15+ Animals That Are So Rare, You’d Be Lucky to Spot One in the Wild

Humans have always been fascinated by animals, but the world can give us more reasons to be amazed. There are many rare animals that you may never have heard of or that you never expected to see in your lifetime. Even animals you think you know occasionally give us surprises, such as being born with unusual coloring or shapes.

At Bright Side, we want to share some of the rarest animals on Earth. Don’t forget to check out our bonus at the end that shows unusual lizards who seem to jump right from a fairy tale.

1. The clouded leopard might be rare, but it’s the state animal of Meghalaya.

2. In 2019, a black leopard was photographed in Kenya for the first time in over a century.

3. New Guinea has tree-kangaroos who live in the country’s tropical rainforests.

4. Penguins don’t always come in black and white; some of them are fully black.

5. Ribbon seals develop white ring-like markings on their black fur after molting.

6. Przewalski’s horse, also known as the Mongolian wild horse, was once extinct in the wild.

7. A mutation in the American lobster can cause them to become bright blue.

8. The South China tiger can mostly be found in zoos today.

9. This giraffe is snow white because of a condition called leucism.

10. The Gerp’s mouse lemur was not discovered by humans until 2012.

11. A rare genetic condition caused this flamingo in Cyprus to become black rather than white or pink.

12. The lemur frog was once common throughout Costa Rica.

13. This cute pika was seen in China’s Tian Shan Mountains.

14. The Ayam Cemani chicken from Indonesia is literally black to the bone.

15. The Lilac Silverline butterfly is a rare insect found in Asia.

16. This rare, white reindeer calf was spotted in Norway.

Bonus: Armadillo lizards look exactly like baby dragons.

Do you know of any other rare animals? Or maybe you even have photos of them? Let us know!