Believe it or not, there are about 8.7 million different species that exist on Earth today. When the rare ones are spotted, it can feel like you’re discovering one of nature’s hidden wonders.
While we may consciously know many of these animals exist out in the world, it can still be quite mind-blowing to see them in person – let alone catching them on camera. To view them all in one place, we’ve rounded up 10 of the most rare animal sightings to see for yourself.
1. Black Tiger
While it’s not common, tigers can experience genetic mutations at birth that cause them to have different fur coats. It’s a rare color variant of the Bengal tiger. Spotted in Similipal National Park in Odisha, India, this tiger is predominately black and has bolder stripes than that of the orange and black striped tigers many are used to seeing in photos.
2. Red Panda
Unique for their red fur, the red panda is an endangered species from deforestation and poaching. Due to their decrease in population, there are only about 10,000 red pandas alive. You can check one out for yourself at the Singalia National Park in India.
3. Snow Leopard
Mass habitat loss and poaching are contributing factors to making the sighting of a snow leopard much more rare now than ever before. The snow leopard has also had a decline in finding food resources due to climate change, so they’ve been seen hunting livestock as an alternative. They have an estimated population of only 4,000 to 6,590 left in the world.
4. Wood Warbler
Colorful, yet small, the wood warbler can easily be spotted with its unique yellow feathers. They can commonly be found in forests in parts of Europe and Asia. Birdwatchers were able to see the wood warbler for the first time in Long Beach, New York, in 2022.
5. Blue Lobster
Famously caught off the coast of Portland in 2022, there is about one blue lobster to every two million lobsters to exist. When a blue lobster is cooked, however, it turns red in the same way as any other lobster. The other colors that are extremely rare when searching for this sea dweller include yellow, orange, and white.
6. Spoon-Billed Sandpiper
The spoon-billed sandpiper is famous for its spatulate bill. They are incredibly hard to spot from a distance because of their small distinctive feature. They can typically be found in wet, muddy areas near the water. The bird is critically endangered due to mass habitat loss, and there are only about 200 left in the world.
7. Greater Bamboo Lemur
The greater bamboo lemur is the largest of all bamboo lemurs and can be recognized by seeing white fur appearing from their ears. For a while, scientists thought this lemur was extinct, but they were rediscovered in the 80s in the southeastern parts of Madagascar. There are an estimated 500 left in the world.
8. Tibetan Brown Bear
Considered to be a subspecies of the brown bear, the Tibetan brown bear can be found in high altitudes of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau. With speeds of over 30 miles per hour, they’re known to be the fastest bear in the world. It’s also known to be endangered from poaching, habitat loss, and human conflict. It wasn’t until this past January that the Tibetan brown bear was spotted in Sikkim, India, for the first time.
9. White Lion
While many mistake these lions to be albino, the white lion has its classification within the lion family. The rarity of their white fur coats makes them vulnerable to poachers, who are also largely responsible for pushing them closer to extinction. The last sighting of white lion cubs was in 2014 at the Kruger National Park. They can be spotted in southern parts of Africa.
10. Hainan Gibbon
Sometimes referred to as “rainforest elves” – Hainan gibbons are known to rise in the early morning singing unique notes. With only about 25 left in the world, the Hainan gibbon can only be seen at the Bawangling National Nature Reserve on China’s Hainan island. The Hainan gibbon’s population was significantly reduced due to habitat loss and hunting.
