The bald eagle, the bulldog, the beaver. These are some of the most iconic state animals in the World. Unfortunately for some, not all state animals are made equal. In doing my research on state animals I spoke with FlightHub, an online travel agency. I used a recent FlightHub review to track down a list of nations to investigate. In looking for some the world’s most unique state animals I discovered there are actually several countries that don’t actually have real life state animals. That of course immediately shot them up the rankings of the weirdest state animals.
The Unicorn – Scotland
Scotland is famous for haggis, bagpipes, and its beautiful landscapes. While this is all fine and good, I think we should add the Unicorn to this list. Scotland’s fascination with the Unicorn isn’t about aesthetics though as they chose the Unicorn as their state animal for deep philosophical reasons. According to FlightHub, Scots believe that the Unicorn represents their heritage as a country that would rather die than be tamed by opposing forces. It appears on numerous coats of arms and flags throughout the history of Scotland.
The Chollima – North Korea
Another mythical horse-like creature, the Chollima is the state animal of North Korea. Chollima means thousand-mile-horse and was often used as a rallying call for rebuilding after the Korean War. The nature of the work and how it was delegated is of course very controversial, but that doesn’t take away from just how weird this state animal is, which was said to be untameable or ridable by mortal men.
Rooster Of Barcelos – Portugal
A legend in Portugal, the Rooster Of Barcelos is tied directly to a folk story in Portugal according to FlightHub. After the robbery of silver in Barcelos, the residents were looking for someone to blame. A man from out of town who was passing through was suspected and convicted of the crime despite his pleas to the contrary. He requested to meet the judge in the case. When his request was granted, he visited the judge in his home. The judge at the time was having a banquet and the convicted man noticed a roasted bird on a platter. The convicted man said the rooster would crow upon his hanging. Placing the plate aside, the rooster came to life and crowed at the time of the man’s hanging. Luckily this has a happy ending, as a malfunction allowed the man to survive the hanging and a legend was born. The story is commemorated with a statue and the distinction of being one of Portugal’s national animals.