23 Gorgeous Animals With Unique Features

1 | This albino zebra

These rare "blond" zebras, as they're called, have partial albinism that lightens everything from their manes to their stripes.

2 | This pretty polka-dotted foal

As National Geographic noted when this foal was captured on camera in September 2019, this unique polka-dot pattern is likely the result of pseudomelanism, a type of pigmentation abnormality.

3 | This cat with two different-colored eyes

Heterochromia, which is the scientific name for this phenomenon, is caused by either a lack of or an excess of melanin, according to Mountain View Veterinary Services.

4 | These blue-footed boobies

Male blue-footed boobies are quite proud of their brightly colored trotters: As evident in the above photograph, they will showcase their feet during mating rituals—and the bluer the feet, the more appealing the male.

5 | This frog that looks like it's covered in moss

No, that's not a mossy rock you're looking at. That's the Vietnamese mossy frog, whose green body covered in black spots gives it a rugged appearance. According to the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, this amphibian blends in perfectly when sitting still.

6 | This grasshopper that looks like a leaf

There are several animals that use leaf mimicry in order to survive out in the wild. One such creature is the dead-leaf grasshopper, which Britannica notes is native to Malaysia.

7 | This ladybug with stripes

This striped ladybug, known in the scientific community as Paranaemia vittigera, is native to the western United States, according to the University of California's Agriculture and Natural Resources.

8 | This goat with four horns

According to Backyard Farming: Raising Goats For Dairy and Meat, goats can have as many as eight horns, though this genetic mutation is extremely rare.

9 | This red-spotted coral crab

How stunning is this spotted crab? If you ever go scuba diving in Hawaii, you might just come across one in person!

10 | This white peacock

Though peacocks are known for their striking colors, there is such a thing as a white peacock. No, these birds aren't albino; they have leucism, which causes a partial loss of pigmentation.

11 | This snake with two heads

To someone with ophidiophobia, the only thing scarier than a snake with one head is a snake with two heads. But yes, they do exist. Sadly, a statement from The Wildlife Center of Virginia notes that "they just don't live that long." In the meantime, twice the heads, twice the fun.

12 | This dog with a heart-shaped birthmark

This cute dog is made even cuter by the heart-shaped birthmark situated on their belly. What a darling difference!

13 | This horse with a mustache

Whenever you're feeling down, just remember that some horses—most notably, Gypsy Vanner horses—can grow mustaches.

14 | And this monkey with a mustache

Horses aren't the only animals with funny facial hair. As Macalester College notes, the emperor tamarin monkey has such prominent facial hair that it was named after German Emperor Wilhelm II, a man who was known for his pronounced mustache.

15 | This beautiful bird with pink wings

Most commonly found in Texas, Florida, and southwest Louisiana, roseate spoonbills are easy to spot thanks to their pretty pink wings.

16 | This lemur with six fingers

When you talk about animals with unique features, you can't forget about the aye-aye. "Due to its bizarre appearance and unusual feeding habits, the aye-aye is considered by many to be the strangest primate in the world," notes the Duke Lemur Center.

So what makes this lemur so strangely unique? Well, not only do they have incisors that never stop growing, but research published in October 2019 in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology notes that they also have a sixth "finger" on the palm of each hand, a tiny "pseudothumb" that can move in three different directions.

17 | And this little lemur that's smaller than all its other relatives

Shrink any animal down and it immediately becomes cuter. The lemur is no exception: This greater dwarf lemur, just one of several dwarf lemur species, tends to be anywhere from only 167 to 264 millimeters in length, making it all the more cute and cuddly-looking.

18 | This mole with a bizarrely unique nose

Is it just a coincidence that the star-nosed mole looks eerily like the demogorgons on Stranger Things? That's up to you to decide.

19 | This "hairy" fish

Why would a fish ever need hair? Well, in the case of the hairy frogfish, that "hair" is actually spines that are used to camouflage into coral and seaweed.

20 | This sea creature with a striking blue hue

The bright hue of the blue glaucus' underbelly isn't just for aesthetic purposes. According to Oceana, it "acts as camouflage against the backdrop of ocean waves while the animal's grayish backside blends with the bright sea surface, concealing it from predators below."

21 | This moth with poodle-like qualities

This insect is aptly called the poodle moth, thanks to its furry appearance that resembles, well, a poodle's.

22 | This fish that looks like it's wearing lipstick

The red-lipped batfish saves a pretty penny on makeup, seeing as its lips are naturally tinted bright red.

23 | This bizarre bird with a beak that looks like a shoe

This shoebill's big bill allows it to hunt prey like lizards, snakes, and even baby crocodiles, according to the National Audubon Society. Yikes!