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Tortoises and turtles -

Tortoises are land animals, whereas turtles spend most of their time in water. For this reason they have different legs. The two animals also have different shells, with turtles generally having much smoother ones.

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Alpacas and llamas -

Llamas are taller and heavier, and have slightly longer faces and ears than alpacas. They are also more temperamental! The two animals also serve different human purposes: alpacas are used to produce fleece and llamas for transportation.

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Hawks and eagles -

Hawks are smaller than eagles and maneuver better in smaller spaces. Eagles prefer large, open areas such as cliffs and mountains. Some species can be really huge!

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Frogs and toads -

In general, frogs have smoother skin than toads, their legs are longer, and their eyes are relatively larger and bulging when compared to toads.

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Hedgehogs and porcupines -

The main visible difference is their size, and, of course, their quills; porcupines have much longer ones. They also behave differently under attack, with hedgehogs adopting a protective position, while porcupines usually attack the enemy.

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Alligators and crocodiles -

Crocodiles have sharper v-shaped snouts, whereas alligators have rounder u-shaped ones. Crocs are more aggressive than alligators and can live up to 100 years old, while alligators are expected to live up to 50.

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Donkeys and mules -

A mule is cross between a female horse and a male donkey, hence the similarity. They have more horse-like, heavier bodies than donkeys, and their coats, teeth, and tails are different too.

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Rabbits and hares -

Hares are bigger and have larger ears than rabbits. Rabbits also prefer to stay underground, whereas hares are mostly found running around (quite fast!) above ground.

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Albatrosses and seagulls -

The main obvious difference is their size. Albatrosses have much longer wingspans when compared to seagulls. Their beak is also different, with albatrosses having distinctive tubular nostrils.

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Jaguars and leopards -

Jaguars are mostly found in Central and South America, while leopards live in Africa and parts of Asia. Jaguar skins have rosettes with inner spots. Leopards are slightly smaller and love to climb, while jaguars are expert swimmers and are generally more aggressive.

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Porpoises and dolphins -

Their heads are shaped differently, and so are their dorsal fins. Porpoises have  triangular-shaped fins while dolphin's dorsal fins are curved. Unlike dolphins, porpoises rarely leap out of the water.

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Opossums and possums -

Most of the confusion comes from the fact that some people call opossums (which are found in North America) possums (the Australian animal on the right). They have obvious differences between the two, including their ears, eyes, and fur.

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Puffins and penguins -

The main obvious difference is that penguins don't fly! Puffins are also generally smaller than penguins.

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Coyotes and wolves -

Coyotes have narrower snouts. They are also smaller in size when compared to wolves. Coyotes also have longer, pointed ears and a higher-pitched voice. Wolves are generally more aggressive than coyotes.

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Weasels and stoats -

These are indeed very similar, though stoats are slightly bigger, have longer tails with black tips, and move differently than weasels.

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Sea lions and seals -

Sea lions have longer flippers than seals, and also have more mobility in their back flippers on land. Sea lions have outer ear flaps and seals don't. Sea lions are also more social and make a lot more noise than seals.

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Crows and ravens -

They look very similar, but ravens are a lot bigger than crows. In fact, a raven can be four times larger than a crow! Crows fly in flocks whereas ravens usually are seen in pairs. They also have slightly different tails, though you can only see it when they're flying.

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Moths and butterflies -

Some more colorful moths can be mistaken for butterflies, and vice versa. The main differences are the shape of the wings and the antennae.

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Mice and rats -

These two famous rodents are fairly different, namely their size, tail, and ears. Rats are much larger animals in every aspect.

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Jackals and foxes -

Foxes are smaller, have smaller snouts, and have fluffier tails than jackals. Jackals live mostly in parts of Africa and Asia, so their fur is shorter.

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Lizards and salamanders -

Lizards are reptiles, while salamanders are actually amphibians. Lizards seek the sun and dry places, whereas salamanders spend a lot of time in humid areas and in water. Unlike lizards, they don't have claws or ear openings. 

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Honey badgers and skunks -

They might be both black and white, but these are two very different animals. The honey badger lives in Africa and is a much bigger, stronger, and aggressive animal than the skunk, which mostly inhabits North and South America.

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Cellar spiders and crane flies -

One is a spider and the other one is a mosquito-like fly. Both are commonly called daddy-long-legs even though they are not the same animal.

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Skinks and snakes -

Skinks are essentially lizards. Some, like this European copper skink, look very much like snakes, but you can tell by their tiny legs  that they're not. Unlike some snakes, they don't have the capacity to kill you.

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Aardvarks and anteaters -

They both have long snouts and eat ants, but this is as far as their similarities go. Anteaters' paws have much longer claws. Anteaters also have more fur and smaller ears when compared to aardvarks.

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Bees and wasps -

Bees are darker, hairier, and have flat rear legs. Wasps, on the other hand, have a narrower waist and can be aggressive.

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Hornets and wasps -

A hornet is like a wasp on steroids. They are obviously larger and are not as stripy as wasps. Both can be aggressive.

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Hawks and falcons -

Falcons are smaller, but also faster, than hawks. They also have larger eyes and shorter beaks when compared to hawks.

Sources: (Unbelievable Facts) (Treehugger) (Amazing Animals) (BrightSide)

See also: Tips to turn your garden into a wildlife sanctuary

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