Throughout the world there exists a wide range of increasingly rare animals that are found in exceptionally small numbers. These animals may possess specific traits and features that set them apart from the majority of animal species. For example, the platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal that has several inexplicable bird-like features including a beak, and a fin-like tail. Other weird animals include the koala, which is a marsupial that carries its offspring in a small pouch-like cavity, or the box jellyfish; a rare subspecies of jellyfish that can kill an adult human in under 5 minutes after stinging.
As a general rule, strange animals tend to be found within niche habitats where a very specific ecosystem has been established. This ecosystem will tend to adhere to a rigid functionality and outside influences can easily destroy the co-dependent living organism of which it is comprised. Within special niche environments, early life forms adapted to their surroundings in a way that equipped them for survival within the niche only. If they were to be placed in environments drastically different from their original habitat, the survival of the species would likely be compromised within a very short amount of time.
For this reason, it is important to keep certain environments protected and untouched by human influence. This will help to ensure that different rare and unique animal species will survive without seeing their population numbers significantly drop. The global environment also plays an important role in the protection of many different exotic animal species. With climate change and global warming increasing, it is likely that certain habitats which were ideal for a particular species will become non-existent. For example, penguins have adapted to live in very cold waters. If the Antarctic regions were to melt due to global warming, their numbers could be expected to fall dramatically.
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