In pictures: Nature's ugly, weird and wonderful animals from around the world (19pics)

 The guineafowl puffer, from the Pacific Ocean. When fully expanded, it can reach 50 cm in length

 The long eared jerboa is a nocturnal mouse-like rodent found in the deserts of China and Mongolia. The species is thought to be at risk from human disturbance of its habitat.

 The Hispaniolan solenodon is a strange looking shrew-like creature with a long snout that has specialised teeth capable of delivering venom.

 The most distinctive trait of the proboscis monkey is the male's large protruding nose. It has been suggested that the female proboscis monkey prefers big-nosed males.

Red uakari monkeys live in the treetops of the Amazon rainforest, eating fruit, seeds, nectar and the occasional caterpillar. The monkeys only come down from the upper levels during the dry season, when food is scarce.

 The Mexican axolotl is a unique type of salamander that usually spends its entire life in its larval form. Axolotls can regrow entire limbs and regenerate parts of major organs.

 Naked mole rats live an average of 32 years, spent entirely underground

 In the darkness of its burrow the star-nosed mole can detect, identify and gobble down a quick snack like an insect larva or worm in just 230 milliseconds.

 Hairy frogfish walk along the seabed hunting for food. This rare creature can be found in Indonesia.

 Mandrills use twigs as tools to give themselves a basic 'pedicure', and have also been seen cleaning their ears with crude tools in the wild to help prevent infection.

 The frill-necked lizard, so called because of the large ruff of skin around its neck, runs on its hind-legs when frightened. This behaviour has earnt it the name 'bicycle lizard' in Australia.

 A viperfish is a deepwater fish with long, needle-like teeth and hinged lower jaws. It is one of the fiercest predators in the very deep part of the sea and is believed to attack its prey by luring its victim with a light producing organ.

 Sphynx cats are hairless, and warm to the touch

 The white turtle, whose creamy colour is offset by a few hints of pink, features prominently in Chinese culture - a character in Journey to the West is turned into one for his wrongdoings

 The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) inhabits the deep waters off the coasts of the Australian mainland and Tasmania.

 A Hickory Horned Devil caterpillar, the larva of the Royal Walnut Moth, also known as the Regal Moth

 Shoebills can be found only on marshy warm papyrus swamp areas in Uganda along Lake Victoria and the plains of Rwanda

 Leafy seadragons are covered with leaf-like appendages, making them remarkably camouflaged. Found in Australia, they inhabit calm, cold water and have been protected by the government since 1982.

 The cane toad has poison glands, and the tadpoles are highly toxic to most animals if ingested