Our vast planet includes a vast variety of living forms. And how many of them died out, and hard to count. Usually attention is paid to a beautiful animal. They are shown in the zoo and on TV, they are loved by children, they can be read in the textbook and found in nature. But on Earth there are such creatures of nature, which are very difficult to meet. These rare species are hidden from the eyes of a man, many of us did not hear anything about them. And the information that comes to us, says that these creatures are either on the verge of extinction or in general in the near future will disappear. Who are they, the rarest animals of the planet?
River dolphin of Baiji.
This river mammal lives only in the Yangtze, for which he received such a nickname. Many confuse this dolphin with Chinese white, but in fact they are different species. Today Bayji is officially considered dead two years ago. The rapid industrialization of China led to the disappearance of a rare species. In 2006, researchers tried to find at least one such dolphin in the river, but they did not succeed. But the following year the Chinese photographer was able to capture a beautiful animal. How many live dolphins are left – no one can say. If they did not die out, then there are no more than 13 of them.
Tortoise of the Pinta Island.
There was a unique population of the Galapagos turtles on Pinta Island. You can safely say that this species has died. Unless scientists can resort to full-fledged cloning and pass on the genes of the last surviving tortoise to offspring. Now you can admire the huge turtles except in the photo. The last surviving representative of this species is named Lonely George. This turtle is more than 100 years old, it has become a kind of living symbol of the struggle for the preservation of the Galapagos Islands. Finding a female for George is so important that a reward of $ 10,000 is announced for it. However, the search has lasted for several years and has not yet produced a result. So Lonely George is likely to remain alone, and with it the unique and ancient genus of the Galapagos turtles from Pinta Island will be interrupted.
Today this unique species can be found exclusively in captivity. The dangerous predator acquired a golden color due to the recessive gene. For the first time, people met such a tiger at the beginning of the 20th century. At first, the unusual color was explained by the fact that it developed in a small group of animals. Those who lived on earth with a large clay content, and golden color helped with hunting. But this theory remained unproven. The scientists found out that in conditions of holding a small group in captivity, the appearance of such color could occur. Carriers of the recessive gene of gold color had to be crossed with their offspring, which happened in captivity. This tiger comes from Bengal, being a close relative of the Amur variety. Like the white tigers, these creatures are genetically contaminated by the genes of the Amur white tiger Tony. It is generally a common ancestor for all white tigers in North America. A common mistake is that golden tigers appeared due to crossing Amur tigers with Bengal tigers. In total, about 30 animals of this color are in captivity in various zoos around the world today.
There are only five kinds of rhinoceroses preserved today. Among them, Javan stands out as a rarity. He is a close relative of the Indian, but only much smaller in size. Once upon a time, Javan was widespread in Southeast Asia. But man’s thoughtless hunting for this animal, put a face on the brink of extinction. Today, there are less than 60 individuals left on the island of Java. It is interesting that it is difficult for a person to maintain a population. After all, in captivity Javan perish, then artificially increase the number will not succeed. The war in Vietnam caused a great deal of damage. Since then, the number of rhinoceros has been steadily decreasing. Seychelles white-tailed bat.
As the name suggests, these rare bats live in the Seychelles, which lie just north of Madagascar. Once upon a time, the population of these winged mammals was quite large, but man’s change in their natural environment had a marked effect on mice. Today there are only about a hundred of them, while the number is constantly decreasing.
North wombat with a hairy nose.
This animal is very sweet, yet the funny appearance did not save it from extinction. For today it is the largest mammal, which is threatened with an early disappearance. The northern wombat has a length of about a meter. He really has a nose covered in wool. This fur has a brown or white color, and to the touch it is very soft. The nose itself is short and resembles a pig’s patch. The fur of the wombata is short, thin and silky. It is much softer than that of ordinary wombats. Yes, and the undercoat is very well developed. These qualities served as the reason for the constant hunting of a man for a poor animal. An animal with a hairy nose lives only in two colonies in the north of the USA. And the total population is only 130 individuals.
A gray wolf has an unusual close relative – the Red Wolf. True, it is considered extinct since the 1980s. But man managed to keep in captivity 20 individuals. Since then, the predator population has increased to 207 wolves. When the red wolves were released by the flock to freedom, they were able to successfully settle down there. Now in nature there are about 100 of these predators. Hunting them in the strictest way is prohibited. From ordinary wolves, this variety is distinguished by its color, fluffy hair and a longer tail, which practically touches the ground. The red wolf inhabits Asia from the Tien Shan and Altai to China, India and Malaysia. This beast prefers to live in the mountains, rising to a height of up to 4000 meters. Shoemakers of Sao Tome.
These animals are known in the same way as the beloved ones. They live on the island of Sao Tome and almost completely disappeared. And in this case people are guilty. They have changed the natural conditions of animals so much that they simply have nowhere to go. Shrews have a length of about 9 centimeters, they have small tummies and white teeth. Their population is so rapidly shrinking, that scientists believe that after 10 years such shrews on the planet will not remain at all. Another reason for the disappearance of white people is the rats, monkeys and feral pigs introduced by man to the island.
What is actually okapi? Giraffe? Zebra? Or their cross with a zeraph? In fact, this species is one of a kind. The animal is rather ancient, it was mentioned in the writings of the ancient Egyptians. A hundred years ago in Europe and Africa there was a legend about the mysterious African unicorn. Today, a version is accepted that okapi was taken for this animal. Its physique is more like a horse, the more limbs are striped, like a zebra. The wool of the animals is brown with reddish shades. At the same time, the legs and neck are long, but not as much as the giraffe. Okapi is found only in the territory of one state – the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They live in dense tropical forests. Accurately calculate the number of okapi is unknown, because they are quite timid and shy of man. However, deforestation and civil war in the country have led to the brink of extinction. It is believed that there are 10 to 20 thousand animals left free.
Dolgopyatov can be found on the islands of Southeast Asia. The population is widespread in Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Nevertheless, it should not be considered that these small primates are found in large numbers. The bulk of them is concentrated on Borneo, and in other places they are concentrated in a meager amount. The growth of these rare primates is only 9 to 16 centimeters. At the same time, their hind legs are twice as long as the trunk. Tarsiers have unique eyes that are the size of their own brains.Interestingly, these kids are carnivorous creatures. They kill small birds, insects, lizards, bats and snakes. Small animals are very jumping. They quickly attack their victim and with sharp teeth bite her skull. Live tarsy in the thick foliage, going out hunting at night. But the population of tarsiers is in a very deplorable state. A person can have little influence on this situation, as captives do not breed in captivity.