Culture

small_Image.png

thumbnail_Image.png

Image.png

Badge - Google Play.png

Banner Bkg.png

Badge - App Store.png

Download the hoppa app now

Arrive 'appy with hoppa

Not all nations have official animals. Some have chosen mythical creatures that hold a lot of history or symbolic meaning, while others have picked real animals which just don't seem to fit in. Here, we take a look at 5 unusual animals from around the world:  <h2>Scotland </h2>Renowned for its love of myths and legends, it may not be a surprise to hear that Scotland’s national animal is a fictitious creature, a unicorn. Since as early as the 12th century, it has been used on Scottish coats of arms and can be spotted in many locations across the nation. For Scotland, the unicorn symbolizes many things, including innocence, purity, masculinity, and power. If you are wondering why the unicorn is often chained in Scotland, that is because a free unicorn was considered a dangerous beast according to legend.<img alt='' src='https://www.hoppa.com/resource/blog/uploads/2018/02/unicorn-scotland.jpg' style='width: 640px; height: 640px;' /> <h2>Monaco</h2>Perhaps that most unusual of all, Monaco has three national animals – the hedgehog, rabbit and wood mouse. We can’t see how these fit into the millionaire’s playground and why they were chosen remains unknown.<img alt='' src='https://www.hoppa.com/resource/blog/uploads/2018/02/hedgehog-1215140_640.jpg' style='width: 640px; height: 425px;' /> <h2>Democratic Republic of the Congo </h2>Often referred to as the forest giraffe or zebra, and said to be the closest thing to a real-life unicorn, the national animal of Congo is the Okapi. Found in the rainforests in the northern, central and eastern parts, this beautiful animal was unknown to science until 1901 after being discovered by British explorer, Sir Henry Johnston. Like a giraffe, the Okapi has very large, upright ears and a long dark tongue. Having highly developed hearing, they pick up the slightest sounds making it very difficult to find them in the wild. <img alt='' src='https://www.hoppa.com/resource/blog/uploads/2018/02/okapi-1581236_640.jpg' style='width: 640px; height: 425px;' /> <h2>Mauritius</h2>It may have been extinct since 1681, but the dodo is still very much a large part of the island that it once inhabited. Not much is know about how this flightless bird evolved and thrived in isolation, yet, we do know it became extinct shortly after the arrival of humans and other meat-eating mammals.<img alt='' src='https://www.hoppa.com/resource/blog/uploads/2018/02/dodo1.jpg' style='width: 640px; height: 397px;' /> <h2>Singapore</h2><a href='https://www.hoppa.com/en/singapore/singapore-changi-airport'>Singapore</a>’s Merlion is another mythical creature, but it has great symbolic meaning to the country. A cross between a lion and a fish, it represents the original name, Singapura which means Lion City, as well as its humble beginnings as a small fishing village. A statue of the Merlion is situated near the waterfront at Marina Bay and is a must-see attraction. It’s worth mentioning that while some refer to the Merlion as the country's national animal, others say it is the national personification.<img alt='' src='https://www.hoppa.com/resource/blog/uploads/2018/02/merlion-statue-1169078_640.jpg' style='width: 640px; height: 428px;' /> If you could choose the national animal of your home country, what would it be?

green

Sign up & save! Enter your email below to receive the latest offers, promotions & hoppa discount codes

hoppa uses cookies to help improve your browsing experience. To accept cookies continue browsing as normal, or go to our cookie tool for more information and preferences.

Necessary Cookies are essential to the operation of our website, supporting functions such as logging in and payment transactions. These cookies can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.

Performance Cookies collect information about how you use our website, for example how efficiently you are able to navigate. All information these cookies collect is anonymous and is only used to improve how our website works.

Functionality Cookies allow us to remember your saved preferences, such as your username, language or region, and tailor our website to provide enhanced features and content for you.

Targeting Cookies gather information about your browsing habits and help us to make our website and advertising more relevant to your interests. They remember that you've visited our website and share this information with other organisations such as advertisers.

This website uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential, while some are used to help improve your browsing experience. For more detailed information on the cookies we use, please check our <a href="/en/privacypolicy">privacy policy</a>.

5 Unusual National Animals Around The World