Pop quiz: how many extinct species can you name?
The West African Black Rhino, the Tasmanian Tiger, the Caribbean Monk Seal. Sadly, that’s a long list, too long to include here, but this post isn’t about extinct animals…
It’s about some of the rarest animals in the world, some endangered to be sure, but definitely still alive!
In fact, some of the animals shown here were actually thought to be extinct until a photographer and his camera got lucky.
And we have the pictures to prove it!
So, without further ado, here are 25 of the rarest animals on Earth, as compiled by List25.com.
This is the Bamboo Lemur, found exclusively on the island of Madagascar. This medium-sized primate prefers a damp forest, where it’s favorite food, bamboo, grows in abundance. Unfortunately, only 100 of these lemurs exist in the Madagascar rainforests.
The Spoon Billed Sandpiper is found mostly in Northeastern Russia, but resides in Southeast Asia during the winter months. What makes this bird unique is its spatulate bill. This bird is critically endangered, with a population less than 2500, and only 1000 of those being mature.
This large species of lizard is the Jamaica Rock Iguana, the largest native land animal in Jamaica, and while once considered extinct, has resurfaced only slightly in the forest of the Hellshire Hills.
The Geometric Tortoise sports a unique shell, with a strong black and yellow pattern on the carapace, used mostly for defense against predators. It is a critically endangered species that is now only found within a small section of the South-Western Cape of South Africa.
The Stubfoot Toad is found in the Andean slopes of Northwest Ecuador. While very common on the Gorgona Island, it has seriously declined in population on Ecudaor, possibly due to chytridiomycosis, an infectious disease that affects amphibians globally. Chytridiomycosis has been linked to the cause of many dramatic population declines or even extinctions of certain animal species worldwide.
This beautiful bird is the Araripe Manakin. It resides in the Araripe Uplands – the Chapada do Araripe – in the Brazilian state of Ceará in the north eastern region of the country. Sadly, it is critically endangered. It was officially discovered in 1996 and currently, there are only an estimated 500 pairs left.
The Roloway Monkey is found mostly in the Ivory Coast and the forests of Ghana. This species of monkey has been classified as endangered due to habitat loss and the continued hunting for the bushmeat trade. It is one of the most threatened primate species on the African continent, although there are not exact figures for the species available.
The Cuban Greater Funnel-Eared Bat is found only in the Isla de la Juventud cave in Cuba. It was originally discovered in 1992 in Cueva La Barca, and has been estimated that only 100 mature individuals are alive today.
This is Durrell’s Vontsira – aka Salanoia durrelli. It is closely related to the brown-tailed mongoose, but different enough that scientists gave it it’s own classification in 2010. Found only near Lake Alaotra in Madagascar, this unique looking marsh dweller has been threatened by pollution and destructions to its habitats for the construction of rice fields. A conservation status for this species has not yet been formally assessed.
The Gooty Tarantula is so named because it was first discovered in the town of Gooty in Andhra Pradesh in India. Ironically however, this beautiful spider – also called the Peacock Tarantula – doesn’t actually live in Gooty; it lives in the Eastern Ghats, about 100km away. It’s on the critically endangered list because of the high demand for timber and deforestation.
The Angonoka is a critically endangered species of tortoise, native to the island of Madagascar, with only about 600 individuals alive today. Primary threats are land clearing for cattle and collection for sale as a pet. It has been estimated that this species will become extinct within the next 10 to 15 years.
The Jumping Shrew is a insectivorous mammal that is native to the African continent, also previously known as the elephant shrew. Although it is widely distributed across the entire continent, it is not found in one specific habitat. Interestingly, this cute little guy is one of the fastest small mammals on the planet. Weighing in at under half a kilogram, they have been recorded to reach speeds of 28.8 km/h
The Angel Shark is in the shark family, but resembles more of a manta ray. It is found mostly in the Atlantic Ocean and Black Sea. Overfishing as been the main cause of the decline of this species.
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The Northern Hairy Nose Wombat is one of the rarest land mammals in the world. This critically endangered species was historically found across New South Wales and Queensland, but has now been restricted to the Epping Forest National Park in Queensland. There is an estimated 230 individuals recorded in 2015.
Hirola, also known as Hunter’s Hartebeest or Hunter’s Antelope, lives in the Kenyan and Somalian area of Africa, there is only around 500 left in the wild. Causes for the decline in population range from drought and disease to poaching and competition with domestic livestock, but no single specific reason has been identified.
The Common Sawfish, also called the largetooth sawfish, is a species of sawfish, more commonly known as carpenter sharks and belonging to the ray family, the largest group of largest cartilaginous fishes. The largemouth sawfish is found worldwide – freshwater, saltwater and brackish – but has had a large population decline due to overfishing and habitat loss.
The Tonkin Snub Nosed Monkeys is native to northern Vietnam, facing habitat loss and mass hunting to its population. In 2008, only 250 individuals were thought to exist. It has been listed on the “World’s 25 Most Endangered Primates” list since 2001.
The Sumatran Rhino is frequently hunted for its horn, which has been used in medicine. Although they were once native to Southeast Asia, this hairy rhinoceros has been hunted to near extinction, and fewer than 100 individuals are thought to remain.
The Tiger Quoll, also known as the “spotted quoll,” is a carnivorous marsupial, native to Australia. It is being listed as “near threatened” and is highly vulnerable to decline due to its need for certain climates and habitats. The Tiger Quoll is also susceptible to habitat destruction, motor collisions and intentional persecution.
The Spotted Deer (also known as the axis deer or “chital”) is native to the Indian subcontinent, a southern region of Asia. It is listed as “of least concern” due to many protection populations and while hunting has caused severe declines and local extinctions in some areas, there are no range-wide threats to this species.
The Visayan Warty Pig can be found in the Philippines – although rarely, with only a couple hundred individuals left in the world. Habitat loss, food shortages and hunting are the primary reasons for its decline, leading to its critically endangered status.
4. Florida Panther – this endangered subspecies of the cougar is native to the forests and swamps of Southern Florida. Recovery efforts are currently underway in Florida to conserve the population of the native panthers, however, this has proved to be a difficult task, for the Florida panther requires a large area of habitat.
The White Lion is believed to be native to the Timbavati region of South Africa. The rare coloring is the result of a recessive gene and prior to 2009, it was believed that this lion could not survive in the world. In fact, many still live in zoos today. The primary threat to this lion is hunting and South Africa’s bone trade.
The Snow Leopard is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. Although the population has declined, there are numerous agencies working to conserve the population and its threatened mountain ecosystems. Until 2008, this leopard was listed as “endangered” on the ICUN Red List; it is now listed as “vulnerable,” with an estimated population of less than 10,000 mature individuals and an expected decline rate of 10% over the next two decades.
The Giant Squid is recorded as the largest giant squid ever at 43 feet long (females). There have been claims of squid up to 66 feet, but these claims have not been documented. In fact, the first images of a live giant squid in its natural habitat weren’t taken until 2004; in July 2012, a live adult was first filmed in its natural habitat off Chichi-jima. Not much is known about the giant squid, because of it’s deep sea habitat, but its population is believed to be widespread and it is currently listed as “of least concern” on the IUCN Red List.
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