9 Rarest Animal Species on Earth

There are so many different animals living in many places of the world. We know most of them, but there are others that are very rare; so rare that most people don’t even know about them.

Those species are critically endangered and could face extinction in the future. These are ten of the rarest animals on earth:

World’s Rarest Animal Species

Amur Leopard

This animal lives in the Primorye region of Russia. It is so rare, that in a census that took place in 2007, they counted only around fourteen to twenty adults and from five to six cubs.

Those really are very low numbers, and that’s why the International Union for Conservation of Nature decided to consider it a critically endangered species.

This beautiful feline is a subspecies from the leopard.

When they are in their habitat, they tend to live from ten to fifteen years, but they live up to twenty years when they live in captivity.

The Amur leopard is also called by other names like the Far East leopard, the Manchurian leopard and the Korean leopard.

 

Sumatran Rhinoceros

It is estimated that there are around 275 of this rhinoceros left in existence.

They are valuable targets for poachers and that is why this species has become so rare.

This type of rhinoceros have two horns and they are the smallest of all rhinoceros.

Before the number of individuals lowered, you could find them in the Eastern Himalayas, eastern India, Myanmar, Thailand and with a slight chance in Vietnam and China.

Unfortunately, now you can only find them –with a lot of luck– in the Sumantra and Borneo Islands.

Alongside the Javan rhino, the Sumantran rhino is the most threatened rhino species.

 

Western Lowland Gorilla

What makes this subspecies different from the other gorillas, is that they are slightly smaller than others, they have brown-grey coats and auburn chests.

You can find this gorillas in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo and Equatorial Guinea.

Over the last 20 to 25 years, the number of individuals has decreased around 60%.

Some scientists say that it would take about 75 years  for the species to recover.

Two of the causes that made the number of individuals to go downhill was hunting and the Ebola virus.

 

Mountain Pygmy Possum

For many years, scientists thought that this species was extinct. It is very rare but can still be found in Australia. This Australian mammals like to go into hibernation when their environment gets too cold.

Usually they prefer high altitudes. Compared to their body –around 110mm– their tail is very long –140mm– and they have an either grey or brown back and cream underbelly, chin and cheeks.

The number of individuals has been decreasing a lot for several reasons.

Their habitat has been destroyed by human constructions  and also there are a lot of predators like foxes and cats in their environment.

 

Philippine Crocodile

Compared to other crocodiles, it is very small; males don’t grow up more than 10 feet.

It is also a freshwater crocodile. They have from 66 to 68 teeth, have dermal bones that make up plates to protect their backs.

They usually eat mammals, birds and reptiles as well.

Other kinds of crocodiles can live up to one hundred years, but until now, scientists haven’t been able to tell the average life span of these specific crocodiles.

If we don’t take into account the individuals living in captivity, there are less than one hundred living in their habitat.

 

Sumatran Orangutan

These orangutans live in Sumantra, Indonesia.

They live mostly among trees and in rainforests, and because of the excessive deforestation, this orangutan has struggled a lot to survive. In the last 75 years, the number of individuals has dropped by around 80%.

Before the number drop, you could find this orangutans in all of the Sumantra island and in the south of Java, but now most of them are located in North Sumantra and Acech.

There are nine populations in existence and only three of them surpass 1,000 individuals.

Besides deforestation, the illegal trade has been the biggest cause of the decrease of the species.

 

 

 

 

Northern Bald Ibis

Many years ago it was thought that this species was extinct, but in 2002 they were rediscovered living in the desert of Syria.

The endangerment of its habitat and hunting are the main causes of the decrease of numbers of the species.

They are very unique in appearance and not like any other birds in the world.

They have naked heads and crests, have black plumage and it can look orange, purple and green depending on the angle of the sun.

The only place where you can find this bird is in Morocco.

 

Black-Eyed Tree Frog

Scientists have predicted that in the next ten years, the number of individuals will fall about 80%.

It lives in Mexico and other parts of South America like Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Belize.

They are very good when they have to camouflage and blend in with their habitat.

Their natural habitat has been threatened and partially destructed, and an infectious disease called the Chytrid fungus are the two reasons why this is a critically endangered species.

 

 

Lord Howe Island Stick Insect

In the 1920s it was thought that this insect was extinct. And it wasn’t after 90 years ago, in 2011 that the species was rediscovered on Ball’s Pyramid, a place very close to Lord Howe Island.

This insect is considered as the rarest in the world.

This insect faces many threats, one of them being the black rat.

The black rat was also the main cause of their “extinction” in the 1920s.

Another threat they face is how unsuitable their habitat is, which is considered a critically endangered species as well.

9 Rarest Animal Species on Earth