11 Rare Animals in the Wild, Best Places to Spot Them in 2025
The rarest animal in the world is the northern white rhino, with only two females, Najin and Fatu, remaining since the last male died in 2018. Today, they are protected 24/7 by armed guards at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. However, you can still visit them in their enclosure for an additional fee.
What other rare animals are there in the wild? Is it easy to spot them? If yes, where can you see rare animals around the world?
Vaquita (Less than 20 individuals)
The vaquita is the world’s smallest cetaceans and the world’s rarest marine mammal. They are about 5 feet long with a dark gray dorsal area with a lighter belly. They have no beaks, unlike other dolphins, but have dark rings around their eyes like a natural “eyeliner”.
Vaquitas are accidental victims of illegal totoaba fishing. Despite a ban since 1975, poaching continues for the totoaba’s swim bladder, a delicacy worth up to $100,000 per kilo in China and Hong Kong.
It lives in shallow, murky lagoons at the Northern Gulf of California, Mexico. Most vaquitas live near San Felipe, Baja California, in a small area that includes the Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve. They are extremely elusive but can still be spotted if you are lucky.
American Red Wolf (Less than 20 individuals)
The American red wolf is one of the rarest canids in the world, native to the southeastern United States. They are smaller than a gray wolf but larger than a coyote. Red wolf got their name from its reddish-brown coat, especially around the ears, neck, and legs. They are slender build with long legs and a bushy tail tipped in black.
As of February 2025, Red Wolf Recovery Program estimated that around 17-19 individuals (16 collared) live in the wild in eastern North Carolina’s Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is open to the public to visit.
Hainan Gibbon (Around 42 individuals)
These black-creasted gibbons are the world’s rarest primate. Most of them live in Bawangling National Nature Reserve, while a few live in Limu Mountain National Forest Park on Hainan Island in China. Both locations are in Changjiang County, on the western side of the island.
Hainan gibbons males are jet black with a hairy crest, while females are golden-yellow with a black crown. In February 2024 there were 42 gibbons divided into seven families/groups.
They are social and can be observed in their limited habitat. Bawangling National Nature Reserve is open to the public. The ticket price is 60 RMB per person in 2025. The best time to visit them is during the dry season, typically from November to April.
Sumatran Rhino (Around 34-47 individuals)
This small rhino species, weighing only 1,100–1,800 lbs, is critically endangered. Experts estimate that its numbers is only between 34 and 47, which is less than the previous estimation of 80 individuals.
They have reddish-brown to dark gray skin, covered with short, bristly hair, especially on calves. They have two horns, a larger front one and a stubby short one at the back.
Most of them live in remote forest pockets of Sumatra in Indonesia and very few in Borneo. Sightings in the wild is very rare, but the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park works to increase its numbers with seven captive Sumatran rhinos.
Javan Rhino (Around 50 individuals)
The last remaining population of Javan rhinos is confined to a single location, the Ujung Kulon National Park in Java Island, Indonesia. It is the oldest national park and an UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.
Javan rhinos are appox. 10-10.5 feet long and weigh 2,000-5,000 lbs. They have dark gray or gray-brown skin with natural folds. The males have one horn while the females have no visible ones.
They are solitary and shy but can be seen in the dense rainforest habitat protected there. Most of the photos you can find on the internet however are from hidden camera traps.
Saola (Between 25-100 individuals)
Saola is also known as the ‘Asian Unicorn’. They resemble a small antelope or deer with dark brown coat, white facial markings and a light-colored belly. Both female and male saolas have two long, straight, parallel horns.
Saolas are extremely elusive, inhabiting the dense forests in the remote mountainous region of Annamite Mountains along the Vietnam-Laos border.
They were only discovered in 1992. According to the Saola Foundation, the last confirmed evidence of a saola was a camera trap photo taken in 2013. None exist in captivity, and no biologist has ever observed one in the wild for more than a fleeting moment.
Addax (Less than 100 individuals)
Addax is the rarest antelope species in the world, endemic to the Sahara desert. Addax has a pale, almost white coat in summer that helps reflect heat. They turn more grayish-brown in winter. Both male and female addax has long, spiral-shaped horns. They live in small herds of 2-20 individuals and are active mainly at night or during cooler parts of the day.
Most of its remaining population live in the Termit Tin-Toumma National Nature Reserve in southeastern Niger, close to Agadez. The best time to visit it is during the cooler months from November to February.
However, due to conservation efforts Niger is not the only country with an addax population living in the wild. 15 addax was reintroduced in 2020 to Chad’s Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Wildlife Reserve and in 2023 another 10 in Chad’s Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve.
Amur Leopard (Less than 130 individuals)
Amur leopards are known for their pale cream coats and widely spaced rosettes. These elusive big cats grow up to 4 feet long, with a tail adding another 3 feet. Their powerful limbs and broad paws are built for navigating deep snow.
They inhabit is the boreal forest of the Russian Far East, specifically the Primorsky Krai region. In 2024, 129 individuals were recorded in Land of the Leopard National Park.
Your best chance to spot one is in winter, when they’re most active. However, since they are the world’s rarest big cats, sightings are exceptionally rare.
Kākāpō (Less than 250 individuals)
This nocturnal, flightless parrot is not only the world’s rarest bird species, but also the world’s heaviest parrot weighing between 3–9 lbs.
Kakapo is a large, round-bodied parrot with mossy green plumage speckled with yellow and black, short wings and a stubby tail. It has an owl-like face with a disc of feathers around its eyes.
Kakapos are native to New Zealand and now restricted to predator-free islands of Codfish Island (Whenua Hou), Anchor Island and Little Barrier Island (Te Hauturu-o-Toi) to stabilize their numbers.
Only Little Barrier Island is opened to the public, but visitors need a permit to enter. There is also a cap of 600 visitors per day.
Cross River Gorilla (Around 300 individuals)
Africa’s and the world’s rarest great ape is the cross river gorilla. They are similar to western lowland gorillas but slightly smaller and more slender with shorter, lighter hair on the head and body. Male cross river gorillas can reach 5.6 feet and weigh 310–440 lbs. Females are smaller, almost half in size.
They are shy and difficult to observe but remain in the wild within this restricted range. They mostly live in rugged, forested terrain along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, namely in Afi Mountain, Mbe Mountains and Takamanda National Park. You can go on a guided gorilla trekking in the national park to see them.
Sumatran tigers (Between 300-400 individuals)
Sumatran tigers are the world’s smallest tigers with deep orange coat and narrow, closely spaced black stripes. Males have a thick ruff of fur around the neck. They have a slightly darker coat compared to other tigers to camouflage themselves better in the jungle. Sumatran tigers have webbed paws, making them strong swimmers, which is a rare trait among big cats.
Sumatran tigers are solitary and territorial species. They mostly live in the dense lowland and montane forests of Sumatra in Indonesia, namely in Gunung Leuser, Bukit Barisan Selatan and Kerinci Seblat National Parks.
Kerinci Seblat National Park is the largest national park in Sumatra and home to the largest Sumatran tiger population estimated to be between 128 and 200 individuals. To see these elusive species, you need to embark on a tiger trekking tour taking you deep inside the forest.
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Emese Maczko is a travel blogger behind Eco Lodges Anywhere. Having explored several destinations around Europe, the US, Indonesia, and Australia, and resided in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Luxembourg, Emese possesses a keen understanding of diverse cultures and an appreciation for the beauty of each destination she visits. She advocates for sustainable travel and ecotourism.