Unknown rare animals

Unknown rare animals

Unknown rare animals – who are they? Join me in exploring the fascinating world of rare and little-known animal species! Let’s raise awareness of their uniqueness.

Saola

Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) is a species of even-toed mammals of the Bykovi family. Lives in the jungles of Vietnam, Laos. Saola was discovered in 1992 and was already on the verge of extinction. According to rough estimates, the population ranges from several dozen to 200 individuals.

Unknown rare animals Saola

Scientists cannot determine more precisely, because saolas avoid people. The main role in the extinction was played by the displacement of the species beyond the limits of their habitat, where they lost their food base and encountered strong predators. Saolas cannot live in captivity.

Sumatran rhinoceros

Sumatran rhinoceros

Sumatran rhinoceros – (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) is the smallest member of the rhinoceros family that lives in South and Southeast Asia.

The oldest species among the now existing rhinoceros, close to the Tertiary fossil species of rhinoceros.

The Sumatran rhinoceros lives mostly in tropical forests. He eats plant food and fruits. He eats up to 50 kg per day.

This species of rhinoceros is most active in the morning and at night. Very fond of taking mud baths, in which he can spend up to 5-7 hours.

Today it can be found only in Sumatra, Borneo and the Malay Peninsula. At the beginning of the 21st century, the number of Sumatran rhinos was about 275 individuals, and by 2015 only 80 remained. This is one of the most poorly studied animals on the planet. In captivity, Sumatran rhinos do not live long, they do not produce offspring. They often become victims of poaching because of their horns. Which are valued in Chinese medicine.

Javan rhinoceros

The Javan rhinoceros is a very rare animal, the state of its population today is on the verge of extinction. The species is distributed only in the Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia. Its population is 60-75 individuals.

This species of rhinoceros prefers grass and shrub thickets, as well as rainforest clearings. Likes to lie in shallow water or in a swamp for a long time. Leads a lonely lifestyle. The Javan rhinoceros feeds on plant food, mainly the leaves of young trees.

Javan rhinos live up to 45 years.

The main factor that negatively affected the population of the Indian Javan rhinoceros was poaching for its horn, which was used in Chinese medicine.

A giant soft-bodied turtle

A giant soft-bodied turtle

This is the largest freshwater turtle, the weight of which reaches 200 kilograms. She spends most of her life buried in the sand, exposing only the front part of her head. The attack speed of this turtle is higher than that of a cobra. Populations began to decline rapidly due to rampant construction of dams and other infrastructure along the banks of the Yangtze River, as it destroyed the turtles’ primary natural habitats. In addition, large animals and their eggs were desirable prey for poachers.

Until 2007, it was believed that this species was lost forever. But then 4 turtles were found. Two males live in a Vietnamese reserve in the wild, one male and a female live in the Chinese zoo in Suzhou. Most recently, possibly the last female of a rare giant softshell turtle died in China. She was over 90 years old and died a day after specialists tried to carry out an artificial insemination procedure. Now this species is considered functionally extinct.

Unknown rare animals: Longtail

Unknown rare animals: Longtail

Long-tailed tarsier (Tarsius Storr) is a genus of primates of the tarsier family.

This small animal from the primate family is common in Southeast Asia. He is unique in that his eyes are the same size as his brain. Such large eyes allow them to see perfectly in the dark. The height of the tarsier is only 9-16 cm, the hind legs are twice as long as the body. These are small predators, the number of which does not exceed 400 individuals today.

Scientists call them rare living fossils, because they have practically not changed in the last 45 million years.

The reason for the decline in the population is the felling of trees on which weevils settle. Unfortunately, in captivity, these animals die very quickly, in a matter of weeks, so it is impossible to restore the population artificially.

Guanaco: highland camel

Guanaco: highland camel Unknown rare animals

The guanaco is the largest herbivorous mammal in South America. One of the rarest animals in the world belongs to the camelid family, although it is more similar to an antelope or a deer.

Thanks to the developed respiratory system, guanacos can live at an altitude of up to 5,500 m above sea level, where it is difficult for many to breathe. Moreover, below 3000 m, these animals feel awkward.

The guanaco can reach speeds of up to 56 km/h. Running is important for the survival of these animals, as they live in open areas. Also, these animals are excellent swimmers.

Life expectancy in nature is 20 years, in captivity up to 28 years.

The number of species is noticeably decreasing. The reason lies in the fact that the guanaco is hunted for its skin, valuable wool and meat, and also competes with livestock on pastures. In Chile and Peru, guanacos are protected by the state.

Pronghorn

Pronghorn

Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) is a North American mammal of the order of even-toed ungulates. The fastest land animal in the Western Hemisphere, second only to the African cheetah. Pronghorn is the only ungulate in North America that managed to survive the last glaciation and withstand anthropogenic pressure (hunting) of the last several thousand years. The peculiarity of this species is that the horns are covered with horn covers. Which change every year, leaving the bone base unchanged.

This deer-like mammal has a reddish-brown back and a white belly and rump. As a continuation of the white croup, the entire lower body from the shoulders to the thighs is also white and has the shape of a large rectangular spot on both sides. It has two broad white stripes across its reddish-brown neck and a short black mane.

Excellent vision allows a pronghorn to spot a predator at a distance of 6 km. To warn other animals of danger, the pronghorn raises white fur near its tail. Seeing the sign, the others run away, speeding up to 90 km/h.

The hornbill lives on the open plains of the American prairies in grassy, ​​sagebrush. And low-shrub areas and deserts; at an altitude of up to 3353 m above sea level. Animals lead both daytime and nighttime lifestyles. The basis of nutrition is various herbs, leaves, young shoots. Pronghorns feed on small amounts of various plants.

In 1924, a rough count showed that fewer than 20,000 pronghorns remained. This decrease in the number of animals was most likely due to hunting, combined with a sharp reduction in available habitats.

Takin: A beast with a golden fleece

Takin: A beast with a golden fleece

Takin is one of the most beautiful animals in the world.

It has a full, bull-like body, covered with dense fur, which has a color from golden yellow to brown in different subspecies. Similar to a golden bull. Short strong legs end in wide hooves, which are adapted for moving on mountain slopes. The takin’s head has a “Roman” profile with a large curved nose. Both sexes wear small horns 25-30 centimeters long, curved outwards and backwards, with points directed upwards. The base of the horns has the shape of a crest.

It lives in the mountainous areas of the Himalayas in (India, Bhutan, northern Myanmar) and western China at an altitude of 1900-4500 meters above sea level.

Takins feed during the morning and evening, although on overcast days they may be active all day. They use narrow passages in thickets, which they regularly use to move along the same route between feeding and resting places. In case of danger, takinas try to escape into dense bamboo groves, where they lie down. Natural predators that hunt takin are wolves (they mainly prey on young or sick individuals) and bears.

There are only about 25,000 individuals in the world, and despite protection, the number is decreasing.

Amur tiger

Amur tiger

Lives in the Russian Far East and China.

This is the northernmost tiger, it is also called Ussuri or Siberian.

They are the largest among their relatives (weight can exceed 300 kilograms) and the least aggressive towards humans. Able to jump 2 floors up and develop a speed of up to 80 kilometers per hour.

This is one of the few animals where the father participates in raising the offspring. Males communicate with the family visually and with the help of scent marks on trees.

The Amur tiger was on the verge of extinction due to the unregulated shooting of adults, intensive hunting of tiger cubs, as well as the destruction of forest areas in the vicinity of some rivers and the decrease in the population of wild even-toed animals.

In 1935, the large Sikhote-Alinsky state reserve was organized in the Primorsky Krai, then the Laziv and Ussuri reserves, then no more than 50 individuals remained in nature. Since 1947, tiger hunting has been strictly prohibited. In China, killing this animal is even punishable by death.

Although the number of the Amur tiger has increased from 30 to 550 individuals compared to previous years, it is still under threat of extinction.

Dwarf anteater

Dwarf anteater

The dwarf anteater is the smallest representative of the mammal species from the family Cyclopedidae. Lives in Central and South America.

Average weight: 266 g. The head and body are 36-45 cm long, and the tail is 18-20 cm long. The relatively long, prehensile tail is bare on the underside. It helps to climb trees perfectly. The coat is soft and silky, brown-grey to golden-yellow, darker on top with a dark line along the top of the head, neck and back. The tip of the nose is pink, the soles of the feet are reddish, and the eyes are black. On the second The claws and third fingers are large, curved and sharp. Scares enemies with its smell. This smell is seven times stronger than that of skunks.

Leads a nocturnal and arboreal lifestyle. These are very slow animals. The species seems to feed exclusively on ants. Eats an average of 100 to 8,000 ants per day.

Although general deforestation is occurring in many parts of the range, the anteater remains widespread in the Amazon basin and there are currently no serious threats to the survival of this small animal.

Red wolf

Red wolf

Once this predator inhabited almost the entire territory of the United States. But it was severely persecuted by the population for attacks on domestic livestock. At the same time, his habitat was destroyed. As a result, by 1967 there were no red wolves left in the wild, and 14 individuals lived in captivity. This subspecies received the status of “endangered”. And active efforts by scientists to save it began.

Today, all red wolves are descendants of the last 14 predators. The population has already grown slightly to 280 individuals, with 100 of them released into the wild in the North Carolina area.

Earth wolf

The ground wolf is a predatory mammal of the Hyena family. It can be found in the countries of East and South Africa.

Despite the name, this rare animal has nothing in common with wolves. The animal belongs to the genus of hyenas, but it is half the size. Body length is only 55-95 cm, height – 45-50 cm. Weight: 9-14 kg.

The ground wolf lives on open sandy plains or in bushes. It settles in holes in the ground, as a rule, these are abandoned burrows. Leads a mostly nocturnal lifestyle. The diet consists almost entirely of termites and insect larvae.

Currently, there are no serious threats to the species. In South Africa, the aardwolf was previously persecuted by farmers who mistakenly believed it was killing cattle, chickens and their eggs. The reason for this was the mistaken identification of these animals as hyenas or jackals. Currently, the main threat is the loss of places of residence.

California porpoise or vaquita

California porpoise or vaquita

This is one of the most vulnerable species of marine animals. The smallest representative of cetaceans. Vaquita lives only in the Gulf of California, which is not far from Mexico. This species was discovered in 1950, when scientists immediately realized that these animals were dying out. According to scientists’ calculations, in 2018 there were less than 19 of them. In 2019, 9 individuals remained.

The main problem is that California porpoises often drown, entangled in gill nets used by poachers to catch shrimp and totoaba, a fish whose swim bladder is considered a delicacy in China. Another danger is water quality. Alarge volume of chlorine-containing pesticides enters the Gulf of California. Conservationists developed a risky plan to relocate the vaquita to a safe environment. But nothing came of it. Today, conservationists go on raids on their own, finding and removing nets placed on the totoaba to protect the remaining California porpoises.

Humpback whale

Humpback whale

Lives in all oceans, except for some areas of the Arctic Ocean.

This species and genus got its name because of the dorsal fin, which gives the body a humped shape, and from the habit of strongly arching the back in the area of ​​this fin when swimming. Adult males are on average 13–14 meters long, and females – 14–16 meters; the weight is from 25 to 30 tons. The longest life expectancy of males was 48 years, and of females – 38 years.

Gorbach is distributed from the Arctic to the Antarctic. In the Antarctic, they feed only on crustaceans, they starve in wintering places. In other areas, the food is more diverse – bottom and pelagic crustaceans, fish, rarely cephalopods.

Humpback whales instinctively protect other sea creatures and people from sharks.

River gorilla

River gorilla

Nowadays lives only in Cameroon and Nigeria (Africa). There are no more than 280 such animals in natural conditions due to hunting and deforestation. In zoos, river gorillas do not feel well. So the only way to prevent their complete disappearance is to preserve their natural habitat. For this purpose, a National Park was created on the border of Nigeria and Cameroon, where 115 animals live today.

Parrot blue macaw

Parrot blue macaw Unknown rare animals

This species lives only in the forests of Brazil, where tabebuia trees grow. They settled in its hollows, made nests, and ate the seeds of these trees. In 2000, the last male disappeared in the wild. However, fortunately, these birds breed well in captivity.

Blue macaws became famous after the release of the cartoon “Rio”. But at that moment they had already died out in nature, having survived only in captivity.

The reasons for their disappearance were. Felling of tabebu for agriculture; poaching (each blue macaw was valued at up to $40,000).

Today, there are no more than 500 individuals of the species in the world.

California condor

California condor Unknown rare animals

It is a bird from the family of American vultures, one of the largest on the planet with a wingspan of about three meters. Previously, the condor was found in the USA and Mexico. In 1987, he was recorded for the last time by ecologists in the wild.

At that time, there were only 27 birds of this species in captivity. Which were taken under enhanced protection. California condors have become vulnerable due to their small clutch size combined with their late age at puberty.

Unexpected mortality among these bird populations has occurred due to contact with golden eagles. Lead poisoning, and collisions with power lines.

Today, the population restoration program is actively working, as a result. The number of these birds is already 405 individuals, of which 179 birds have been released into the wild.

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