The Rarest Animal in the World

Pika- No, not Pikachu, but pika, or rather Ilia pika (Ochotona iliensis), is a tiny mammal that lives in the
Tianshan mountain range and was discovered in 1983. Found in the extremely remote Xinjiang region of
China, these animals are only 7–8 inches long and love to live on sloping bare rocks. You can find all
1,000 or so that are left eating grass at high elevations. The number of pika in the world has declined by
a stark 70% since 1983, due largely to climate change that’s forced them higher and higher up into the
mountains.

Amur Leopard- With only an estimated 60 Amur leopards left in the whole world, this species of wild
cat 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.
They have actually doubled in population over the last 10 or so years but are still in grave danger of
going extinct.

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 Chiloè and in the
Nahuelbuta National Park. You’ll find Darwin’s fox out and about between twilight and dawn.
Considered an “umbrella species,” which means that keeping them protected will also preserve the rest
of the ecosystem, Darwin’s fox faces habitat loss, along with deaths from hunting.

White-rumped vulture- White-rumped vultures are native to the Indian subcontinent and have been
on the critically endangered species list since 2000. Their decline is attributed mainly to the introduction
of the drug Diclofenac, which is a veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug frequently found in
cow carcasses. When the vultures feed on the cows, they ingest the drug, which causes kidney failure in
the birds.

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 the Asian unicorn. It’s also called that because of
the two horns on its head and white markings on its face. Saolas are cousins to cattle, though they look
a little more like antelopes. Hunting and human destruction of their natural habitat are the main causes
leading to Saola’s risk of extinction.

Peruvian Spider Monkey- You can find the Peruvian black spider monkey (also called the Guiana
spider monkey or red-faced spider monkey) high in the canopy of the Amazon Rainforest. These
monkeys are essential for maintaining the rainforest’s ecosystem since they mostly eat fruit and
disperse the seeds as they swing from tree to tree. These monkeys have seen a decline in their
population of over 50% since the 1970s.

The Bornean Orangutan- It’s hard to regenerate a declining population quickly when female Bornean
Orangutans are only able to reproduce every six to eight years. In addition, these Borneo natives are
threatened by illegal hunting and by their native forests getting turned into plantations for paper,
rubber, and oil palm. This species is now considered critically endangered since the population has
dropped by 60% since 1950. Their population is expected to continue to fall and decline by another 22%
by 2025.
Giant Otter- Giant otters are, well, pretty giant. They can be as long as six feet and are the largest
otters in the world. Residing only in South America, Giant otters used to be hunted for their pelts, which
led to their decline over the years.

Black-footed ferret- These animals, part of the weasel family, are an incredible story of how
conservation efforts can, in fact, bring species back from the brink of extinction. In the late 1980s, 18
black-footed ferrets were part of a captive-breeding program designed to increase their population.
Now, there are 300–400 black-footed ferrets in the wild, all of which are descendants of those 18.
They’re still threatened with extinction, since their main force of food, prairie dogs, are also rare, and
their natural habitats keep getting destroyed by humans.

Sumatran Rhinoceros- The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest sized rhino. It has two horns (the only
Asian rhino to have this feature) and lives in small pockets in the mountain forests of Indonesia and
Malaysia. They might also reside in Myanmar (Burma). There are several species of rhinos that are
endangered, but none as much as the Sumatran rhinoceros. Like other rhino species, the Sumatran
rhinos are hunted for their horns. Attempts to breed in captivity haven’t gone well, and only two captive
Sumatran rhinoceros females have successfully reproduced in the last 15 years.

Pangolin- You’ve probably never heard of the solitary and nocturnal pangolin, who lives in the forests
and grasslands of Asia and Africa. They’re cute and small (about the size of a house cat), and defend
themselves by curling up in a ball when they feel attacked. They’re also incredibly popular and are
considered to be the most trafficked mammal in the world. People capture them for their scales and
their meat. Estimates suggest that as many as 100,000 pangolins are captured every year.

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 five feet long when grown and are very near extinction. Only about 60 of them remain in the wild,
which is a 40% population decrease in just the last five years.

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. The IUCN classifies red wolves as a critically
endangered species. Conservation efforts have been made to save the species, but they’re still on the
brink of extinction. These animals are known for being shy and for mating for life.

Madagascar’s Greater Bamboo Lemur- Found in Madagascar’s rainforests, the Greater bamboo
lemur is one of the most endangered animals in the world. It was thought to be extinct until scientists
re-discovered small populations of the species in 1986. They have the smallest lemur population, with
only around 100 individual greater bamboo lemurs documented. As their name suggests, they eat
mostly bamboo.

Hainan Gibbon- There are only about 28 individuals left in this rare species of Hainan Gibbon apes in
the entire world. They’re native to China and are going extinct because roughly 95% of their natural
habitat has been destroyed. They now occupy just a .77 square foot section of the Bewangling National
Nature Reserve, which is located on the Hainan Island in the South China Sea. They used to be dispersed
across half of China.
 The Three Major Groups of Mammals
Mammals

Mammals (Class: Mammalia) are warm blooded animals that rules the terrestrial ecosystems since the
dinosaurs (previous rulers) have become extinct, and as of 2014, more than 6000 species of mammals
have evolved. They are the largest (whales) as well as the intelligent animals (elephants, primates,
humans) known on the planet. Some of the typical characteristics of mammals are:

• Presence of backbones, hair, and neocortex (region in brain);

• Four-chambered heart;

• Presence of three middle ear bones;

• Mammary glands that secretes milk to nurse their young ones (hence the name “mammals”);

• Young ones of most mammals are born alive.

Types

Mammals are divided into 3 major groups based on the mechanism of their babies'
development:

• Monotremes (Prototheria);

• Marsupials (Metatheria); and

• Placental mammals (Eutheria).

Marsupials, moderately successful group, are of about 334 species, mostly dominant in Australia,
although once they were spread over the entire planet. More than 200 species are found in Australia,
about 100 in South America, 13 in Central America, and 1 in North America (Virginia possum). The well-
known marsupials are koalas, kangaroos, possums, opossums, and so on. Their temperature is
maintained at 35°C, and they have pouch in their belly called marsupium, with multiple nipples to
protect and sustain the younger ones. They differ from other groups in their reproduction mode,
presence of cloaca, and metabolic rate.

Placental mammals, the dominant group of the planet, are of more than 5500 species, with four primary
groups:

1. Rodentia (mice and rats);

2. Chiroptera (bats);

3. Carnivora (dogs, cats, bears, and other carnivores);

4. Cetariodactyla (deer, sheep, buffalo, whales, and so on).

High metabolic rate, body temperature of 38°C, and separate opening at the bottom of the pelvis to
enable birth of the young ones are some of its features. The most striking feature is their reproduction
mode—fetus is carried in uterus of the mother and nourished by the attached placenta until the live
birth of the offspring. Humans belong to this category of mammals.