All the animals in this story are real. You can learn more about them here.

AYE-AYE: is a type of lemur. It’s nocturnal, which means it likes to come out at night.

BLOBFISH: lives at depths of between 2,000 to 4,000 metres. Its body is jelly-like so it can survive so far underwater without being crushed. It looks very different at the surface than it would do at the bottom of the sea, because down there the weight of the water squashes it into a more fishlike shape. It was recently voted the world’s ugliest animal.

DUGONG: is called a “sea cow” as it feeds mainly on seagrass. It has been hunted by humans for centuries, and now faces extinction.

ECHIDNA: eats ants and termites, and is one of only two mammals that lay eggs.

ELEPHANT SEAL: is a large earless seal that lives in the ocean. It can hold its breath for a hundred minutes!

HAMADRYAS BABOON: was a sacred animal to the ancient Egyptians. It’s sometimes called the “sacred baboon”. You can tell a male from a female as only males have a fur cape.

HOODED SEAL: feeds in very deep waters, sometimes between 100 and 600 metres down, and spends most of its time in the sea. The male has an inflatable hood that it uses for communication and showing off.

KOMODO DRAGON: is actually a very big lizard. It eats mainly meat – like deer – and has been known to attack humans.

MARABOU STORK: has one of the largest wingspans of any bird – nearly three metres. It eats fish, frogs and even crocodile eggs.

PANGOLIN: has large protective scales all over its skin. It lives in hollow trees or burrows under the ground. It only comes out at night, and eats mostly ants and termites.

PROBOSCIS MONKEY: communicates using honks. There is a special honk to reassure baby proboscis monkeys. “Proboscis” is a scientific word for nose.

PURPLE PIG-NOSED FROG: can be found in India. It’s much rounder than other frogs. It spends most of its life underground, but comes up at monsoon (rainstorm) time for mating.

SLOTH: is so slow that it likes to stay up trees where it is safer. It is one of the sleepiest animals in the world, napping for between fifteen to twenty hours a day.

SNAPPING TURTLE: is so called for its beak-like jaws. It tends to hide quietly when in the water, but often snaps when out of it.

SPOTTED HANDFISH: is a very rare type of fish found in the seas around Tasmania. It prefers to walk on the seabed rather than swim.

STAR-NOSED MOLE: uses those twenty-two appendages as an eye to find its way around. You might see one in North America.

TAPIR: lives in jungles and forests. It likes to cool off in water, and can happily walk along a riverbed underwater.

UMBRELLABIRD: is found in the rainforests of Central and South America. The wattle on its neck makes its booming calls louder.

WARTHOG: is a type of pig that you would find in Africa. It eats mainly plants and bugs.