The animal kingdom is an amazing place full of colorful creatures that swim, fly, run, walk, and roam freely around the earth. Sadly, a lot of animals are on the brink of extinction, including some you might have never even heard of. In this video, we have listed 10 of the rarest animals on this planet.
Number 10: Red Wolves. Though native to Florida and the Southeast, you’ll only find the 25 to 40 of these animals that are left in the wild living in Eastern North Carolina. These animals are known for being shy and for mating for life.
Number 9: Vaquita. Meet the vaquita, the world’s rarest marine animal. It’s a cetacean, which is an order of animals that includes well-known sea animals like porpoises, dolphins, and whales. Vaquitas are only about 5 feet long when grown and are very near extinction. Only about 60 of them remain in the wild.
Number 8: Hainan Gibbon. There are only about 28 individuals left in this rare species of Hainan gibbons in the entire world. They’re native to China and are going extinct because roughly 95% of their natural habitat has been destroyed.
Number 7: Sumatran rhinoceros. The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest sized rhino. It has two horns and lives in small pockets in the mountain forests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They might also reside in Myanmar (Burma). Like other rhino species, the Sumatran rhinos are hunted for their horns.
Number 6: Peruvian spider monkey. You can find the Peruvian black spider monkey high in the canopy of the Amazon rainforest. These monkeys are essential for maintaining the rainforest ecosystem. They have seen a decline in their population of over 50% since the 1970s.
Number 5: Saola. Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of Saola. This species native to Laos and Vietnam is so rare that scientists have only seen it in the wild a total of four times. That’s part of why it’s referred to as the “Asian unicorn.” It’s also called that because of the two horns on its head and white markings on its face.
Number 4: White-rumped vulture. It’s experienced a shocking 99% decline in population since the 1980s, which gives it the uncovered title of fastest declining bird species. White-rumped vultures are native to the Indian subcontinent and have been on the critically endangered species list since 2000.
Number 3: Darwin’s Fox. Found in just two parts of the world, Darwin’s Fox is named after Charles Darwin, who first discovered the species of Fox in 1834. They now live in Chile on the island of Chiloé and in the Nahuelbuta National Park. Considered an umbrella species, which means that keeping them protected will also preserve the rest of the ecosystem.
Number 2: Amur Leopard. With only an estimated 60 Amur leopards left in the whole world, the species of wildcat is in extreme danger of going extinct. Amur leopards are fast, topping out at running speeds as fast as 37 miles per hour. Originally living in Russia, China, and Korea, you can now only find them in the Amur River Basin in eastern Russia. These cats live in solitude, which makes it rare for them to breed.
Number 1: Ili Pika. A rather elusive pika, the Ili Pika is a tiny mammal that lives in the Tian Shan mountain range and was discovered in 1983. Found in the extremely remote Xinjiang region of to protect these rare and endangered animals, we must take action. One of the most important things we can do is to increase public awareness about these creatures and the threats they face. By educating ourselves and others, we can help to create a world where these animals can thrive once again.
