Nine of the Rarest Animals in the World

The Javan rhino is among the rarest mammals on the planet. It is a critically endangered member of the rhinoceros family, and one of the five remaining rhino species across South Asia and Africa. The Javan rhino is one of the smallest rhinoceros species.

Javan Rhino

The Amur leopard is a leopard subspecies native to the Primorye region of southeastern Russia and northern China. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. 

Amur Leopard

The addax, also known as the white antelope, is an antelope native to the Sahara Desert. The only member of the genus Addax, it is a critically endangered species of antelope, as classified by the IUCN.

Addax

The vaquita is a species of porpoise endemic to the northern end of the Gulf of California in Baja California, Mexico. The species is currently on the brink of extinction, and currently listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List. 

Vaquita

Hainan gibbon, is a Critically Endangered species of gibbon found only on Hainan Island, China. They are under grave threat of extinction and are critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

Hainan Gibbon

The red wolf (Canis rufus) is a canine native to the southeastern United States. Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently recognizes the red wolf as an endangered species and grants it protected status.

Red Wolf

Gharials are one of the most critically threatened crocodilians. Their primary threats include habitat loss due to human encroachment, unsustainable fishing practices and hunting. The species came alarmingly close to extinction in the 1970s.

Gharial

Often called the Asian unicorn, little is known about the enigmatic saola in the two decades since its discovery. None exist in captivity and this rarely-seen mammal is already critically endangered.

Saola

The Chinese giant salamander is one of the largest salamanders and one of the largest amphibians in the world. the wild population has declined by more than an estimated 80% since the 1950s. 

Chinese Gianta Salamander