Rare Animals

There are many beautiful animals on this great planet. Some are familiar to us because we’ve seen them in person, on one of the many television shows devoted to animals, or in school books or biology textbooks.  Other animals are rare.  So rare, in fact, that you may have never heard of them.  Or, you may have heard of them, and know that they are extremely rare because they are critically endangered.  Here are some of the rarest animals in the world.

The Red Wolf is a cousin to the Gray Wolf.  The Red Wolf was actually deemed extinct in the wild in 1980.  There were, luckily, some Red Wolves were still in captivity, twenty to be exact.  Wildlife conservationists increased the number of Red Wolves in captivity to 207, and today there are about 100 living in the wild.  A success story, yes, but the factors that caused the Red Wolf to become so endangered are still present today, in that their hunting ground has been severely depleted.  Luckily there are wildlife preserves that allow these wolves to live in their natural habitat, though protected from urban sprawl.

Tarsiers are found only in the islands of Southeast Asia. Since Southeast Asia encompasses a wide range of islands – Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and more, that might not seem like these little guys are so rare. When you think about the fact that they used to live in many more regions, it sort of puts in in perspective. They mostly live in Borneo. These little primates are only 4-6 inches tall, but their hind legs are twice the length of their torso. Additionally, their eyes are each the size of their brains. What else makes these adorable little primates so rare? They are the only primates who are completely carnivorous – insectivorous to be exact. They stalk bugs and jump at them. They also eat small animals like birds, bats, lizards, and snakes. Tarsiers are considered Critically Endangered and will likely be on that list for some time. They are, thus far, impossible to breed in captivity.

Is it a giraffe?  Is it a zebra?  Is it a ziraffe?  A gebra?  It’s an Okapi!  Ever heard of it?  Apparently, the Okapi’s history reaches back to ancient Egypt, where carvings have since been found.  In Europe and Africa, prior to the 20th century, there existed legends of an “African unicorn.”  Today, that animal is thought to be the Okapi.  In 1887, Henry Morton Stanley reported on a type of donkey in the Congo named an “Atti.”  Today, THAT animal is thought to be the Okapi as well.  Scientists, zoologists, and scholars know a lot more about the animal today.  For instance, the fact that it is related to the giraffe, despite it’s zebra-like markings, and the fact that the species Okapia johnstoni is considered a “living fossil,” a creature who seems to be the same species as it’s ancient fossils and has no close living relatives (I guess the giraffe is a VERY distant cousin).  There are about 10,000-20,000 alive in the wild, but since this dude is sooooo vintage, he goes on the list