.

Berg was first inspired by his card-player grandfather to begin stacking cards, and is entirely self-taught in all of the techniques he uses today. Berg holds a Professional Degree in Architecture from Iowa State University, where he also served as faculty. He earned his Masters Degree in Design Studies from Harvard University.

Wondering how does he work? Watch this…

Jury announced the winners of 53rd “World Press Photo” – the prestigious international competition for the best journalist photo in 2010. The best 22 photos are:

Kitra Kahana (fabric for Colors), “Rainbowland”

Charles Oman (Newsweek), “The day of inauguration”

Laura Panak (The Guardian Weekend), “Graham, anorexic teenager”

Stefano De Luigi (Le Monde Magazine), “giraffe killed by drought”

Adam Ferguson (The New York Times), “suicide bombing in Kabul”

Elizabeth Krojc, “Return of Lance Armstrong”

David Gutenfelder (Associated Press), “Fight with the Talibans”

Eugene Richards (The Sunday Times Magazine / Paris Match), “War is a personal thing”

Joan Bardeleti, “Weekly picnic in Mozambique”

Gihan Tubeh, Adrian, “thirteen years old autistic boy “

Malick Sidibe (The New York Times Magazine), “Fashion Portfolio: Prints and the Revolution”

Walter Astrada (Agence France-Presse), “Bloodbath in Madagascar”

Garrett Copley (Press Association), “Jonathan Trot”

Mark Vernaski (Pulitzer Center), “Guinea-Bissau”

Joe Petersburger (National Geographic Hungary), “Kingfisher”

Robert Gotije (Los Angeles Times Magazine), “Yankees Fans trying to dilute player Angels”

Donald Barry Junior, “World Championships for the men of steel”

Pietro Masturzo, “Protest from the Tehran roof”

Kent Klich, “Gaza, photo album”

Mohammed Salem (Reuters), “Israels attack  on Gaza”

Annie van Gemert, “Boys and Girls”

Paul Niklen (National Geographic Canada), “Antarctica”

Based on recent estimates there are approximately 30-50 million species on Earth. Among those species were the common birds, dogs, cats and fishes but did you know that there are strange and weird species which you probably haven’t heard of? Here listed below is a compilation of the strangest and weirdest animal species on Earth.

Solenodon

Solenodons are venomous, nocturnal, burrowing, insectivorous mammals belonging to the family Solenodontidae. Only one genus, Solenodon, is known, although a few other genera were erected at one time and are now regarded as junior synonyms. The Solenodontidae family is interesting to phylogenetics researchers due to its retention of primitive mammal characteristics; their species resemble very closely those that lived near the end of the age of the dinosaurs.

African Civet

The African Civet is a common viverrid native to tropical Africa. Unlike many other members of the family, which resemble cats, the African Civet resembles a short dog-like animal. Like all civets it has perianal glands that produce a fluid known as civetone (used in the perfume industry), which it spreads on markers in its territory to claim its range.

São Tomé Shrew

The São Tomé Shrew (Crocidura thomensis) is a white-toothed shrew found only on São Tomé Island, São Tomé and Príncipe. It is listed as a critically endangered species due to habitat loss and a restricted range.

Long-beaked echidna

The long-beaked echidnas make up one of the two genera (genus Zaglossus) of echidnas, spiny monotremes that lives in New Guinea. There are three living species and two extinct species in this genus. Echidnas are one of the two types of mammals that lay eggs.

Sea pig

Sea pigs are also known as scotoplanes, a genus of deep-sea holothurians (sea cucumbers). This sea creature is like a cross between a pig and a slug. I still think it’s cute, despite the fact that it looks like it has human fingers growing out of its mouth.

Pangolin

A pangolin, also scaly anteater or tenggiling, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with this adaptation. They are found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The name “pangolin” derives from the Malay word pengguling (“something that rolls up”). Pangolins are nocturnal animals, and use their well-developed sense of smell to find insects. The long-tailed pangolin is also active by day. Pangolins spend most of the daytime sleeping, curled up into a ball.

Vampire squid

The Vampire Squid is a small, deep-sea cephalopod found throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. With their long velar filaments deployed, Vampire Squid have been observed drifting along in the deep, black ocean currents. If the filaments contact an entity, or if vibrations impinge upon them, the animals investigate with rapid acrobatic movements. They are capable of swimming at speeds equivalent to two body lengths per second, with an acceleration time of five seconds. However, their weak muscles limit stamina considerably.

Aardvark

The Aardvark is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. The aardvark is nocturnal and is a solitary creature that feeds almost exclusively on ants and termites; the only fruit eaten by aardvarks is the aardvark cucumber. Aardvarks can live to be over 24 years old in captivity.

Chinese giant salamander

The Chinese giant salamander is the largest salamander in the world, reaching a length of 180 cm (6 ft), although it rarely – if ever – reaches that size today. Endemic to rocky mountain streams and lakes in China, it is considered critically endangered due to habitat loss, pollution, and over-collecting, as it is considered a delicacy and used in traditional Chinese medicine. Records from Taiwan may be the results of introductions. It has been listed as one of the top-10 “focal species” in 2008 by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) project.

Sumatran rhino

The Sumatran Rhino is a mostly solitary animal except for courtship and child-rearing. It is the most vocal rhino species and also communicates through marking soil with its feet, twisting saplings into patterns, and leaving excrement. The rhino spends a large part of its day in wallows. When mud holes are unavailable, the rhino will deepen puddles with its feet and horns. The wallowing behavior helps the rhino maintain its body temperature and protect its skin from ectoparasites and other insects.

Greater Galago

The greater galagos or thick-tailed bushbabies are the common name for three species of strepsirrhine primates. They are classified in the genus Otolemur in the family Galagidae.

Amazon River Dolphin aka Boto

The Amazon River Dolphin, alternately Bufeo, Bufeo Colorado, Boto, Boto Cor de Rosa, Boutu, Nay, Tonina, or Pink River Dolphin, is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Orinoco, Amazon and Araguaia/Tocantins River systems of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. Because they are unfused, the neck vertebrae of the Amazon River Dolphin are able to turn 180 degrees. The pink dolphin has been listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of the Nature due to pollution, over fishing, excessive boat trafficking and habitat loss. The brain of the river dolphin is 40% larger than a human brain.

Mola mola aka Ocean Sunfish

The ocean sunfish, Mola mola, or common mola, is the heaviest known bony fish in the world. It has an average adult weight of 1,000 kg. Sunfish live on a diet that consists mainly of jellyfish, but because this diet is nutritionally poor, they consume large amounts in order to develop and maintain their great bulk. Females of the species can produce more eggs than any other known vertebrate. Sunfish fry resemble miniature pufferfish, with large pectoral fins, a tail fin and body spines uncharacteristic of adult sunfish.

Tasmanian Devil

The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial now found in the wild only in the Australian island state of Tasmania. Because they were seen as a threat to livestock in Tasmania, devils were hunted until 1941, when they became officially protected. Since the late 1990s, devil facial tumour disease has reduced the devil population significantly and now threatens the survival of the species, which in May 2009 was declared to be endangered.

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