Animals that look related but aren't.

I used to think Hippos are related to Rhinos, but the truth is, they are more related to Whales and Dolphins!

 

One that I forgot in my previous list (now too late to edit): pheasants and lyrebird.

Also ibises and limpkin (and maybe curlews too). And an absolute classic: secretarybird and seriemas.

Grey-headed goose (Chloephaga poliocephala) resembles a bustard in many aspects of colour, pattern, shape and shize (except the webbed feet, of course). To the point that one of the common names that it receive in Spanish in Chile/Argentina is "avutarda", tat means bustard.

 

A lot of nudibranchs and flatworms look extremely similar

 

I find this really interesting too.

I think this could well be down to the phenomenon of "Thayers law" / countershading in nature.

The Pampas / Pantanal cat here in Brazil is another example of this colouration in a species that occupies this habitat. This feline also has roughly the same reddish / brownish coat and pitch black coloured legs.

 

Peccaries and pigs look almost identical.

 

Flamingos and spoonbills, if they count as looking related.

Also, falcons with other birds of prey.

 

Vireos and New World Warblers.

 

Because they are each other's closest relatives.
Suina - Wikipedia

 

Owls and Frogmouths

 

Tenrecs and hedgehogs.

 

Some tenrecs look like moles or like shrews.

 

The olm and the Texas blind cave salamander look uncannily similar / related but actually aren't. An example of convergent evolution / parallelism.

Incidentally both are also listed as vulnerable by the IUCN due to similar threats.

 

Some caecilians resemble earthworms

 

The Asian golden cat and African golden cat at first glance at least and superficially sort of resemble eachother in their physical build and the colouration and some of the markings of their fur.

The grisons and the ratel look very similar to me with their slow slung builds and colouration of fur.

The tayra sort of resembles some of the Eurasian martens.

 

That is a good one and thank you for sharing this I'll have a read of this later.

 

From a distance, Ospreys and gulls

 

I always have to take a minute to think about hedgehogs and porcupines and be like "Huh"

 

Hedgehogs and tenrecs!

 

The Malagasy golden mantella frog and the golden poison frog of Colombia look quite similar.

I'm sure there are a couple of other mantella species that somewhat resemble poison dart frogs too.

 

Humans and Bigfoot...