There are several thousand species of animals on our planet. But some of them are on the verge of extinction and are rare. There are many reasons for this, the main of which are: hunting, pollution of the environment, crossing of closely related species, and others.
In this article, we will look at what are the rarest animals in the world. Many of them are listed in the Red Book, and their population can still be saved: adjust or reduce the rate of decline. But it is not possible to stop the decline in the number of some animal species, due to the absence of females or males.
These are the rarest animals in the world
1. Snow leopard
The largest predator of Eurasia, not counting the bear, lives in the Central Asian mountains. This animal is the leader in the ranking of the rarest animals globally, has a thin, long, flexible body with short legs, a long tail, and a small head. The leopard is included in the Red Book not only in Russia but also in the world. And also in the titles of protection of various Asian countries. But the harsh laws governing the hunt for this beast are of little help. The number of snow leopards decreases every year.
2. White lion
The white lion is the second rarest animal in the world, is due to a genetic disorder called leucism, which gives the coat a lighter shade. Leukism is not melanism. That is, white lions are not albinos, but animals with natural skin and eye color. The existence of white lions became known only at the end of the 20th century. In 1975, cubs of a white lion were discovered in one of the reserves in South Africa.
3. Florida panther
It is one of the rarest subspecies of the cougar. The animal is included in the Red Book with the wording: “A species on the verge of extinction.” In the 1970s, the number of Florida panthers was twenty !!! By 2011, this number was raised to 160. The Florida panther lives in Southern Florida, mainly in forests and swamps in the area of the Great National Reserve. The extinction of the mammal took the bronze in the list of the rarest animals in the world: hunting, draining swamps, and a deteriorating ecological environment.
4. Visayan warty pig
The animal was listed in the Red Book 26 years ago. This type of pig population has rapidly decreased in more than half a century by 80%. Reasons are uncontrolled hunting, poaching, closely related crossbreeding, changes in the mammalian habitat over time. The Visayan warty pig, which ranks 4th in the list of the rarest animals, can be found only on the islands of Negro and Panay.
5. Visayan spotted deer
An animal with a reddish-golden color and small white spots located throughout the body. The Visayan spotted deer live in the Philippine islands. It is very difficult to capture this mammal. The enemy of the spotted deer, which occupies the middle of the top of the rarest animals in the world, is the wolf. A large number of animals die after winter: in March-April. At this time, after a long wintering, the deer become weak.
6. Tiger quoll
The Tiger quoll is in the Red Data Book under the section: “A species close to a vulnerable position. It is considered the second largest marsupial predator in Australia after the Tasmanian devil. The mammal, which ranks 6th on the list of the rarest species in the world, lives in the north of Queensland. It is possible to run into it on the east coast of Australia (stretches from Queensland to Tasmania). In these areas, it lives in forests and coastal thickets.
7. Sumatran rhinoceros
An animal belonging to the genus of Dicerorhinus. It is included in the Red Book as an “Endangered Species”. It is considered the smallest species of the rhinoceros family. The Sumatran rhinoceros, which ranks 7th on the list of the rarest animals in the world, can be encountered in forests, swamps located at an altitude of more than 2 km above sea level, and in the tropics.
8. Tonkin snub-nosed monkey
An animal belonging to the Cercopithecidae family is on the verge of extinction. Listed in the Red Book. Back in the middle of the last century, the population of this species of animal was very limited. It was possible to encounter the Tonkin snub-nosed monkey only in the forests near the Song-Koi River, flowing in Vietnam.
9. Sawfishes
Sawfishes belong to the family of sawn rays. Listed in the Red Book which is on the verge of extinction. Inhabits the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The Sawfishes, which rank 9th in the top of the rarest animals in the world, can often be found in rivers. The population of this species of animal is decreasing every year, due to massive poaching.
10. Hirola
Hirola is also known as Hunter’s hartebeest. It is a mammal of the Bovidae family. In the Red Data Book, it is listed as an Endangered Species. You can see Hirola in northern Kenya and southwestern Somalia. In the distant past, Hunter’s ancestors ran across an area of 20,500 square kilometers.
At present, it has dropped to 8000 square kilometers. This is due to the uncontrolled extermination of the mammal by local poachers. The trend leads to the fact that the animal may soon disappear, but for now, it is one of the rarest animals in the world.
