The animal kingdom certainly tops the list of strange and weird creatures that Mother Nature has to offer. All animal species are unique in their own way and have extraordinary abilities that are really rare and special or simply look weird and funny. Lots of bodily parts get attention, and looking at some animals’ noses will leave you wondering why they were made that way. Apart from breathing and smelling, some animals use their noses to fight for their territories, hunt for prey, eat, drink, and even attract the opposite sex. That being said, let’s take a look at some animals with weird-looking noses:

10. Mandrill

Mandrill

These are the largest monkeys and probably the most colourful. They have a stop-sign red nose with blue or white-coloured stripes around it. These colours are duplicated on the back with bright red genitals as well as light blue butts. This makes it easy for them to follow one another in the jungle, not to mention it’s a mating must-have as female mandrills prefer a flashy-looking guy.

9. Elephant Seal

Elephant Seal

Elephant seals can be found in oceans all around the world. They have unforgettable noses with males developing a larger nose when they start reaching sexual maturity. The big nose in adult males allows them to make deafening screams, as well as store water to prevent loss of body fluids during the mating period when they have to leave the beaches to find food and water.

8. Pig

Pig nose

Since pigs are domestic animals, their weird-looking noses are a common sight. They have a great sense of smell thanks to the large round disk of cartilage located at the tip of their snout. Pigs use their nose to find food, which includes worms, insects, rotten food waste, and much more.

7. Short-Nosed Unicornfish

Short-Nosed Unicornfish

This species of unicornfish has a pointed nose that looks like a horn protruding in front of its eyes, making them totally mesmerising. This hornlike nose, together with the two spines that protrude out of either side of their tails, can be used to deliver a nasty injury to a predator.

6. Elephant Shrew

Elephant Shrew

This animal is neither a shrew nor an elephant, but it’s related to both. The elephant shrew has a very long, active, and squirmy nose, which it uses to hunt for food on the ground –mainly spiders and beetles.

5. Aardvark

Aardvark

While it’s translated as the ‘earth pig’, Aardvark is related to the elephant and not the pig. This nocturnal animal has a long, pig-like snout, which it swings side to side to sniff out food. They feed almost exclusively on termites and ants.

4. Elephant

Elephant

When you think of weird-looking noses, elephants are the first animals that come to mind. They have a long trunk that’s both an upper lip and a nose, with two nostrils running through it, and doubles up as an additional hand. Elephants use their trunks for sniffing, breathing, greeting one another, tasting, picking up branches and other things, reaching far-away fruits, scratching their back, wiping their eyes, playing, and so much more. Elephants can also bathe themselves by sucking up water through their trunks and spraying it on themselves. Lastly, these animals have stupendous olfactory senses due to their ability to direct their trunks towards or away from sources of aromas. Needless to say, the elephant trunk is a nose that knows no bounds.

3. Snub-Nosed Monkey

Golden Snub Nose Monkey

These monkeys have snubbed noses with nostrils facing forward. Apart from breathing, we’re not sure if the nose is of much use. It. however, causes problems for the animal in rainy seasons. The upturned nose gets filled with water during rainfall, causing a plethora of sneezes. The noisy sneezes, unfortunately, makes it easier for hunters to find them during wet days.

2. Star-Nosed Mole

Star-Nosed Mole

The nose on the star-nosed mole is made up of 22 tentacles, forming a star shape. They have mighty sensitive sniffers, making them nature’s fastest foragers. This hamster-looking creature uses its nose to search for insects and worms, even in the dark. In addition, it has the most highly-developed touch body organs, right in its nose. As if that wasn’t enough, this animal can scent underwater by exhaling nostril bubbles onto something it wants to smell, then inhaling them.

1. Proboscis Monkey

Proboscis Monkey

The proboscis monkey has the biggest nose in the monkey family, with a length of about 7 inches. Sometimes it hangs down over its mouth, requiring the animal to push it aside when eating. These animals use their noses to deliver warning signals, while males use them to attract females during mating.

Menno, from the Netherlands, is an expert in unearthing fascinating facts and unraveling knowledge. At Top10HQ, he delves into the depths of various subjects, from science to history, bringing readers well-researched and intriguing insights.

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