15 – Javan Rhino

Javan rhino 2

Also known as the “small-horned rhino”
It used to be found all over the islands of Java, Sumatra, parts of India and China
Today though, it’s critically endangered – mainly due to poaching for its tiny horn used in Chinese medicine
The South-East Asian wars also obliterated most of its habitat, so now Javan Rhino numbers barely exceed 40
14 – Amur Leopard

Leopord

These are found in the Primorye regions of southeastern Russia
This is the only leopard subspecies adapted to a cold, snowy climate
And according to a 2008 study, there are only around 15 adults left in the wild
The reason? Poaching, encroaching civilisations, new roads, destruction of forests and climate change
13 – Tarsiers

tarsier-primate-flickr-roberto-verzo

These are found on the islands of South-East Asia, which includes Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and The Philippines, but since they became critically endangered, you’ll only really find them in Borneo
The reason they’re so rare and cherished is that these tarsiers are the only primates alive who are 100% carnivorous
They mostly go after insects, but they’ve also been known to devour birds, bats, lizards and snakes
12 – Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat

wombat-southern-hairy-nosed

This is one of three species of wombat in existence
It used to live all over New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, but in the last 100 years the population has been declining quite harshly
The reason? It has to fight for its food against popular domesticated animals like cow and sheep, so now just over 100 of these wombats are left
11 – Western Lowland Gorilla

western-lowland-gorilla_753_600x450

These live in central Africa, and also a wide area of the Congo jungles
These gorillas show the intelligence of a young child; they fashion tools to dig holes, they can learn sign language up to 1,000 signs, and we haven’t yet discovered the full extent of their mental capacity
They endured deforestation, farming, grazing and expanding human settlements, but it was the Ebola virus in Africa that accounts for 90% of the species extinction, only leading to just over 500 left in captivity
10 – Okapi

Okapi2

This one looks like a strange zebra off-shoot, but in reality it’s a distant relative of the giraffe, a VERY distant relative
It was first discovered in ancient Egypt, the legend of an “African unicorn”, and it’s considered a “living fossil” since it has no close living relatives, only those species long, long dead
Currently there are between 10 and 20,000 thousand Okapi alive today
9 – Iberian Lynx

13_iberian_lynx

This is a carnivorous mammal native to the Iberian Peninsula, Southern Europe
It’s numbers only total around 100 with the primary cause poaching of its main prey, the European rabbit, and the Lynx is physically unable to alter its diet
Numbers have also been reduced from habitat loss, car accidents, feral dog hunting and certain types of illness
8 – Mountain Pygmy Possum

vic-MountainPygmyPossum-large

This is a small, mouse-sized marsupial found in the dense apline rock screes and boulder fields of Australia
It mostly feeds on fruits, nuts and seeds
And the reason it’s so rare? Ski resorts were built on its habitats, that combined with climate change, death by feral cats and foxes and decline of the Bogong moth also contributed to the decline to less than 100 total
7 – Sao Tome Shrew

Sao-Tome-Shrew

These little guys are found only on Sao Tome Island, a shield volcano off the Atlantic Ocean
They were first disovered in 1886, and they’re endangered due to habitat loss, deforestation and a restricted range
Information on the shrews is limited and conservation is difficult because they’re so well cut off from the world, leading people to believe they’re closer to extinction than previously thought
6 – Tamaraw (the Dwarf Water Buffalo)

Bubalus mindorensis by Gregg Yan

This is a small hoofed animal that used to roam the island of Mindora in the Philippines, but due to habitat loss from farming, cattle ranching and the expansion of urban areas, they’re num