{"id":42096,"date":"2024-09-23T12:09:38","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T10:09:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/a9e7fd78-aa46-4e23-a556-d39af130a3c2"},"modified":"2024-09-23T12:27:41","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T10:27:41","slug":"11-of-the-rarest-animals-in-the-world-and-at-high-risk-of-going-extinct","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/11-of-the-rarest-animals-in-the-world-and-at-high-risk-of-going-extinct\/","title":{"rendered":"11 of the rarest animals in the world, and at high risk of going extinct"},"content":{"rendered":"

More and more species are becoming at risk each year. Nida Al-Fulaij from the People\u2019s Trust for Endangered Species takes a look at 10 of the rarest animals in the world <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Monday, 23 September 2024 at 10:09 AM<\/p>

\n\n

It won\u2019t be a surprise to anyone that globally we are facing a biodiversity crisis. So many different, and complex, threats are impacting much of our flora and fauna, with many species becoming more at risk every year \u2013 whether they live in our deserts<\/a>, grasslands, jungles or countryside.<\/p>

The threats facing the world\u2019s polar bears<\/a>, tigers<\/a>,\u00a0and rhinos<\/a> are common knowledge, but here, Nida Al-Fulaij from People\u2019s Trust for Endangered Species<\/a> and the experts from Whale and Dolphin Conservation<\/a>, highlights 11 of the rarest animals in the world that you may not have come across before. <\/p>

These species are just as important as the iconic ones,\u00a0and\u00a0range\u00a0from\u00a0one of the world\u2019s rarest snakes\u00a0to Siamese crocodiles that are sadly\u00a0now absent from 99% of\u00a0their\u00a0former range.<\/p>

Rarest animals in the world<\/h2>

Black and chestnut eagle<\/strong><\/h3>
Image credit: thibaudaronson, CC BY-SA 4.0 https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Eagles, some\u00a0of the world\u2019s most iconic species, are mostly found in Eurasia and Africa.\u00a0Only a\u00a0handful of species live in the Americas, including the rare\u00a0black and chestnut eagle<\/a>, which has fewer than\u00a0250 adults remaining in the wild <\/p>

One of the largest raptors\u00a0of\u00a0the Andes, these kings of the air have a wingspan of almost two metres.\u00a0Living\u00a0high\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0montane\u00a0forests from Colombia to Argentina, these birds\u00a0hunt medium-sized mammals such as\u00a0squirrels,\u00a0opossums\u00a0and porcupines, as well as birds.\u00a0<\/p>

But as communities\u00a0expand in the\u00a0more remote\u00a0regions, conflict arises as the eagles sometimes\u00a0take chickens, a loss the local farmers cannot afford.\u00a0Conflict resolution measures are underway to ensure the birds can live in harmony alongside the local villagers.\u00a0<\/p>

El Rincon stream frogs<\/strong><\/h3>
\"\"
Image credit: Pablo Kacoliris\/PTES<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Living at the southern\u00a0tip of South America,\u00a0El Rincon stream frogs<\/a>\u00a0are found in one location on\u00a0a single plateau in Argentinian Patagonia.\u00a0These frogs survive the frigid cold winters by spending their lives in warm thermal streams.\u00a0Listed as Critically Endangered, the frogs have been\u00a0at risk from invasive, aggressive rainbow trout\u00a0and habitat loss as cattle encroach into their habitat. Fish barriers, fencing and\u00a0reintroduction efforts are\u00a0helping this endemic\u00a0amphibian return to local streams where they\u2019d become extinct.\u00a0<\/p>

Northern river terrapins<\/strong><\/h3>
\"Northern
Image credit; Philbert Charles Berjeau, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Northern river terrapins<\/a>\u00a0(Batagur\u00a0baska<\/em>)\u00a0are one of the most endangered freshwater turtles in the world.\u00a0Once widespread throughout the mangrove swamps, rivers and\u00a0estuaries\u00a0of West Bengal and Odisha in India, their numbers plummeted due to over collection of adults and eggs for food, as well as sand mining and pollution. An emergency search in 2008 found just 12 individuals surviving in\u00a0the forests of West Bengal. These terrapins have formed the core of a captive breeding population, which\u00a0has successfully returned\u00a0the first population into the wild, with plans to establish more.\u00a0<\/p>

Dinagat<\/strong>\u00a0moonrat<\/strong><\/h3>

Many endemic species exist on small islands.\u00a0In the southern part of the Philippines,\u00a0Dinagat\u00a0Island is host to two particularly rare animals, the\u00a0Dinagat\u00a0moonrat and the\u00a0Dinagat\u00a0hairy-tailed rat<\/a>. These small mammals are so rare that\u00a0we don\u2019t know how many survive on the\u00a0tiny island \u2013 and we can’t even source a picture.\u00a0Half of the island is threatened with mining so urgent\u00a0investigations\u00a0are underway to try and locate the remaining populations and put protection measures in place to ensure their habitat isn\u2019t lost.\u00a0<\/p>

Hirola antelope<\/strong><\/h3>
\"\"
Image credit: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Known as the world\u2019s most endangered antelope,\u00a0hirola<\/a>\u00a0number just a few hundred individuals in the wild.\u00a0Since the 1970s when an estimated 14,000 antelope roamed the grasslands of Kenya and Somalia, various catastrophes have reduced their numbers to just 600.\u00a0These shockingly low hirola numbers are predominantly a result of habitat loss \u2013 a decline in the grassland upon which they depend. These landscape changes have been associated with overgrazing, elephant extirpation, fire suppression and climate variability,\u00a0compounded by the fact that\u00a0the region\u00a0is\u00a0subject to\u00a0conflict and drought. Efforts are underway to\u00a0restore and protect\u00a0the\u00a0traditional\u00a0grasslands they depend on.<\/p>

Albany adders<\/strong><\/h2>