7. Aye-Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
This strange nocturnal lemur is native only to Madagascar. It has incredibly long, creepy fingers that are used for picking worms out of the ground. It has weirdly large ears and teeth that grow continuously like a beaver. It’s creepy and smelly and does not like humans. On the “cool-pet meter” this gets a 3/10. It could be great, but it’s just so ugly that it can’t possibly be perceived as cute.
6. Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum)
This is a chill, cute, and friendly enough lizard that’s not so different from the common pet, the bearded dragon. They just like to eat ants, hang out in the desert, and root for TCU. However, they have one incredibly strange ability. Should they feel threatened, horned lizards will shoot an aimed stream of blood that is mixed with foul-tasting chemicals at the aggressor. Despite this very weird thing, as long as one is gentle with it, they would make great pets. Easy 9/10 on the “cool-pet” meter.
5. Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex)
This bird is basically the closest thing to a modern dinosaur. They can grow to be larger than humans, they eat monkeys whole, and they make all sorts of noises from moos to machine gun fire. Where pelicans are funny, these things are horrifying. Just looking them in the eye makes one feel personally threatened. This is basically the “terror bird” that never went extinct. 2/10 on the scale. People that have this as a pet should probably be investigated.
4. Blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus)
These squishy little creatures inhabit deep-sea waters around Australia. They are so incredibly lazy and stupid that they don’t swim, and they don’t hunt. Instead their gelatinous flesh allows them to kind of just float around and eat things that float in front of them. They just wait for anything to come to them, and then they eat it. They would be a great pet as far as fish go. It would be so cool to have this globby little thing just floating around in a box and putting food in front of it every once in a while. Plus, one could throw it at people as a funny joke. 7/10 on the scale.
3. Wobbegong (Orectolobus maculatus)
This is the weirdest shark out there. They are bottom-feeders that have strange little tentacles sprouting from their face. Incredibly flexible, they can squeeze into tight spaces despite their size, and they are incredibly good at camouflaging with their environment. Australians compare them to carpets and actually use their skin for leather occasionally. They’re silly and will probably bite their owners, but they still get a solid 5/10 for pet viability.
2. Echidna (Tachyglossidae aculeatus)
Imagine mixing an anteater, hedgehog, and a mole. Then make it super tiny and give it the ability to lay eggs despite being a mammal. They have sensors that can detect grubs which they prey on, and are often found digging holes for no reason. They are found in the Australian region like most strange creatures, particularly in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. They also live forever. They’re pretty cute and a little spiky, so they’re going to receive an 8/10 on the “cool-pet” meter.
1. Atretochoana eiselti
This is a snake that behaves more like a giant worm and has a very suspicious head which lands it very bad nicknames (one of which includes “man-aconda”). It has a dorsal fin, no lungs, and a flat skull. It is incredibly rare and has barely been studied. How it breathes is unknown, whether or not it is land based or aquatic is unknown, and this is due to only 2 specimens of the animal being recovered. This thing is essentially a mystery to scientists and just entertaining to everybody else. If you somehow managed to obtain one as a pet, it would get a 10/10 on the “cool-pet” meter because it’s funny looking, probably doesn’t have teeth to bite with, and might prey on bugs rather than rodents.
