Nature's Rare Animals We Can't Forget

 Aye-aye spends most of the day curled up in a ball

The animal kingdom is a vast and diverse group of creatures, many of which we will never get a chance to see up close. Thankfully, we have plenty of photos of the world's strangest animals to show you what you've been missing. Whether you're curious about the strange fish that live in the depths of the open ocean, or the nocturnal creatures that live in the trees of Africa, we've got you covered.

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If you're worried about bumping into this ugly little creature, don't worry, you'll have to travel all the way to Madagascar to run away from this animal, which the locals believe brings bad luck. Of course this isn't really bad luck, it just seems ridiculous. Aye-ayes do their best to spend most of their lives among the trees of the rainforest and only come down at night.

They spend most of the day curled up in a ball, hunting insects crawling under the tree bark when they wake up. They use their long middle fingers to hunt larvae which make up the majority of their diet. These animals can live up to 20 years, which is a long time to live in a tree.

Most of the fish in the ocean are considered bony fish, but this big guy is the king of them all. This huge creature is the Mola alexandrini ocean sunfish, it was initially thought to be Mola mola, but recent research has helped to re-identify this animal. Sunfish are the largest bony fish known to man, and due to their size they have evolved into strange shapes – often resembling discs or wagon wheels.

While this giant fish holds the title of heaviest bony fish in the world, the largest recorded fish was actually M. alexandrini or southern sunfish, caught off Kamogawa, Japan in 1996. Looks like there are some pretty big boys in the Eastern Seaboard.

These beautiful deer are actually red deer or fallow deer that suffer from a condition called leucism which causes its hair and skin to lose their natural color. Although these animals are mostly considered mythological creatures appearing in everything from Hungarian mythology to Harry Potter, they can actually be seen all over the world, you just have to keep your eyes open.

There are not many animals suffering from leucism in the wild, as the lack of pigmentation in albino animals gives them no advantage with predators. Still, some of these animals manage to survive even without the ability to socialize with each other.

The endangered Mexican crocodile lizard is a beautiful small invertebrate that looks more like a swirling piece of turquoise than a member of the animal kingdom. They are slow-moving, although when they feel threatened they can run with the best of them. These lizards live primarily in high-altitude cloud forests in Central America, especially Mexico and Guatemala.

Mexican alligator lizards have a healthy diet of low-protein insects such as caterpillars, grasshoppers, and katydids, although during the summer they are preparing to breed, so they do not have every inch of protein. Local people believe that these lizards are poisonous, but fortunately for collectors this is not the case.

Someone take this guy to the hairdresser, stat. The Angora rabbit is one of the oldest species of domestic rabbit, and is bred for the long fibers of its coat known as Angora wool. No one knows exactly how they became pets, but it is believed that they were first brought to Europe by French sailors from Ankara, Turkey to mimic the shawls they saw on native women.

There are at least 15 breeds of Angora rabbits, with the English Angora being the most popular. Apparently this guy's hair has grown out of control, and most Angora rabbits require daily grooming to keep their hair from getting out of control.

These proud harpy eagles, whose scientific name is Harpia harpyza, can be found from southern Mexico to Central and South America and even northern Argentina, although their home is being threatened by deforestation. While they reach up to 3.5 feet in length, their hind paws are about 3-4 inches long, which is similar to the size of a grizzly bear.

Harpy eagles are very protective of their young, and they continue to bring fresh green twigs and branches to their nest after their offspring are born to keep them cool and safe from parasitic insects.

Now this is a handsome young fellow. Schmidt's guenon, also known as the red-tailed monkey, is one of the most secretive monkeys in existence. Even though they can live in large flocks, they really don't like to be seen and will often hide to eat their food to avoid detection.

Like a squirrel, the spotted guenon will fill its puffy cheeks with food to ensure they have something to eat for hours after a meal. Their striking colors can be seen in forests throughout Africa. They often use their bushy beards as a way to communicate with each other.

The hammer-headed bat is scientifically known as Hypsinathus monstrosus, also known as the big-lipped bat. This creature has a hairless cleft chin and a warty platform with wrinkled skin all over. These megabats live in equatorial Africa and have a wingspan of up to 38 inches, making them the largest bat in Africa.

You don't have to worry about this bat picking off your dog for food as they only eat fruit, with figs making up a large part of their diet. They also enjoy bananas, guavas, mangoes and other cultivated crops, so you may not want to grow these near your farm.