From the rarest primate in the world to the most trafficked animal ever – and the possible cause of the coronavirus! – here are the ten rarest animals that are hardly seen.

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10: Shoebill Stork
The shoebill stork is undoubtedly the rarest and strangest of all the birds. For one thing it’s huge!! It’s probably taller than your mailbox, boasting an impressive eightfoot wingspan (2.4 m) and standing over 4 ½ feet tall (1.4m). This enormous, prehistoric bird has a massive bill it uses for eating fish.

9: Amur Leopard
Most people think leopards live specifically in Africa. But this is not true! The Amur leopard makes its home in the East of Russia. It has adapted to living in the temperate forests and now thrives in the cold regions of the Far East. Just like other leopards, this one can run at astounding speeds, reaching up to 37 miles per hour (59kph).

8: Hainan BlackCrested Gibbon
It's difficult to see monkeys in the forest. It's even more difficult to spot primates in the wild. But if you want an even greater challenge, just try to find a Hainan blackcrested gibbon. This is the world's rarest primate, only weeks, months, or even a year away from being extinct. Out of all the 504 primate species, this one is the rarest and most vulnerable.

7: BlackEyed Leaf Frog
Primates and big cats are not the only animals that are elusive and extremely rare. The blackeyed leaf frog is a tiny amphibian that you are very unlikely to run into at any point in time. However, its situation is not as dire as it used to be. This little frog lives in Latin America, from Mexico all the way through Central America.

6: Greater Bamboo Lemur
The greater bamboo lemur is the biggest of all the bamboo lemurs. It was first discovered in 1870, and was believed to have gone extinct even before the beginning of the 20th century. However, the greater bamboo lemur was discovered a second time in 1972. It came back from the void of no return!

5: Pika
One look at the pika and you know without a doubt it was the inspiration for the famous Pokémon mascot, Pikachu. Give this little mammal a yellow paint job and I guarantee it could shoot lightning out of its butt. There is no other creature quite like it. The pika lives in the mountains of western North America and all throughout Asia.

4: Darwin’s Fox
Darwin's finches are probably his most famous animal. However, there was another creature that helped Charles Darwin develop his incredible theory of evolution, and it's now referred to as Darwin's fox. The story comes from December in 1832. Charles Darwin was only one year into his famous research expedition aboard the HMS Beagle.

3: Peruvian Black Spider Monkey
The Peruvian black spider monkey makes its home in the Amazon forest of Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. And while many monkeys are having a difficult time with the destruction of their habitat, the Peruvian spider monkey is having a worse time than the rest.

2: BlackFooted Ferret
Ferrets are cool. There's no getting around it. We all knew somebody as a teenager who had some ferrets running around their house instead of cats. These animals are slippery, super fast, and they absolutely stink when you have one in your home. And while the ferrets you typically see in weird people’s houses are plentiful, the blackfooted ferret is actually endangered.

1: Pangolin
I don't care what anyone says, there is nothing on this planet more adorable than a baby pangolin. And yeah, even adult pangolins are pretty cute. However, just like the rest of the animals on this list, they are plummeting into extinction.

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