When we visited our friends Lennart and Beata at the weekend, Lennart started talking about that bird he had been trying unsuccessfully to spot for so many years. Then we walked past a canal where a beaver had taken up residence. We could see the trees that he had split in half, but of course we couldn't see the beaver. I was inspired to write about 10 animals on my bucket list - animals I hope to see before I die!
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ShareHere are ten animals that I have never seen, but hope to see at some point. All the images in this post are from Pixabay.com, and the facts about the animals are from the Swedish Wikipedia. Have you seen any of these animals? Which animals do you dream of seeing?
Table of contents
1. capybara
In middle school I wrote a special project on the capybara, or water pig as it is also known, and ever since then I have wanted to see this animal! The capybara lives in South America and is the largest rodent in the world. The animals are about 130 cm long and weigh over 60 kg. They eat mostly grass, but also corn and watermelon. Their closest relative is the guinea pig.
2. Mockingbird
This is the pippin that Lennart has been looking for with his binoculars for years! We are used to calling it by its Polish name "dudek", but in Swedish it is called härfågel. This beautiful bird is found in various places in Europe, Asia and North Africa. Poland is one of the places where you can see it. After hearing about it for so long, it's clear that we want to see it too...!
3. Rhinoceros monkey
I have seen these lorises in pictures several times, but I feel like I need to see them in person to understand that they really exist! These filurs live in Borneo, in groups of 10-30 individuals, either in a harem with one male and several females or several males in a group. An unusual feature of monkeys is that they like to swim and have been spotted several kilometres out at sea. Unfortunately, the species is endangered.
4. Tasmanian devil
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial found only in Tasmania. It is the size of a small dog, muscular, has a loud screeching sound and one of the most powerful bites for its size. It is also aggressive and emits a strong odour when stressed. Not very sympathetic, perhaps, but it does make you a little curious!
5. taggagam
The tagger is a type of reptile that lives in steppe and desert areas of Australia. This spiny animal, which is completely harmless to humans, can grow to 20 cm long and can live for 20 years. The shape of its body is such that any water that lands anywhere automatically flows to its mouth. Not a bad idea when you live in the Australian desert, I guess ...
6. beaver
In the summer of 2010, we made a trip to Norrland with the motorhome and then we participated in a full-day excursion with beaver tracking in Grövelsjön. We did a lot of canoeing and we learned interesting facts about "beaver gel", but we didn't see any beaver ... Now we also know that a beaver lives in Bromma/Sundbyberg, but I haven't seen any yet. It should be time soon, shouldn't it?
7. unicorn
Nature is quite imaginative, but if I could wish for more, I'd like to see a unicorn. According to some fairy tales, you can only see them if you are "good enough", so I don't know how easy it will be. To experience different fairy tale creatures, you will probably have to stick to books, films and games, such as winner casino, where fairy tale worlds of various kinds have become immensely popular in recent years.
8. Vombat
Vombats are herbivores that dig burrows in the soil in Australia. The animals weigh between 20 and 40 kilograms and the tunnels they dig can be 20 metres long - sometimes 3.5 metres underground. The adults have no natural enemies, but sometimes they are hit by cars. Like nothing else I've seen in the animal world!
9. cassowary
The cassowary is a ground-dwelling bird found in New Guinea, north-eastern Australia and some Indonesian islands. The bird has cobalt blue featherless skin on its head and a helmet-like crest made of horn-like material. It also has very thick legs with which it can be kicked if it feels threatened ...
10. tamarind
Tamarins are a genus of monkeys that live in South America. The different species within the genus look different, but many are characterised by the typical beard (or moustache!) on their face. Tamarins are omnivores that like to feast on a mixture of fruit, insects, birds' eggs and meat.
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Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
What a fun post. You are certainly not short of ideas! When I checked your list, I ticked off the capybara from Ecuador, this bird from South Africa and outside our hotel room in Portugal, the proboscis monkeys on Bornholm are probably the ugliest I've ever seen and of course the beaver, which we saw on a "beaver safari" in a canoe here between Falköping and Skara. The others are completely unknown creatures... On my list are bear and tiger. We will make another attempt to see a bear in a hide in Hälsingland and a trip to India to tiger parks is also on the wish list.
27 May 2017 - 7:15
Helena says:
Wow, impressed that you saw several of these animals! Then it's interesting when the computer programmes change words like "Borneo" to Bornhol, haha. Glad you saw beaver on your beaver safari! We did not do that then ... Bear and tiger sounds exciting! 🙂
27 May 2017 - 11:01
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
Yes, this damn spelling programme! And you don't learn to proofread in a hurry until it's sent off!?!! I'll have to get better at it, maybe...
27 May 2017 - 13:02
Alexandra says:
It certainly sounds like you have to go to Australia anyway, many animals from there you want to see? Do you have to see the animals in the wild or is it enough at the zoo haha? Some of these animals I would really NOT want to see in the wild. Like the Cassowary bird, the most dangerous bird in the world... it's enough to have seen in a pen!
27 May 2017 - 8:56
Helena says:
Yes, Australia is full of exciting animals! 🙂 Well, I was thinking about wild or captive ... I probably don't have a very clear "rule". In the first place, I want to see the animals in the wild, of course, but when it comes to dangerous animals, I can settle for seeing them behind a fence (or at some kind of safe distance) 😉.
27 May 2017 - 11:03
Ama de casa says:
Haha! I haven't seen the unicorn, and I don't have much hope for it either. Neither has the jaguar, but there is more hope there.
I have only seen the marsupial, the proboscis monkey and the tamarind in captivity, and I don't really like it.
I have given a couple of beavers a ride in a box from Näsåker to Lycksele. They were gnawing their way out most of the way... A funny memory from that trip was when I was helped to refuel the pickup by staff at a petrol station in Åsele with gasoline. Haha! Had no money, but a jeep canister with soup. However, there was no hose to get the petrol down from the canister to the tank itself... 🙂 🙂.
The other animals I have seen in their real environment.
A dream is to see a bear in the wild. But in a safe way - like from the car. Have hunted bears both here and there, and only managed to almost see a bear twice 🙂.
A tip for Lennart is to come here to Torrevieja - here you see the heron quite often. We have even seen it from our terrace here in town. Mostly, however, I have seen it when we are travelling to/from the airport. It flies in a very characteristic way.
https://amacasa.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/har-ni-sett-har/
😀
27 May 2017 - 9:37
Helena says:
Wow you've seen the pippin...!!!! AND a lot of other animals! Now I am cruelly impressed!!! Will greet Lennart 😉
27 May 2017 - 11:11
JoY says:
If seeing the animals at Eskilstuna Zoo counts, I have seen Kapubara and Tamarin there. I have seen the Nose Monkey but where???
We had this bird in the garden in Kashmir.
I have seen beavers several times, in Dalarna next to the house I lived in and at home.
Hugs and happy holidays
27 May 2017 - 11:13
Helena says:
Wow, you've seen a whole bunch of these animals!!! You might think that you could see beavers in the wild at some point, but I haven't managed to do so yet ... 😉.
28 May 2017 - 8:44
Snows says:
I have seen tamarins in Brazil and beavers in Sweden but animals should be seen in the wild where they belong. I thought it was cool to see vultures for the first time!
27 May 2017 - 11:22
Helena says:
Vulture seems cool! I agree that animals should preferably be seen in the wild.
28 May 2017 - 8:45
Anki says:
What a great list! On my list, bear is at the top of what I would like to see 🙂 Beaver I saw one early morning at a campsite in northern Värmland ... and once in Göta Kanal almost in the middle of Borensberg ... it was both surprising and cool. Both wolf and lynx I have seen, but would love to see again.
27 May 2017 - 13:01
Helena says:
Fantastic that you have seen so many of our wild Swedish animals! Bear would be fascinating (although I might not want to be too close ;)).
28 May 2017 - 8:46
Mr Steve says:
That's an interesting collection you have on your list. Some completely unknown to me. I have seen beavers in my youth in Norrland. These fantastic builders that you usually only see the "traces" of.
27 May 2017 - 13:45
Helena says:
Yes, I have also seen traces of beaver several times, most recently in the canal in Sundbyberg/Bromma. But the rodent itself stayed hidden ...
28 May 2017 - 8:47
Lena - good for the soul says:
Hahaha, my goodness what animals there are. Most people had never heard of them!
Hug Lena
27 May 2017 - 15:39
Helena says:
The world of animals is amazing and surprising ðŸ™'
28 May 2017 - 8:48
Deciree says:
Imagine how nice animals there are around the world 🙂 So cute 🙂 hugs!
27 May 2017 - 16:02
Helena says:
There are a lot of sweethearts 🙂
28 May 2017 - 8:48
Husis blog says:
What cool and cute animals there are around the world. Just loved the picture of the Heron.
27 May 2017 - 16:54
Helena says:
Doesn't it? Great that you can borrow free pictures on Pixabay. I have not seen these animals, and thus have not had the chance to take pictures ... 😉 .
28 May 2017 - 8:49
Ruth in Virginia says:
Beavers are right behind my house; they destroyed a
lots of young trees, unfortunately. Saw them too, when we were canoeing...
camping in Ontario; almost got stuck on a beaver dam.
I saw the Tasmanian Devil in - surprise, surprise - Tasmania;
not in nature, but you had to go into a semi-dark cave. Quite
eerie animal.
I saw a bear in Denali (Mt. McKinley) Park in Alaska. A cow moose came
rushing down a hill towards the car park with a large bear.
at full speed after her. Rush to bus and car, I should say! 🙂
27 May 2017 - 18:41
Helena says:
I have realised that beavers can cause some damage. Maybe not fun to have them too close to where you live, although I would like to see them ... Wow, the cow moose and the bear must have been a sight!!! How did it end?
28 May 2017 - 8:51
Veiken says:
Wow, there were many "unseen" animals. I have only seen beavers in Jonsered just outside Gothenburg.
27 May 2017 - 20:36
Helena says:
Glad you saw beaver! It's within reach, so I hope to see it someday as well 🙂 ).
28 May 2017 - 8:52
BP says:
Well, some of these animals are so ugly that they're almost charming - the proboscis monkey, for example, which I saw on Anita's blog from Malaysia.
The only two animals that I think are "nice" are the Taggagam and the Cassowary. The latter is at least colourful;-)
27 May 2017 - 20:57
Helena says:
Taggagamen is super nice I think! Kapybara and vombat probably qualify more as "ugly cute" 😉.
28 May 2017 - 8:54
åsa in åsele says:
Beaver is kind of almost "everyday food" 😉 however, not to eat but to see, although I have actually tasted smoked beaver ... it was not something I recommend 😉 Unfortunately difficult to photograph beaver as it is not really so sociable.
I have seen bears... here at home on the farm and in the forest, but from the car in the safe way Ama wants to see bears 🙂 .
27 May 2017 - 21:26
Helena says:
Understand that it is easier to see beaver in some places ... Even we have one in the neighbourhood now, so at least I have hope to see one! 😉 Smoked beaver was interesting, I haven't heard of that before 😉 Fascinating to have seen a bear!!!!
28 May 2017 - 8:56
4000mil says:
I have seen the capybara in Brazil. Like a labrador-sized rat without a tail! And I have met beavers in the Ångermnälven river.
My list includes bears, wolves, tigers and sloths.
And preferably anteaters once more and a little closer.
28 May 2017 - 9:34
Helena says:
I'd also like to see the singer!!! And anteaters, how cool! 🙂
28 May 2017 - 22:03
Maria's Memoirs says:
I've only seen capybara at the zoo, so maybe it doesn't really count... I think I've heard Tasmanian devil, but not seen with my own eyes. I've definitely seen cassowaries, and I'm pretty sure it was a vombat that I met for a split second in Tasmania, before it scared the hell out of me in the bushes...
I'm still hoping to see the taggagam here in Australia, as well as whale shark, quokka, red kangaroo (the largest species which is a muscle mountain), sea turtle etc. 🙂 Australia is a paradise if you love all kinds of animals!
28 May 2017 - 15:06
Helena says:
Wow how many exciting animals you have seen!!! But as you say, Australia is well an eldorado if you want to see special animals 🙂 Googled the quokkan, and now it ended up on my bucket list too 🙂
29 May 2017 - 6:58
Maria's Memoirs says:
And the dangerous thing about the cassowary is probably not really the strong legs, but the claws that they can tear out your intestines with, like... But yes, strong legs in combination with sharp claws can be quite deadly 😉.
28 May 2017 - 15:14
Helena says:
Ok! That doesn't sound too nice ... I'll watch out for the cassowary 😉.
29 May 2017 - 6:59
Only British says:
I have seen the Tasmanian devil at Copenhagen Zoo. Wombat and capybara are on my wish list too. Have you seen the wombat running up to the photographer for a hug?
Follow Rocky Ridge Animal Shelter on Facebook. She has an amazingly cool one who socialises with all kinds of animals she takes in.
28 May 2017 - 16:49
Helena says:
No, I have not seen that film. But now I googled films with vombats and got to see many sweet 🙂 Thanks for the tip about Rocky Ridge on FB!
29 May 2017 - 7:00
Only British says:
Cool kapybara it would say.
28 May 2017 - 16:50
Renate's travels says:
Lots of cool creatures on your list! I myself have seen cassowary (both in zoo in Australia and free in the wild there), as well as capybara in South America.
Now I really want to see bears in the wild here in the North, I think that would be very special. Otherwise, my list of animals I want to see is very long... but orangutans free in Borneo are very high on the list.
28 May 2017 - 18:39
Helena says:
Wow! Hope you stayed away from the cassowary then, I understand it can be dangerous ...!? Bear would of course be fascinating to see. Even there I would like to be at a little distance 😉.
29 May 2017 - 7:02