When Animals Are Not Where You’d Expect Them to Be

From a distance, Morocco’s Argania trees seem to burst with large white and brown blooms. Upon closer examination, it becomes pretty clear that these wriggling, bleating blotches aren’t actually part of the trees: They’re goats. Though tree goats may seem like a quirky, isolated phenomenon, the animals aren’t the only ones that can be found in entirely unexpected places.

Some oddly placed critters are the result of evolution. Over time, animals such as Hawaii’s rock-climbing fish and Mexico’s dangling cave serpents have learned to adapt to their intriguing environments in ingenious ways. Other creatures, such as Ireland’s feral wallabies and Brooklyn’s flocks of colorful parrots, came to rule their unusual animal kingdoms due to human intervention, and have thrived since (though sometimes, to the detriment of the environment). Whether the product of natural or unnatural forces, these out-of-place animals make for an intriguing sight.