It's been 50 years since eccentric artist Salvador Dali was photographed in Paris walking his pet anteater, but this unusual animal is still beloved by plenty of modern-day exotic pet enthusiasts.

26th April 1955: Salvador Dali (1904 - 1989) and his wife Gala (1894 - 1982) ... enacting strange rituals like taking his pet anteater for a walk in Paris, hugging a clock, ...

Salvador Dalí Image: Getty Images. When Dalí appeared on The Dick Cavett Show in 1971, he carried an anteater, one he abruptly tossed aside and allowed to scuttle around the studio.

Many believe that it was artist Salvador Dali's respect for the man that led him to adopt a pet anteater, among his other exotic pets.

1) Salvador Dali – Ocelot/Anteater Known for his surrealist paintings, artist Salvador Dali housed two exotic creatures during his lifetime, including an ocelot and an anteater.

While Dalí is best known in pop culture for his iconic and recognizable 1931 surrealist painting, The Persistence of Memory, or perhaps his antics, taking his pet anteater for walks on the ...

Dalí enthusiastically became its blunt instrument (watch him explain his work to Dick Cavett in 1971, where he arrived on set with his pet anteater on a leash).