TOP TEN RARE ANIMALS
Tarsiers are found only
in the islands of
The Okapi’s history reaches back
to ancient
SAO TOME
SHREW
TARSIERS
Tarsiers are found only
in the islands of Southeast Asia . 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 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. 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.
OKAPI
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.” 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
so vintage, he goes on the list.
The
Sao Tome Shrew is on the Critically Endangered list because not only are there
few left, their habitat is progressively declining. The population continues to decrease, making
these animals rare. Found only Sao Tome Island ,
a small island that is actually a shield volcano that rises out of the Atlantic Ocean .
These little shrews are only about 3 inches long, and have white teeth
(other than the standard yellow) and light bellies.
THE
RED WOLF
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.
NORTHERN HAIRY-NOSED WOMBAT
This
cute critter, considered one of the rarest large mammals in the world, is on
the Critically Endangered list. Over 39
inches long, the Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat is a shade larger than normal
wombats, and are able to breed faster, though that has not improved their
Critically Endangered status. These
vision-impaired marsupials inhabit a mere 750 acre space in Epping
Forest in
Queensland , and
a recently established colony in a predator-protected refuge in St. George. Currently there are about 130 Northern
Hairy-Nosed Wombats alive.
SEYCHELLE SHEATH-TAILED BAT
This sac-winged bat
lives in the Seychelles Islands that lie north of Madagascar . Once abundant throughout the island chain,
the Seychelle Sheath-Tailed Bat is extinct on most of the islands. The bats live in harem colonies, and have a
high reproductive potential.
Unfortunately, they are very susceptible to habitat changes, and because
of their need to roost in several different locations within a habitat, their
survival has not been overly successful.
There are less than 100 Seychelles Sheath-Tailed Bats thought to live in
the world.
JAVAN
RHINO
The Javan Rhino is one
of five living rhinoceros types, and is part of the same genus as the Indian
Rhinoceros, but they are smaller. These
Javan Rhinos were once abundant in Indonesia
and Southeast Asia , but they are now on the
Critically Endangered list with only about sixty (broken into two known
populations) in the wild. There are no
Javan Rhinos in captivity. The Vietnam
War is cited to be one of the biggest deterrents to the Javan Rhino’s
existence, in that it severely depleted its natural habitat. Some sources say that this rhino is THE
rarest large mammal in the world, unlike the Fur-Nosed wombat, who is somewhere
on the “Most Rare” list.
GOLDEN TABBY TIGER
This type of rare tiger is only found in
captivity. The coloring is a result of a
recessive gene, and sometimes the Golden Tabby is also called the Strawberry
Tiger. These types of tigers have a Bengal parentage, but generally have Amur tiger in their
lineage somewhere. This type of tiger
has been in existence as far back as the early 1900s, and their occurrence is
strangely tied to areas with a heavy concentration of clay in the soil. There are less than 30 of these tigers known
in existence.
CHINESE
RIVER DOLPHIN
Also
called the Chinese River Dolphin, the Whitefin Dolphin, and the Yangtze
Dolphin, the Baiji is NOT the Chinese White Dolphin. This rare animal has become “functionally
extinct” because of China ’s
industrialization. Late in 2006.
Researchers were unable to find any of these mid-size dolphins, but in August
of 2007 a Chinese photographer captured an image of what might be a Bainji. There are anywhere between 0 and 13 Yangtze
River Dolphins left in the world.
PINTA
ISLAND TORTOISE
The
Pinta Island Tortoise has been reduced to one known survivor – Lonesome
George. A Galapagos tortoise, George is
considered a “poster child” for the conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands . About 100 years old, all he’s missing
is a mate. Some sources report that there is reward for someone who finds a
female mate for George. There is some
skepticism about George’s claim as the last Pinta Island Tortoise in the
world. A Prague zoo claims to have another male that
they call Tony, but this information is unconfirmed.
- Compiled by Victoria Gomes
St. Stephen's College, Delhi
No comments:
Post a Comment