Almost every day we see a new animal on the not so pleasant endangered animals list. And in 99% of the time the activity of us humans are usually responsibly for it; we hunt, poach, fish and also destroy their natural habitats.
Below are lists of animals that are the most endangered animal species.
1. The Cotton Top Tamarin
This small tree-dwelling monkey is severely imperiled by the loss of its habitat. It is native to the humid and dry forests of Columbia.
Tamarins are a member of the family of marmosets. They have modified claws instead of nails on all digits except their big toe, which is a distinction from all New World monkeys. The Cottontop tamarin was named because of its elegant white fur that showers over its head and upper body. They have a total body length of only 17 cm and tail length of 25 cm, which makes them one of the smallest primates today.
They are most active during the day and rests in the safety of the tree tops at night.
Sadly, today, the cottontop tamarins are considered critically endangered species, with just about 4000 left in the wild
2. The Black Rhinoceros
It's a very large species of the rhinoceros that is found in Africa. Despite its name, the black rhinoceros is actually fairly light in color with most black rhinoceros having either a white or grey skin. The black rhinoceros is an herbivore which means that it eats only plants. They walk along the savanna looking for plants to dig up using their large horns for food. They also eat leaves, flowers, buds, fruits and berries etcetera.
Humans are the biggest threat to the existence of the black rhinoceros as we have hunted them for their horns and it is believed in some rural quarters that the horn of a black rhino has some medicinal and aphrodisiac qualities, but scientists are yet proves these hypotheses.
3.The Tiny Bamboo Lemur
They are named bamboo lemur because of their crushing jaw which can chew right through a bamboo. They can spend half a day foraging and feeding from leaves. Their teeth have serrated edges which allow them an eased chewing of grasses and bamboo, and are arboreal i.e. they live in trees.
They are found in Madagascar, an African isle that is home to more endangered species than any other country in the world. Currently all lemurs are endangered species, due mainly to deforestation and hunting.
They live in groups of 3-5 parties unlike the ring tails lemur; this group usually contains a single mature male.
The bamboo lemurs were believed to be extinct for nearly half a century and somehow, they reappeared again in the wild. But the lemur’s rainforest habitat is being slashed and burnt for agriculture, so their revival might be only temporary.
4.Western Lowland Gorilla
The western lowland gorillas are found inhabiting the tropical jungles and forests of western parts of central Africa (Gabon, DCR, Cameroon, CAR and Mbini). They are one of the most numerous species of the western gorilla but still, they are critically endangered in the wild. They are also the most likely gorilla to be seen in any of the zoos in our world today.
A fully grown male lowland gorilla weighs up to 400 pounds and measures about 5 ½ feet. They are omnivores (animals that eat meat, vegetable and matter), but are known to mostly eat fruits for which they are known to travel vast distances through the wild forests to find. The western lowland gorilla has been observed to use tools in the wild to more effectively gather food
.
All types of gorilla specie are on the brink of danger of extinction but the western lowland gorilla is the most critically endangered species. 5. Saola
They are natively found in Vietnam and of all large mammals in the world today, they are one of the most recently discovered and also one the scarcest animals with populations just in the range of about a 100 individuals. Just so little is known about this animal. They can grow up to 50cm and have sharp horns that sit parallel on top of their heads -both males and females have these smooth horns.
The saola are thought to lead a generally solitary lifestyle and primarily feed on the leaves of fig, trees and bushes.
They have a lot of natural predators as they live in the wild, humans also contribute their fair share in the destruction of their habitat, so just a fraction of them are said to be left in the wild.
6. The Radiated Tortoise
They are found only on the island of Madagascar and live in thorn forests, woodlands, and scrubby grasslands. The Radiated Tortoise is primarily an herbivore; the majority of its diet is comprised of plant matter. They often supplement their food by eating smaller animals. In their natural habitats, these ground-dwelling animals are prey to a number of predators like snakes and big birds. And just like most other endangered animals, human are the biggest threat to its existence through habitat obliteration and exotic pet trade. Almost 50,000 of these species are killed every year across the southern part of the island just for food despite being one of the most protected tortoise species in the world. 7. The red wolf
The red wolves are smaller than the gray wolves and are found in the coastal marshlands of the southern parts of eastern North America, their coats vary from a light tan to black with red-like ears, head and legs. Scientist and people thought that the specie was extinct, but a few of them have been returned to nature so there population is reported to be about 100 individuals.
They live in the swampland, forest and coastal prairies where it was one of the top predators. Red wolves are primarily nocturnal (active at night), and communicate by scent marking. They are named for their reddish colored fur, with dark patches on their backs.
They primarily eat smaller ground dwelling animals such as birds and rabbits.
Because of human hunters and loss of their habitat, red wolf population is wiped out, but hope is here because some young have been released to nature from captivity.
8. Amur Leopard
Amur Leopards live in the East of Russia. They are a very rare species that have adapted to life in the temperate forests that make up the northern-most part of the species range. Their population is devastated because their beautiful coats are being poached, sold and are said to be very expensive.
They can run at speeds of up to 37mph, like other leopards, they are stealth hunters and strong, they are quite renowned hunters of the deep forests. In search of prey, they roam covering a large expanse. Their long legs and thick coat help them survive the deep snow and cold winter.
With the deer populations declining accompanied by the destruction of their living habitats, they are on the verge of extinction. It has been reported that just about 40 individuals are left in the wild.
9. Vaquita
Vaquita is one of the world’s most rare marine mammals, and also on the brink of extinction. Vaquita are often caught and drowned as baits in gillnets by illegal fishing operations in the marine protected regions within the Mexico's Gulf of California.
The vaquita has a dark ring around its eyes and black patches on its lips that form a thin line from around the mouth to their pectoral fins. Their babies have darker coloration and a wide gray fringe of color that runs from the head to the dorsal flukes.
For some years now, they have been at the center of a battle between fishermen and conservationist.
The vaquita mostly die when they get caught up in gillnets. Two years ago this species population was only 200; today it has plummeted to just 97. 10. The Riverine Rabbit
This endemic species is only found around Karoo in South Africa. It is the rarest and most endangered mammal and is the most endangered wildlife species in South Africa. They are the only indigenous burrowing rabbit in Africa and are dependent on deep, soft alluvial soils.
It has large ears so it can hear an enemy approach from quite a distance. They can reach about 52 cm in length and possess a dark brown band that goes from the side of the lower jaw towards the bottom of the ears. This rabbit is an important species for measuring the health of an ecosystem.
With the continual loss of its habitat to agriculture and being often caught in human traps and sport hunting, their future is very bleak. The current population is estimated at less than 250 individuals and declining fast.
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