CHECK OUT MORE SILLY ANIMALS!
natgeokids.com/june-julyKIT KORZUN / SHUTTERSTOCK (GORILLA); MIKAEL DAMKIER / DREAMSTIME (PARROT); BIGANDT.COM / SHUTTER-
STOCK (DOG); JOEL SARTORE / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK / NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC IMAGE COLLECTION
(JERBOA); OLD DOG PHOTOGRAPHY / GETTY IMAGES (GERENUK); NATALIA SIDOROVA / SHUTTERSTOCK (CICHLID);
© IFREMER / A. FIFIS / COURTESY M. SEGONZAC MNHN (YETI CRAB); VINNIE LAURITSEN / SHUTTERSTOCK (FENNEC FOX) JUNE / JULY 2019^ • NAT GEO KIDS^15
FUNNY-
LOOKING
CREATURE
FEATURES
Some animals clown around
while others, well, look like clowns!
But often those goofy-looking
features play important roles in
a critter’s survival.
A member of
the antelope
family, gerenuks
(JER-uh-nooks)
have wackily long
necks. Why so
stretchy? All
that height helps
them reach the
tall plants they
snack on.
Looking like a crustacean
version of the Abominable
Snowman, the yeti crab lives
near hydrothermal vents, or
areas where hot water gushes
up from the ocean floor. The
crabs wave their hairy arms
near the vents to capture
bacteria to chow on later.
With its tiny body and long hind
legs and tail, the jerboa looks
more like a Pokémon than a
rodent. And when predators come
around, its long legs and feet let it
bounce away, animé-style. Its tail
helps it balance as it springs
through its desert home.
Measuring up to half
the size of its body,
a fennec fox’s huge ears
are sensitive enough
to hear tasty rodents
and reptiles moving
underground.
Pucker up! The blue dolphin cichlid looks ready for a
lipstick commercial, but the females actually use their puffy
mouths to hold their eggs until they’re ready to hatch.
JERBOA
GERENUK
BLUE DOLPHIN CICHLID
YETI CRAB FENNEC FOX