25 Of The Rarest Animals In The World

Posted by , Updated on July 17, 2014

For various reasons most of the animals on this list are either extinct, only found in captivity, or severely endangered. These are 25 of the rarest animals in the world.

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Cuban Greater Funnel-Eared Bat

rarest animals

Due to habitat loss there are only 100 left in Cueva La Barca, Cuba.



rarest animals

Residing in Madagascar, this is the most endangered tortoise in the world.


Javan Rhino

rarest animals

Formerly found throughout Southeast Asia, there are now only between 40 and 60 remaining, all within Ujung Kulon National Park in Java.


Elephant Shrew

rarest animals

Living in the Boni-Dodori Forest in Kenya, their habitat is slowly being destroyed.


Red-Crested Tree Rat

rarest animals

Residing in the forests of Colombia, this creature was thought to be extinct since 1898. Recently, however, volunteers at El Dorado Nature Reserve were paid a visit by the long lost animal.


Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat

rarest animals

There are about 100 of these wombats left in the wild and all of them live in Epping Forest National Park in Queensland, Australia.


Common sawfish

rarest animals

As of late, the commons sawfish has become not-so-common and the endangered species is found mostly in the waters off of northern Australia.


Sumatran Rhino

rarest animals

Hunted for its horn, there are only about 200 Sumatran Rhinos left in Malaysia and Indonesia.



rarest animals

Also known as the Hunter’s Hartebeest, these antelopes are found in a small region between Kenya and Somalia. There are between 500 and 1,000 left in the wild.


Dusky Gopher Frog

rarest animals

The entire population is estimated to be between 60-80 individuals residing in two ponds in Mississippi.


Red River Giant Softshell Turtle

rarest animals

There are only 4 left and all of them live in captivity.


Greater Bamboo Lemur

rarest animals

This avid bamboo consumer now lives in a threatened habitat due to mining and illegal logging.



rarest animals

Found off the coasts of California and Mexico, these are the smallest dolphins in the world. There are only about 200 left.


Luristan Newt

rarest animals

Endemic to the southern Zagros Mountains of Iran, these newts have been highly sought on the black market. As a result there are none left in the wild.


Spoon-Billed Sandpiper

rarest animals

With breeding grounds in northeastern Russia, there are fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining.


Jamaican Rock Iguana

rarest animals

Believed to be extinct for many years, this iguana was found in the remote Hellshire Hills in 1970.


Geometric Tortoise

rarest animals

Living in Cape Province, South Africa, this tortoise is threatened by habitat degradation as well as predation.


Rio Pescado Stubfoot Toad

rarest animals

Not seen since 1995, this toad that lives in Ecuador’s lowlands was found again in 2010.


Araripe Manakin

rarest animals

Due to habitat destruction Brazil has only 779 left in the wild.


Roloway monkey

rarest animals

Formerly residing in the forests of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, it has become nearly extinct primarily due to hunting.


Nelson’s Small-Eared Shrew

rarest animals

Endemic to eastern Mexico, this shrew has suffered from habitat loss due to logging and agriculture.


Northern Bald Ibis

rarest animals

With a habitat that used to encompass Morocco, Turkey, and Syria, there are fewer than 200 left in the wild.


Hainan Gibbon

rarest animals

The world’s rarest primate lives on Hainan Island in the South China Sea. There are only 23 left.


Gooty Tarantula

rarest animals

Endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka, civil unrest and deforestation have led to habitat loss.


Snow Leopard

rarest animals

A very rare sight in the wild, when two snow leopard cubs were photographed in the mountains of Tajikistan last year it got a lot of attention.

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