Our world is a beautiful and strange place surrounded by unique plants and animals. Many of these species are extremely rare and elusive.
A collection of extremely rare animals and plants on Earth.
- Mexican Alligator Lizard
The Mexican alligator lizard (Abronia graminea), also known as the green arboreal alligator lizard, is an ᴇɴᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴇᴅ species of lizard endemic to the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca highlands of Mexico. It can be found in the states of Puebla, Veracruz, and Oaxaca. It was originally described under the genus Gerrhonotus as Gerrhonotus gramineus by Edward D. Cope in 1864.
The Mexican alligator lizard adopts an arboreal lifestyle and is commonly found inhabiting the bromeliads among mesic cloud or pine-oak forest canopies. This habitat offers a humid temperate climate with summer rains. The preferred diet of this species is a variety of insects. Colour patterns of the Mexican alligator lizard can range from bright emerald green to dark teal blue; juvenile colouration is a tan ground colour with dark crossbands.
The IUCN rates the Mexican alligator lizard as ᴇɴᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴇᴅ.The decline of the species is mainly the result of habitat fragmentation due to ꜰɪʀᴇ, ᴅᴇꜰᴏʀᴇsᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, and land use change for agriculture. Illegal ᴛʀᴀꜰꜰɪᴄᴋɪɴɢ for the pet trade has also contributed to the status of this species.
- Spook Fish
Barreleyes, also known as spook fish (a name also applied to several species of chimaera), are small deep-sea argentiniform fish comprising the family Opisthoproctidae found in tropical-to-temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.
These fish are named because of their barrel-shaped, tubular eyes, which are generally directed upwards to detect the silhouettes of available prey; however, the fish are capable of directing their eyes forward, as well. The family name Opisthoproctidae is derived from the Greek words opisthe ‘behind’ and proktos ‘ᴀɴᴜs’.
- Pixie’s Parasol
Mycena interrupta, commonly known as the pixie’s parasol, is a species of mushroom. It has a Gondwanan distribution pattern, being found in Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Chile. In Australia, it is found in Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, and South Australia, and in Queensland where its distribution is limited to Lamington National Park.
- Melanistic Serval
The Melanistic serval is an extremely rare wild cat native to Africa. It derives its name from melanistic, a genetic mutation that causes it to have dark pigmentation when compared to its congeners.
- Picasso Bug
Sphaerocoris annulus, common names Picasso bug or Zulu hud bug (Zulu: “iCikwa”), is a species of shield-backed bugs of the family Scutelleridae.
Sphaerocoris annulus can reach a length of about 8 millimetres (0.31 in). The basic color is green, with eleven ring-shaped spots on the scutellum. The colors and the design of these bugs represent a warning to predators. They also emit a noxious odour when ᴅɪsᴛᴜʀʙᴇᴅ.
- Amazonian Royal Flycatcher
The Amazonian royal flycatcher (Onychorhynchus coronatus) is a passerine bird in the family Tityridae according to the International Ornithological Committee (IOC). It is found in throughout most of the Amazon basin in northern Bolivia, eastern Peru, eastern Ecuador, eastern Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern and western Brazil.
The Amazonian royal flycatcher is approximately 15 cm (5.9 in) long and weighs 9.7 to 14 g (0.34 to 0.49 oz). It is dark brown above and dark buffy yellow below. The rump and tail are reddish cinnamon. The bill is long and broad. It has an erectile fan-shaped crest that is red in the male and yellow-orange in the female.
- Black Diamond Apple
The Black Diamond Apple (Chinese: gāla guǒ; 嘎啦果) is a rare breed from the family of Huaniu apples that is cultivated in the Tibetan region of Nyingchi. Despite what the name suggests, the apple rather is a purple hue, with white pulp on the inside. Its unique color is due to the region’s high altitude of over 3,500 m. The temperature fluctuates wildly between day and night, with the apples being exposed to a lot of ultraviolet light, which is conducive to the dark skin. Belonging to the high-end segment of the market, the average Black Diamond Apple costs about 50 yuan(7.75 USD). Many farmers are reluctant to grow the fruit, since Black Diamond apple trees can take up to eight years to reach maturity, and because the growing season is short (only about 2 months).
- Rhinoceros Iguanas
The rhinoceros iguana (Cyclura cornuta) is an ᴇɴᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴇᴅ species of iguana that is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola (shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and its surrounding islands. A large lizard, they vary in length from 60 to 136 centimetres (24 to 54 in), and skin colours range from a steely grey to a dark green and even brown. Their name derives from the bony-plated pseudo-horn or outgrowth which resembles the horn of a rhinoceros on the iguana’s snout. It is known to coexist with the Ricord’s iguana (C. ricordii); the two species are the only taxa of rock iguana to do so.
- Hymenopus Coronatus
Hymenopus coronatus is a mantis from the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is known by various common names including walking flower mantis and (pink) orchid mantis. It is one of several species known as flower mantises from their resemblance and behaviour. They are known to grab their prey with blinding speed.
- Violet-Backed Starling
The violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster), also known as the plum-coloured starling or amethyst starling, is a relatively small species (17 cm) of starling in the family Sturnidae. It is the only member of the genus Cinnyricinclus. This strongly sexually dimorphic species is found widely in the woodlands and savannah forest edges of mainland sub-Saharan Africa. It is rarely seen on the ground, but instead found in trees and other locations away from the ground.
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