Rare animals

(This was an article for my school newspaper)

The term ‘Rare animal’ refers to an animal which exists in numbers around the world lower than it should be. It could be that these animals are great at hiding from humans or that they are not popular. Rare also often refers to an animal that is endangered. There are many rare animals in this world, here are three of them:

The Jaguarundi

The Jaguarundi (scientific name is Puma yagouaroundi) is a wild cat that is black, brownish grey, or reddish brown in colour. There have been albino ones found, but it is extremely rare. They have slender, lengthened bodies, short legs, a small flattened head, a long “otter-like” tail, and a sleek coat. They are very uncommon in zoos, and according to one website, the record for most Jaguarundis in a zoo is two. These cats of the lowlands can be found from northern Mexico through Central America, down to central Argentina. Jaguarundis have at least thirteen different calls to communicate and they can reach speeds of over 60 miles per hour.

The Liger

A Liger is the crossbreed of a male lion and a tigress (female tiger). Ligers are the biggest cats in the world and can weigh more than a lion and a tiger; usually around 900 pounds. Hercules was the most famous and  largest Liger, weighing more than 900 pounds. Ligers, just like tigers, love to swim. These large carnivores are usually born in litters of 2-4 kits. There are around one hundred Ligers in the world, which are all living in captivity in places such as zoos, animal sanctuaries, and private farms. A Liger’s life span is usually around 12-15 years.

The Saola

The Saola (scientific name is Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) is one of the world’s rarest large mammals. They are often called the “asian unicorn”. Little is known about the Saola and there are none in captivity. They are critically endangered (the last stop before extinction). The Saola was discovered in May 1992, when the Ministry of Forestry of Vietnam and World Wildlife Fund found a skull with unusually long and straight horns. Their horns can reach up to 20 inches in length and are found in both males and females. They are only found in the Annamite Mountains of Vietnam and Laos. In the Lao language, Saola means ‘spinning wheel posts’, referring to the similarity in size and shape of the animal’s horns to the support posts of local spinning wheels used by villagers in the area the Saola lives.