You don’t need me to tell you that the animal kingdom is full of weird and wonderful creatures. I’ve come across a few in my time, like the shaggy paunch of a wild orang-utan, or the stubborn snarl of Mongolian yak.

But what you are about to be introduced to, is a collection of animals so weird and wonderful, that they attract travellers from around the world to point and stare, and shoot videos to upload to YouTube.

Damn you goat… | Image by austinevan

These beasts put two trotters up to the norm, and make a break for stardom. If a dancing dog can win Britain’s Got Talent, this lot could go global…

Goats in Trees

“Dang you goat, get down from my tree!” might say a Moroccan farmer. Especially if that farmer is based in southern Morocco. Especially if that farm has a lot of thorny Argan trees. Because those trees bear the fruit that tempts the goats that tempts the farmer to maybe say “Dang you goat, get down from my tree!”.

Swimming pigs in the Bahamas

The Exuma Cays island chain in the Bahamas are more famous for celebrity spotting and picture perfect settings, but look a little closer and you’ll spot the real stars of the show — swimming pigs! You can join in the piggy paddle off the appropriately named Pig Beach in the south of Big Major Cay island.

Pisco the Surfing Alpaca

Alpaca lives by the ocean in Peru, therefore alpaca must learn to surf. So believes Domingo Pianezzi, who successfully taught Pisco the alpaca to catch waves off the shores near the Peruvian capital, Lima.

Twiggy the Water-Skiing Squirrel

Nothing looks cooler than a water-skiing squirrel. Apparently. Twiggy the 6th wows spectators around the USA, as her rehearsed performances send the crowd nuts. If that’s not cool enough, you wait until she slips on her little Santa number.

Dinky the Singing Dingo

Nothing says Outback Australia like a singing dingo, and Dinky ticks both boxes. You’ll find him at the Stuarts Well Roadhouse, along the Stuart Highway towards Alice Springs, where he performs one of the world’s most unique piano performances for stray travellers. Owwoooooo to that, Dinky.

Fainting Goats in the USA

This is no goat. Unlike their Moroccan brethren, these Florida-based goats succumb to giddiness in the only way they know how, by fainting. Officially diagnosed with a condition known as miatonia, these little fellas and fellaress’s roll over at the slightest thing. BOO! There goes another one.