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Discover top 10 rarest cat breeds (caution: you may not want some of them sitting on your couch)
Did you know there are 41 distinct species of cats in the world, some of which can be counted among the rarest animals on earth, on the brink of extinction? According to BBC Wildlife, more than 40% of wild cat species are classified as endangered or threatened, and they face many pressures, including habitat loss due to human activities, and illegal hunting for their fur, bones, and claws. Often solitary and reclusive animals, cats can be tough to study, and so the risks they face are usually not well known, and they can fly under the conservation radar.
Here are 10 of the rarest feline breeds in the world:
The rarest cat in the world is the Iriomote Cat. A subspecies of the Leopard Cat, it lives only on the small and remote Japanese island of Irimote. As few as 100 are thought to be left in the wild, and the population is declining.
One of eight subspecies of leopard, the Amur leopard has been brought to the brink of extinction by habitat loss, declining prey numbers, and notably, the illegal wildlife trade. Its beautiful spotted fur coat and highly valued bones used in traditional Asian medicine make it a highly coveted being among poachers.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature believes only 100-120 Arabian leopards remain in the wild and are edging dangerously close to vanishing entirely. They live in the Arabic peninsula specifically Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Israel, and Palestine –favouring remote, arid mountains and wadis and often use caves and rocky ledges as dens.
Their populations are small and fragmented across the Indonesian island of Sumatra, with as few as 400 individuals thought to be left in the wild. Poaching and habitat loss have been major drivers of population decline in these tigers.
These small wild cats are found at high altitudes in the Andes mountains of South America — adapted to live in elevated rocky environments, with thick fur to keep out the chill and a fluffy tail to give them superior balance.
This Mediterranean forest feline was once the world's most endangered cat. In 2002, it was on the edge of extinction with only 94 individuals left in two separate and isolated populations. The tale of the Iberian Lynx is somewhat of a conservation success story, in that it did come back from the brink.
Found only on the island of Borneo, this curious cat is a bit of a mystery. Due to its rarity and shy nature, it is tough to find, much less to study. It is so elusive that it was lost to science for more than 60 years after its discovery.
This cat almost doesn't look like a cat at all, with its big, close-set eyes and slender body, it is perhaps more reminiscent of some lemur. It is named for its elongated skull, which allows them binocular vision and thus good depth perception, which is valid for a hunter, especially one that captures prey from water.
Native to Central and South Asia, the Snow leopard is classified as vulnerable because its population is fewer than 10,000 individuals and is declining. These beautiful big cats are perfectly adapted for life in the mountains, with large paws that stop them from sinking into the snow, dense fur that keeps them warm and camouflages them, and powerful back legs that allow them to leap great distances.
Scottish wildcats are not a species in their own right but a population of European Wildcats. Nonetheless, as one of the UK's most charismatic and enigmatic animals and our only native cat, their conservation is very important.
