10 Rarest Animals You Might Not Have Seen Earlier

6. The Black Penguin

This penguin looks like he forgot to put his apron on in the morning, but he is actually the result of a very rare genetic quirk. In fact, it is so rare that only one black penguin has ever been spotted. Since this one was photographed by National Geographic, they have appealed for more sightings of all-black penguins and asked the public to post their own evidence of this extremely rare variant of an iconic species.

7. The Strawberry Leopard

A leopard never changes its spots, as the old saying goes, but this one looks like he has. There are only two known ‘strawberry’ leopards in existence, and they display stunning ginger spots rather than the black coloring standard in their species. It is believed that they get their unusual spots from a rare condition which stems from an overproduction of red pigment, but it makes them look particularly special.

8. The Pink Katydid

Crickets and stick insects are known for their ability to blend into their green surroundings, but this one may find camouflage rather difficult, unless he happens to be in a raspberry field! The ultra-rare, pink katydid gets its color from the same disorder that has given us strawberry leopards, and although it makes them look spectacular, it isn’t particularly practical given that it makes them very visible fodder for passing predators!

9. The Blue Lobster

Blue Lobsters are the result of a genetic mutation that infuses them with a large amount of a particular protein, giving their exoskeletons a bizarre blue color rather than the familiar red. It is not as rare as some of the other mutations discussed in this list, with over 2 million blue lobsters estimated to be in existence. Their color often saves them from the human cooking pot so it’s a little more useful than the pink is to the katydid!

10. The Golden Zebra

This zebra is one of very few examples in existence in the world and has light, gold stripes rather than black. Aptly, named the ‘golden zebra’, she is not an albino, but has a similar pigmentation mutation caused by a condition called amelanism. She looks like she has stepped out of a fantasy world and you have to wonder whether she realizes just how special she really is!