9 Animals That Have Rarely Been Seen!

hi it's katrina from one of the most unique porpoises in the world to a bird of prey that eats monkeys here are nine animals that have rarely been seen [Music] number nine the black maned lion in recent years images of a completely black so-called melanistic lion have circulated online while many of these photos prove to be photoshopped hoaxes there is such a thing as a dark maned lion in early 2017 a national geographic explorer and ornithologist named sagan security spotted a rare dark-maned ethiopian lion this population is one of few who live in a habitat outside the sub-saharan savanna where most african lions are found the ethiopian lion was thought to be extinct but a population of about 40 were rediscovered in 2016. scientists are unsure whether this little studied group might be their own subspecies of lion lions in general are endangered despite how often they seem to appear in images and video footage worldwide their population has declined by as much as 75 since 1980 with less than 20 000 lions likely remaining in the wild according to national geographic an all-black or melanistic lion could theoretically exist and there are a couple of stories of sightings of black lions although there are so few that seeing one is like finding a unicorn an almost entirely black lion was spotted in tanzania and in 2008 large black lions were rumored to be in the streets in south africa remote populations of the black main lion are also very rare and researchers are hoping to learn more about their genetics and how they are related to other african lions so far they believe that ethiopian lions are an isolated genetically distinct population locals say that the lions tend to stay in one place so they are pretty isolated but that doesn't mean that they are protected number eight the vaquita the critically endangered vaquita porpoise is the world's rarest marine mammal with an estimated 10 remaining in the wild these tiny purposes who reach 5 feet long and weigh up to 120 pounds are only found in mexico's gulf of california they are found primarily in the region's shallow coastal waters but with how close the species is to the brink of extinction seeing one is extremely unlikely mexico's illegal fishing industry is largely responsible for the vaquitas alarmingly small numbers with the cetaceans being entangled in nets as bycatch by fishermen pursuing totoaba fish an activity that was banned in 1975. the last vaquita spotted died in a fishing net in march 2020. activists accuse the mexican government of failing to take action against illegal fishing in 2020 the center for biological diversity and animal welfare institute sued the trump administration in an effort to pressure the american government to sanction mexico for its illegal fishing activities the conservation groups hoped that this would in turn prompt the mexican government to enforce its fishing laws but nothing seems to have changed so far even though what they are doing is against the law fishermen in the gulf of california are becoming increasingly brazen in their harassment of conservationists working to protect the vaquita including the organization sea shepherd which confiscates illegal gill nets in the region recently some fishermen rammed their small boat into a sea shepherd vessel and others nearby allegedly threw gasoline bombs and led weights at the ship while it removed gill nets from the water two people were injured in the ordeal incidents like this make it clear that in addition to pushing vaquitas even closer to extinction preventing illegal fishing and protecting wildlife is dangerous business number seven the seneca white deer the world's largest all-white population of white-tailed deer can be found at the former seneca army depot in romulus new york in the finger lakes region they share the area with brown white-tailed deer and frequently interbreed while the species is typically brown in color the white deer are leucistic meaning that they carry a recessive genetic trait that causes them to lack the pigment in their hair hence their white coats unlike albino animals which completely lack the pigment melanin leucistic deer do not entirely lack pigment they have normal eyes and eyesight sparing them from the vision problems that come along with albinism in an unprotected environment white deer tend to be a prime target for predators and hunters but the seneca white deer population is carefully managed and their numbers have increased for over 60 years according to the seneca white deer official website the deer's territory is on privately owned property that the u.s army used for storing weapons and ammunition between world war ii and the year 2000. when the army built a fence around the depot in 1941 it's likely that several of the white deer were unintentionally confined within this is usually not good for wildlife but in this case the rare deer were isolated from predators and thus able to thrive after the first white deer was spotted in 1949 the army began protecting them to keep the deer population from getting too big for the amount of space that the base offered the military allowed people to hunt the brown whitetail deer but not the white ones the base opened up for self-guided auto tours in 2019 but the program unfortunately ended due to financial struggles decreasing the chances of members of the public encountering one of these majestic white deer number 6. the hooded grieb the hooded grieb is famous for its bizarre mating display discovered in the 70s these rare birds are found in patagonia argentina and possibly chile its elaborate courtship moves include fancy footwork and dancing cheek to cheek and then whipping their heads around a group of naturalists and filmmakers called living wild in south america produced a film called tango in the wind that shows a rare look at this bird's courtship display there are fewer than 500 breeding pairs remaining and the future doesn't look good its population was once much larger and has declined by as much as 95 in some places climate change has affected the lakes where they nest causing them to dry up besides using the lakes to breed the bird's main food source the milfoil plant grows in these waters and is consequently becoming less available additionally the species has a low reproduction rate producing one chick each breeding season on average as if this and climate change weren't damaging enough to the hooded grieb invasive species like american mink and kelp gulls prey on the bird sometimes killing several in a day thanks to diligent conservation actions the hooded greed population has been stabilizing since 2014 and its reproductive rate appears to be slowly increasing in any case very few people have ever seen this bird and probably never will number 5. the thai liger there is a growing list of captively bred lion tiger hybrids including ligers the offspring of a male lion and female tiger tigons the offspring of a lioness and a male tiger and le tygons a hybrid between a female tygon and a male asiatic lion just to name a few the list gets progressively more confusing as it goes on one of the rarest among these already rare creatures is the thai liger a thai liger is the offspring of a male tiger and a female liger making it 75 percent tiger and 25 lion there are only six known thai ligers in the world according to the barry kirschner wildlife foundation a non-profit that houses a female tie liger named topaz the organization hopes to learn more about this extremely rare and therefore little understood animal by observing topaz as she grows up its website notes that researchers do not believe thai lagers are prone to the same inherited birth defects and neurological problems as ligers despite having one as a parent while tiliger cubs tend to be larger than the average tiger cub it is unknown whether they inherit a growth inhibitor gene like ligers who reach massive sizes and grow continuously throughout their lives as a result if the human-made species is lucky enough to escape these issues its population may increase but for now the only way to see one up close is to travel to one of the mere handful of places throughout the globe that house a thai liger number 4. yangtze finless porpoise the yangtze finless porpoise is endemic to the yangtze river asia's longest river and two lakes that the river connects to it's one of two dolphin species native to the river with the other being the chinese river dolphin unfortunately the river dolphin was declared functionally extinct in 2006 as the first dolphin species to be wiped out by human activity leaving the yangtze finless purpose as the river's sole surviving dolphin nicknamed the smiling angel for its cute natural facial expression the yangtze finless porpoise is also known for its small size reaching up to 6.2 feet long it plays a crucial role in balancing the food chain in its habitat because it helps to regulate the populations of fish and other creatures that it eats the species is highly protected as part of an effort to avoid the same fate as the baiji dolphin currently the population numbers between 1000 and 1800 classifying the species as critically endangered sightings of these unique creatures are on the rise but are still relatively infrequent the future is looking up though and people are spotting the yangtze finless porpoise more often there is now an annual photography contest in the species honor the most recent contest which announced its winner in december 2019 received hundreds of entries over the course of just a month from expert and amateur photographers alike serving as a hopeful sign for the dolphin's future number 3. saola the name saola means spindle horns in vietnamese nicknamed the asian unicorn these horned creatures are related to cattle and buffalo but more closely resemble antelope both males and females have two parallel straight horns on their head measuring up to 20 inches long saolas grow up to 33 inches tall at the shoulder with adults typically weighing between 176 and 220 pounds they are the only known species of their genus scientists discovered the saula in 1992 in north central vietnam during a survey conducted jointly by the country's ministry of forestry and the world wildlife fund they found evidence of the animal in the form of a horned skull making the saola the first large mammal discovery in over a half century the species only lives in the anamite mountains of vietnam and laos and is so rarely seen it has only been scientifically documented in the wild four times and none exist in captivity the saul's population numbers are unknown but it is classified as critically endangered hunting is the primary threat to its existence numerous organizations and agencies are working together to try saving this elusive creature in late 2019 the vietnamese government established the dong chao ke nuak trong nature reserve which encompasses an area containing some of the world's most critically endangered species including part of the anamite mountains the reserve is afforded the highest protection status banning the extraction of natural resources and not even allowing tourists in certain areas conservationists hope that these newly implemented measures will help bring threatened animals back from the brink of extinction including the saola number two the philippine eagle formerly known as the monkey-eating eagle the philippine eagle is endemic to the philippines hence its current name and is only found on four islands out of the seven thousand that make up the country as one of the world's most powerful and majestic birds of prey it uses its strong beak to kill and eat monkeys snakes lizards and even pigs adults typically grow between two and a half and 3.3 feet long with a wingspan of up to six and a half feet despite its strength the species is rapidly declining over the last 40 years or so deforestation habitat loss and fragmentation mining unregulated hunting pesticide use and natural disasters such as typhoons have reduced the surviving population of philippine eagles to 300 or less making them one of the world's rarest birds in 1995 the species was named the national bird of the philippines this recognition has helped to raise awareness of the bird and the struggles it faces efforts to bring the philippine eagle population back from the brink of extinction are ongoing but its future remains uncertain number one hispaniolan solenodon the hispaniolan solenodon is what's known as a living fossil meaning it has existed for a very long time it's one of the last surviving members of an ancient lineage of shrews that sprang into existence around 76 million years ago and lived alongside the dinosaurs the tiny animal which measures between 11 and 15 inches long and weighs around 2.2 pounds on average is when a few surviving venomous mammal species it injects its toxic saliva into its prey via specialized grooves in its incisors hence the name celenodon which means slotted tooth this ability may have been inherited from ancient mammals the species once thrived on the island of hispaniola which includes modern-day haiti and the dominican republic it is found nowhere else on earth only occupying a small 38.6 square mile area in haiti and a portion of the southern side of the island in the dominican republic the two populations may represent distinct subspecies the hispaniolan solenodon has a low reproduction rate to begin with birthing just two liters of one two three offspring annually additionally european colonization had a majorly detrimental effect on the population mainly through the introduction of invasive species into the environment such as rats mongoose feral cats dogs and other predators researchers are unsure of how many are left but it is considered critically endangered in addition to being highly threatened and only found on one island throughout the world the hispaniolan solenodon is nocturnal and spends its days sheltering in logs and crevices simply put to see one you truly need to be in the right place at the right time and probably looking for it thanks for watching which of these animals do you wish you could see in real life or maybe you're one of the lucky ones and already have let me know in the comments below be sure to subscribe if you are new here and i'll see you next time bye

Channel: Origins Explained

Views: 553,389

Rating: 4.8060737 out of 5

Keywords: origins explained, animals that have rarely been seen, rare animals, rare species, rare lions, beautiful animals, rare animals in the world, rarest species, rarest animals, rarely seen, elusive animals, rarely seen animals, rare creatures, rare animal species, rare, animal, species, creatures, beautiful, elusive, spotted, wild, nature, amazing, amazing animals, wild animals, nearly extinct, endangered species, extinct species, endangered animals, animals

Id: wkJp72sR3a4

Length: 14min 3sec (843 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 26 2021