Biology:Rare species

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Short description: Group of organisms that are very uncommon, scarce, or infrequently encountered

A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon, scarce, or infrequently encountered. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and is distinct from the term endangered or threatened. Designation of a rare species may be made by an official body, such as a national government, state, or province. The term more commonly appears without reference to specific criteria. The International Union for Conservation of Nature does not normally make such designations, but may use the term in scientific discussion.[1]

Rarity rests on a specific species being represented by a small number of organisms worldwide, usually fewer than 10,000. However, a species having a very narrow endemic range or fragmented habitat also influences the concept.[2][3] Almost 75% of known species can be classified as "rare".[4]

Rare species are species with small populations. Many will move into the endangered or vulnerable category if the negative factors affecting them continue to operate. Well-known examples of rare species - because these are large terrestrial animals - include the Himalayan brown bear, Fennec fox, Wild Asiatic buffalo, or the Hornbill.

They are not endangered yet, but classified as "at risk",[5][6] although the frontier between these categories is increasingly difficult to draw given the general paucity of data on rare species. This is especially the case in the world Ocean where many 'rare' species not seen for decades may well have gone extinct unnoticed, if they are not already on the verge of extinction like the Mexican Vaquita.[7]

A species may be endangered or vulnerable, but not considered rare if it has a large, dispersed population. IUCN uses the term "rare" as a designation for species found in isolated geographical locations. Rare species are generally considered threatened because a small population size is less likely to recover from ecological disasters.

A rare plant's legal status can be observed through the USDA's Plants Database.

Rare species

Name Image IUCN Red List conservation status Last sighting Estimated population Endemic geographic location
Common name Scientific name Lowest wildlife Highest wildlife Captive Total lowest Total highest
Ethiopian amphibious rat Nilopegamys plumbeus Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1927 ? ? 0 ? ? Distribution of Nilopegamys plumbeus.png
Zuniga's melanomys Melanomys zunigae Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1949 ? ? 0 ? ? Lima Department, Peru
De Winton's golden mole Cryptochloris wintoni Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct c. 1950 ? ? 0 ? ? De Winton's Golden Mole area.png
Northern Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis lasiotis Jackson rhino.jpg Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct After 1960 1 ? ? 0 ? ? Myanmar & Malay Peninsula, Malaysia / Thailand
Christmas Island shrew Crocidura trichura Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1986 ? ? 0 ? ? Christmas Island
Cuban ivory-billed woodpecker Campephilus principalis bairdii Campephilus principalis bairdii.jpg Critically Endangered 16 March 1987 ? ? 0 ? ? Cuba
Garrido's hutia Capromys garridoi Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1989 ? ? 0 ? ? Banco de los Jardins y Jardinillos, Canarreos Archipelago, Cuba
Angel Island mouse Peromyscus guardia Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1991 ? ? 0 ? ? Mexico - Isla Ángel de la Guarda.PNG
Emma's giant rat Uromys emmae Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1994 ? ? 0 ? ? Owi Island, Indonesia
Wimmer's shrew Crocidura wimmeri Critically Endangered 2008 ? ? 0 ? ? Wimmer's Shrew area.png
Baiji Lipotes vexillifer Qiqi, a Chinese River Dolphin (Baiji) 26.jpg Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 2018 ? ? 0 ? ? Yangtze Dolphins range.jpg
Puebla deer mouse Peromyscus mekisturus Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1948 0 50 0 0 50 Puebla in Mexico (location map scheme).svg
Dwarf hutia Mesocapromys nana Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 26 October 1951 0 50 0 0 50 Zapata Swamp, Cuba
New Zealand greater short-tailed bat Mystacina robusta Mystacina robusta specimen from Auckland Museum.jpg Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1967 0 50 0 0 50 Distribution of Mystacina robusta.png
Kouprey Bos sauveli Saen Monourom Mondul Kiri Cambodia crop.jpg Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1988 0 50 0 0 50 Bos sauveli distribution.svg
Montane monkey-faced bat Pteralopex pulchra Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 17 May 1990 0 50 0 0 50 Montane Monkey-faced Bat area.png
San Felipe hutia Mesocapromys sanfelipensis Mesocapromys sanfelipensis drawing.jpg Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1978 0 99 0 0 99 Cayo de Juan Garcia & Cayos de San Felipe, Cuba
Gloomy tube-nosed bat Murina tenebrosa Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1962 1 1 0 1 1 Tsushima Island & Yakushima, Japan
Fernandina Island Galápagos tortoise Chelonoidis niger phantasticus Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct N/A 1 5 0 1 5 Fernandina Island, Ecuador
Aru flying fox Pteropus aruensis Pteropus aruensis.jpg Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1887 1 49 0 1 49 Trangan, Indonesia
Horrid ground-weaver Nothophantes horridus Horrid Ground Weaver (Nothophantes horridus).jpg Critically Endangered N/A 9 9 ? 9 9 Cattedown, Plymouth, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Northern white rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum cottoni Northern White Rhino.jpg Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild) N/A ? 2 ? 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Northern white rhino IUCN distribution.svg
One-striped opossum Monodelphis unistriata Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 9 April 1899 2 10 0 2 10 Single-striped Opossum area.png
Yangtze giant softshell turtle Rafetus swinhoei Rùa Đồng Mô.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 2 4 1 3 5 Rafetus2.png
American ivory-billed woodpecker Campephilus principalis principalis Ivory-billed Woodpecker.jpg Critically Endangered 8 April 2022 3 (as of 8 April 2022)[8] 3 (as of 8 April 2022)[8] 0 3 (as of 8 April 2022)[8] 3 (as of 8 April 2022)[8] Original range of the ivory-billed woodpecker.jpg
Guadalcanal rat Uromys porculus Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct Between 1886 and 1888 3 3 0 3 3 GuadalcanalCloseup.png
Emperor rat Uromys imperator Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct c. 1960s 3 3 0 3 3 GuadalcanalCloseup.png
Key tree-cactus Pilosocereus robinii Pilosocereus robinii (30765627841).jpg Critically Endangered N/A 7 15 7 15 Florida Keys, Mexico, Puerto Rico
Lord Howe Island stick insect Dryococelus australis Lord Howe Island stick insect Dryococelus australis 10June2011 PalmNursery.jpg Critically Endangered N/A < 10 (as of 3 October 2021)[9] < 10 (as of 3 October 2021)[9] < 10 (as of 3 October 2021)[9] < 10 (as of 3 October 2021)[9] Ball's Pyramid, Australia
Vaquita Phocoena sinus Vaquita2 Olson NOAA crop2.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 10 (as of 5 May 2022)[10] 10 (as of 5 May 2022)[10] 0 10 (as of 5 May 2022)[10] 10 (as of 5 May 2022)[10] Cetacea range map Vaquita.PNG
Saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, b.PNG Critically Endangered 2013 20 (as of 30 October 2021)[11] < 100 (as of 20 August 2021)[12] 0[13] 20 (as of 30 October 2021)[11] < 100 (as of 20 August 2021)[12] Pseudoryx nghetinhensis distribution.png
Telefomin cuscus Phalanger matanim Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1997 40 40 0 40 40 Telefomin Cuscus area.png
Gobi bear Ursus arctos gobiensis Ursus arctos gobiensis.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 51 (as of 27 May 2022)[14] 51 (as of 27 May 2022)[14] 0[15] 51 (as of 27 May 2022)[14] 51 (as of 27 May 2022)[14] Gobi desert en.jpg
Māui dolphin Cephalorhynchus hectori maui Two Maui's dolphins.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 55 55 55 55 Maui's dolphin range net ban.jpg
Cat Ba langur Trachypithecus poliocephalus Cat Ba Langur 9.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 65 67 65 (as of March 2018)[16] 67 (as of March 2018)[16] White-headed Langur area.png
Indonesian Javan rhinoceros Rhinoceros sondaicus sondaicus Rhinoceros sondaicus in London Zoo.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 76 (as of 20 September 2022)[17] 76 (as of 20 September 2022)[17] 0 76 (as of 20 September 2022)[17] 76 (as of 20 September 2022)[17] Javan Rhino Range.svg
Western Sumatran rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis sumatrensis Sumatran Rhinoceros Way Kambas 2008.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 75 (as of 18 December 2022)[18] 85 (as of 18 December 2022)[18] 10 85 95 Sumatran Rhino range.svg
Alagoas curassow Mitu mitu Mitu mitu 1838.jpg Extinct in the wild N/A 0 130 130 130 Mitu mitu map.svg
Kākāpō Strigops habroptilus Strigops habroptilus 1304539.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 149 149 149 149 Anchor Island, Codfish Island / Whenua Hou, Little Barrier Island and Maud Island, New Zealand
Philippine eagle Pithecophaga jefferyi Inbound9197685917307947885.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 200 breeding pairs 200 breeding pairs 200 breeding pairs 200 breeding pairs Phileagle rangemap.png
Cross River gorilla Gorilla gorilla diehli Cross river gorilla.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 200 300 0 200 300 Distibución gorilla.png
Bornean rhinoceros Dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni 0515rhino01.jpg Critically Endangered N/A < 250 (as of 24 February 2020)[19] < 250 (as of 24 February 2020)[19] 0 < 250 (as of 24 February 2020)[19] < 250 (as of 24 February 2020)[19] East Kalimantan, Indonesia & Sarawak, Malaysia
Malabar large-spotted civet Viverra civettina Malabar large-spotted civet (Viverra civettina) DSCN2359 (cut).jpg Critically Endangered, Possibly Extinct 1993 249 249 0 249 249 Malabar Large-spotted Civet area.png
Devils Hole pupfish Cyprinodon diabolis Cyprinodon diabolis, males.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 263 (as of 29 September 2022)[20] 300 (as of 11 May 2022)[21] 475 (as of 4 May 2022)[22] 475 (as of 4 May 2022)[22] Devils Hole, Death Valley National Park, United States of America
North Atlantic right whale Eubalaena glacialis Right Whale "Scoop" (42853281122).jpg Critically Endangered N/A 366 366 366 366 Cypron-Range Eubalaena glacialis.svg
Black softshell turtle Nilssonia nigricans Bostami turtle 5.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 150 150 300 450 450 Sultan Bayazid Bastami shrine at Chittagong
California condor Gymnogyps californianus California-condor-gymnogyps-californianus-078 (21196759264).jpg Critically Endangered N/A 446 446 446 446 Gymnogyps californianus.svg
Central rock rat Zyzomys pedunculatus Zyzomys pedunculatus.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 800 800 0 800 800 Zyzomys pedunculatus map.svg
Wild Bactrian camel Camelus ferus Wild Bactrian camel on road east of Yarkand.jpg Critically Endangered N/A 950 950 950 950 Camelus ferus distribution.svg
Eastern lowland gorilla Gorilla beringei graueri Eastern lowland gorilla.jpg Critically Endangered N/A < 5,000 (as of 7 October 2022)[23] < 5,000 (as of 7 October 2022)[23] 1 < 5,000 or 5,000 < 5,000 or 5,000 Eastern Gorilla area.png

Notes:

  • 1 Last recorded that 7 were in captivity in 1960, in zoos, circuses etc., in the International Zoo Yearbook II. Reports that there is a small population left in Malay Peninsula and Myanmar.
  • 2 On 19 March 2018, the last known Northern white rhinoceros male died, but his and another male's sperm was collected and has been used to fertilize eggs as part of a de-extinction effort. Last two known Northern white rhinoceros are both female and held in captivity in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya. Unknown if anymore exist in the wildlife and if none exist in the wildlife they would be functionally extinct.

See also

  • Abundance (ecology)
  • Biodiversity Action Plan
  • Chelonoidis nigra abingdonii
  • Common species
  • Critical depensation
  • Endangered Species Recovery Plan
  • Rare Species Conservation Centre

References

  1. ↑ "Assessment Process". http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/assessment-process. 
  2. ↑ R. MacNally and G. W. Brown, Reptiles and Habitat Fragmentation in the Box-ironbush Forests of Central Victoria, Australia : Predicting Compositional Change and Faunal Nested-ness, Oecologia 128:116–125 (2001).
  3. ↑ Prendergast, J. R.; Quinn, R. M.; Lawton, J. H.; Eversham, B. C.; Gibbons, D. W. (1993-09-23). "Rare species, the coincidence of diversity hotspots and conservation strategies" (in en). Nature 365 (6444): 335–337. doi:10.1038/365335a0. Bibcode: 1993Natur.365..335P. 
  4. ↑ Dinerstein, Eric (2013) The Kingdom of Rarities. Island Press. ISBN:9781610911955.
  5. ↑ "Rare Species" (in en). http://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rare-species. 
  6. ↑ "IUCN – A brief history" (in en). IUCN. 2017-10-06. https://www.iucn.org/node/29228. 
  7. ↑ Briand, Frederic (October 2012). "Species Missing in Action - Rare or Already Extinct?". National Geographic. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233408388. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Multiple lines of evidence indicate survival of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Louisiana
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Dryococelus australis (Lord Howe Island Phasmid)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 The critically endangered vaquita is not doomed to extinction by inbreeding depression
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Searching for the Saola in the Annamite Mountains
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 IUCN SSC experts urge for immediate action to find Saola before it’s too late
  13. ↑ Saola
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Population of endangered Gobi bears exceeds 50 in Mongolia
  15. ↑ Gobi Bear Project
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 CAT BA LANGUR
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 2022 State of the Rhino Report
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Two Horned Rhino – Sumatran Rhinoceros Profile
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Bornean Rhinoceros
  20. ↑ Devils Hole pupfish population at 19-year high
  21. ↑ Critically endangered pupfish on the rise on 50th anniversary of official monitoring effort
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 The Devil’s Hole pupfish has paddled back from the brink in a hellish desert domain
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Eastern Lowland Gorilla

External links

Further reading



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