20 Weird Animals That Could Go Extinct in a Short Time

Hunting, pollution, deforestation and habitat destruction are some of the factors that put many species in nature at risk. Therefore, they become true gems of the animal kingdom and live on the brink of extinction. There are also thousands of people and hundreds of organizations working hard to preserve, conserve and help these amazing animals survive. Think about this scene: a group of people stood guard 24/7 to watch Canada’s most endangered mammal, the marmot, just to prevent predators from eating the last of the species!

we from awesome.club We love animals and we think you probably feel the same way about them, so come with us to take in these beauties while we still can.

The “Snowflake” gorilla is a famous albino primate who seems to know a little about love. He had children with three different females during his 36 years at the Barcelona Zoo. And it’s really interesting, because the habitats of your species have big problems of deforestation and over-agriculture and grazing of other animals.

The sunfish, known scientifically as a mola-mola, looks like a huge bubble. It is the largest bony fish in the world. It is born with a rear fin that never fully grows or develops, so it looks like it has no tail.

Rhinopithecus strykeri, popularly called “Burmese pert-nosed monkey”, is among the most endangered primates in the world.

This mammal has a very elastic nasal cavity (or hood) that can be enlarged by closing one of the holes and inflating the other. This happens whenever another male approaches the female. Most likely seeing this would scare even the bravest of us. Who would have thought these creatures were so protective?

Scientists thought the coelacanth, a deep-sea fish, was extinct about 70 million years ago. But in 2001 a specimen weighing 85 kilograms was found. It has changed very little in tens of millions of years, which is really amazing.

This rhino is the smallest and hairiest of all its species, reaching a height of between 1 m and 1.5 m. They enjoy taking mud baths and spend about 300 minutes a day “relaxing”! There are less than 100 specimens of this species in the wild. Due to extensive poaching of animals, their numbers have decreased by almost 70% in the last 20 years.

The Tuatara is the only (and fortunate) endemic reptile descendant of the dinosaurs. It has mixed features: it combines lizards, turtles and birds! This species has a light-sensitive organ on top of its head that is considered its third eye, and it looks exactly like the species found 200 million years ago.

It has a bit of a mouse, a bit of an elephant and a bit of a platypus, that is, it is a very particular animal! The small, pin-sized eyes are offset by a deep, torso-like nose. The Pyrenean water mole also has 44 teeth and its fur has a different structure from that of other animals: it is thinner at the roots and thicker at the tips.

Also called Mala, they are small nocturnal animals from Australia, which have a very interesting curiosity: they only reproduce if it has rained too much. In fact, this characteristic is basically because they fear that there is not enough grass to feed them and that the young will not survive when they are born.

Despite being a bird, New Zealand takahe ralids cannot fly, as their wings are not sufficiently developed and are too heavy. There was a time when their population was quite large, but their beautiful feathers were so attractive that people hunted them for accessories, putting them in danger of extinction.

Numbats belong to the anteater family and feed on termites. They eat about 20,000 of them a day! Babies cling to a nipple in their mother’s womb and stay there for 5 long months. There! Poor moms!

Found off the coast of Madagascar in 2013, this tiny whale is an enigma. It is pale on one side and dark on the other. It prefers to stay in tropical waters, which is unusual considering the species it belongs to. These seas don’t provide much food, so the feeding of Omura’s whales is still a mystery.

It is the third tallest and second heaviest bird in the world, after the ostrich and the emu. The cassowary is also very dangerous, as its ferocious kick can be fatal to a human or any other smaller creature.

The scientific name of the fossa means “hidden anus” (believe me, it’s true). This is due to the fact that this animal is covered by an anal pouch. Fossas (or pits) live on the island of Madagascar, are the largest carnivorous mammals and feed mainly on lemurs.

Shy, peaceful and solitary animals: these bears have a great personality and a very particular appearance, due to the spots on the skin around their eyes. And even if you don’t believe it, they are great climbers, as their main food source is especially the bromeliad plant.

It is the largest of the 5 sea turtles that exist in the world and can reach a weight of up to 650 kilos. There is a record of one that weighed 1,000 kilograms (one ton) and even entered the Guinness Book of Records. Its shell is much smoother than that of other turtles.

It is found only in Vietnam and Laos, and is one of the strangest mammals on the planet. In the language of Laos, its name means “Horn of Spinning Wheel”.

The vaquita, or Gulf of California porpoise, is beautiful. However, only 12 specimens of this species still exist in the world today, which places them among the animals most at risk of extinction among the 129 most endangered species of marine mammals on the planet. They are often caught in illegal fishing nets and cannot get out of them.

This “Magic Bunny” lives in China and is extremely rare to find. Many believe that taking pictures of them can bring good luck. They prefer to live on high ground, between 2,800 and 4,100 meters. So if you want to climb to find them, you’d better start your climbing training right now!

Considered for some time as one of the most endangered animals in the world, this beautiful species managed to recover with only 30 females that were alive! They are a vivid example of how zoos do a great job of saving many endangered species and preserving our planet’s biodiversity.

Everyone had the opportunity to get to know these wonderful blue birds through the animated film Rio, when it hit the big screen in 2011. The film addressed the issue of the extinction of this macaw on a large scale. In 1819, German zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix captured a specimen here in Brazil and the bird was named after him. They were few at the time of discovery, but as of June 2018, only 158 of these beautiful birds remain. The project to help its reproduction is in constant work.

Are there animals on this list that you’ve never heard of? Which one caught your attention the most? Share your answers in the comments section, we’re curious!