Top Ten Rarest And Critically Endangered Animals On Earth

Our planet, Earth, hosts more than 30 million animal species. However, a number of those species are at a risk of extinction due to man’s intervention for consumption or entertainment. Endangered species are found throughout the world. Endangered means that the animal is nearly extinct. Many different reasons are in place for the extinction of these animals, whether it is to use for their fur, the oil they produce or as a food source. There are several different types of endangered species. Here we will take a look some of the most endangered species out there.

This time Shub's Top Ten brings you a list of The Top Ten Rarest And Critically Endangered Animals on Earth.

1.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 declinde by a stark 70% since 1983, due largely to climate change that’s forced them higher and higher up into the mountains. 

2.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.

3.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.

4.White-Rumped Vulture

There are three critically endangered vulture species, and the The White-Rumed Vulture tops the list. It’s experienced a shocking 99% decline in population since the 1980s, which gives it the uncoveted title of fastest declining bird species. 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.

5.The Bornean Orangutan

It’s hard to regenerate a declining population quickly when female Thebornean Orangutan 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.

6.Giant Otter

Gaint Otter 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. You can’t hunt them anymore, fortunately, but now they face the threat of their habitats being destroyed. When the rivers and lakes they live in get destroyed, their food supply of fish dies. Though they look pretty cute to us, fishermen in the area tend to think of giant otters as nuisances.

7.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 Ferret 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.

8.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.

9.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 Pangolin are captured every year.

10.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.