The survival of endangered species due to low breeding rates, habitat loss and the effects of climate change is a serious human problem. It should be noted right away that rare animals that usually look like the Philippine deer, which can hardly be distinguished from a regular deer in the photo, will be excluded from the list. Visually unusual species are included in the ranking of the 10 rarest animals in the world.
10. Pangolin
You've probably never heard of a shy night pangolin that lives in Asia
and Africa. These cute, small (about the size of a domestic cat)
creatures can protect themselves in case of danger, curling up in
circles. They are also the most endangered mammals in the world.
WildAid estimates that every year people mine up to 100,000 pangolins for flakes and meat. Conservationists are trying to save Pangolin before being "eaten almost to extinction." In Chinese, Vietnamese and Southeast Asian countries, pangolin meat is considered a traditional dish. In India, China, Southeast Asia, and parts of Africa, there are still eight species of this rare animal.
9. Javan Rhino
The Javanese rhinoceros is one of the few
five subspecies closest to the Indian rhinoceros species, but small in
size. These rhinos were once abundant in Indonesia and Southeast Asia,
but now in the wild about sixty individuals remain in two known
populations.
Now they are not just on the list of rare, but critically endangered animals. Many see the Vietnam War as the main reason for the depletion of the Javan rhino, as it greatly affected its natural habitat. Poachers hunt for his horns for sale on the black market. Over the past 15 years, only two females of the Javanese rhinoceros have successfully bred, and efforts under captive breeding programs have failed.
8. Red Wolf
Red Wolf is a cousin of the Gray Wolf. There are currently about 25-40
individuals living in the wild. The International Union for Conservation
of Nature (IUCN) classifies red wolves as endangered. Conservation
efforts have been made to save these rare animals, but they are still
not effective enough.
In fact, in the wild in 1980, the Red Wolf was considered extinct. Their captive population increased to 207, after which some were released into the wild. One of the reasons for the reduction in the number of the Red Wolf is human intervention in their hunting range. Fortunately, reserves exist to protect these wolves from urbanization in their natural habitat.
07. Okapi
Although this rare species is sometimes called forest giraffes, it does
not look like a giraffe until you take a closer look. Okapi have a long
tongue, but their limbs have black and white stripes, like a zebra, and
physique - like a horse. Okapi is the only living relative of the
giraffe, since both belong to the giraffe family. The history of Okapi
is rooted in ancient Egypt, where we can find engravings on the walls
with their image.
Until the 20th century, stories about the "African unicorn" circulated in Europe and Asia. In 1887, Henry Morton Stanley described a kind of donkey named Atti in Congo. Today we know that okapi can be these species. Scientist zoologists today are much better acquainted with these strange animals. The reality is that the genus Okapia johnstoni is one of the few creatures that looks like its ancient ancestors.
06. Amur Leopard
We also know the Amur leopard as the
eastern leopard, which is the most endangered feline in the world. This
single night leopard has more than 84 individuals in the wild, living in
the forests of the Amur Region basin in eastern Russia. Some of these
rare animals are common in neighboring China, where a reserve was
created in 2012. Leopards in Amur have the lowest levels of genetic
variation (mating with genetic relatives) than any subspecies of
leopards, which makes them especially vulnerable to extinction. The Amur
leopard has a dense coat, which varies depending on the environment
from cream yellow to rusty orange.
The size of the paws is larger than that of other subspecies, which facilitates their movement in deep snow. Despite the fact that human intervention plays a significant role in the threatened state of Amur leopards, their low degree of genetic variation has caused a number of health problems, including decreased fertility.
This little African rodent is a golden elephant shrew, or elephant
jumper. In the elephant family, this is the largest genus with the
closest relative, the gray senghi. Shrew is one of the most endangered
species in the world, mainly due to the development of forests and
anthropological circumstances. Their population is most extensive in the
Kenyan Arabuco Sokoke Nature Reserve. Due to the terrible taste of
meat, the natives do not use this rare animal as a food source, but the
destruction of natural ecosystems was enough to put a view on the brink
of survival.
04. Angelshark
We can find these species in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the
North Atlantic. Overfishing is one of the reasons for their decline.
Only a few angel sharks remain in the Canary Islands and the southern
Caribbean. This animal lies under the sand, from where it hunts for fish
swimming in the attack zone. Basically, angel sharks feed on small fish
and other small marine animals.
03. Golden Tiger
Found only in captivity, this tiger is a rather rare animal. Unlike
other tigers, it has a recessive gene, and is sometimes called the
strawberry tiger, or golden tabby. Such tigers have most of the genes
similar to Bengal tigers, along with the Amur tiger genes. The last
appearance in the desert of a golden tiger was recorded in the early
1900s in India. Currently, less than 30 such tigers exist in captivity.
02. Vaquita
Many marine mammals, such as blue whales and dolphins, are listed as
endangered by IUCN. One species faces a serious existential threat - it
is a wakita, or California guinea pig. Wakita is the smallest of marine
mammals, a little over a meter in size. In Spanish, the name of the
animal means "little cow."
According to the estimates of the Center for Marine Mammals, there are only about 10-15 vaccites left in the world - their number has decreased at an amazing rate. This species is native to Mexico and the Gulf of California. Using gillnets, fishermen most threaten their existence. In collaboration with international environmental scientists, animal care specialists, and marine mammals veterinarians, the Marine Mammals Institute is working to protect a rare animal by banning gill nets. These helpless animals will completely disappear before the end of 2020, if we do not take decisive steps for them conservation.
01. Saola
If you have never heard of Saola, do not be discouraged. This animal is
so rare that scientific researchers have so far seen it in the wild only
four times. What makes Saola the rarest animal in the world? They are
sometimes called the "Asian unicorn." Saola is known for two horns on
its head and white markings on its face. The animal can only be found in
Laos and Vietnam.
The main causes of Saola's extinction due to habitat loss are poaching and deforestation. Saola is destroyed due to local hunting and illegal trade in furs and exotic meat.
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