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British scientists have compiled a list of 100 animals from the brink of extinction. These animals have virtually no “family”, respectively, their loss can critically affect the diversity of the animal world.


1. Long-nosed echidna (Tachyglossus bruijni), Papua New Guinea. Long-nosed viper Attenborough - one of the most primitive mammals on the planet. This is a mammal that lays eggs like a crocodile, long believed extinct, until in 2007, scientists have found a few specimens of this species. (SPL)

2. Pygmy three-toed sloth. Discovered only in 2001, this miniature sloth - the smallest and most endangered of extinction of all species of sloths. He lives on a tiny island off the coast of Panama. (Bryson Voirin / ZSL)

3. Saola, or “Asian unicorn” was unknown to Western scholars before 1992. His discovery - one of the rarest and most interesting in the last 50 years. Now its population is incredibly small - perhaps only a few dozen individuals survive in the mountainous jungles of separating Laos from Vietnam. (Ban Vangaban village / WCS / ZSL)

4. River dolphins - the last descendant of one of the earliest groups dlinnoklyuvyh dolphins swimming in the seas millions of years ago. This strange dolphin with a thin nose is almost blind. He swims on its side and belly up and uses paltsepodobnye education on fins to look for food on the bottom of rivers. (Rex Features)

5. Black and white lemur variant - the largest of the lemurs and Madagascar answer bumblebee. This animal is considered the largest in the world of pollinators. He developed a unique relationship with ravenaloy Madagascar, from which it collects pollen on its fur, while drinking nectar from the flowers of the tree. (Graham Turner / Guardian)

6. The Asian tapir has a distinctive black and white pattern on the trunk. Its most distinguishing feature - a long, prehensile nose, which he takes a leaf. Although he is threatened with extinction mainly due to the reduction of their habitat, and threatens the life of this kind of hunting. (David Moir / Reuters)

7. Dwarf galago - the smallest and most endangered species of galago. He lives in one of the most remote forest regions of Tanzania. It is included in the list of the 25 primates threatened with extinction. (Johan Karlsson / ZSL)

8. Chinese pangolin. These unusual mammals are covered with scales, formed by a glued hair, which is a quarter of the total weight of the animal. With their powerful claws and a long (40 cm) Chinese pangolins are exclusively ants and termites. This species is widely used for meat, which is considered a delicacy, but also because of his skin and scales that are used in traditional Chinese medicine. (Keren Su / Corbis)

9. Long-eared jerboa - a small jumping rodent resembling a mouse with a long tail and very long hind legs. Long-eared jerboas can be distinguished from other jerboas thanks to their huge ears which almost a third more than their heads. On this form, little is known. Other jerboa - nocturnal creatures at night, they sit in underground burrows that they dig themselves. The numbers of this species is reduced as a result of human intervention in its habitat. (Liu Jian / Corbis)

10. Pygmy hippopotamus. The word “hippopotamus” comes from the Greek for “river horse”, which is consistent lifestyle pygmy hippos, who spend most of my time in rivers and swamps. This animal is under constant pressure from the people. Small, isolated population of Nigeria is an extinct hippopotamus. For decades, nothing about them was not reported, although unofficial estimates local residents believe that they can still exist. (Newspix / Rex Features)

11. Thin Laurie has an incredibly thin front and rear paws. He has a huge round eyes, allowing the animal to see well at night and hunt for insects. The number of these small primates shrinking, because their habitat - the woods - are cut down. (HO / Reuters)

12. Bactrian, or two-humped camel. This camel is probably the ancestor of all domestic Bactrian camels. It is perfectly adapted for life in the harsh Gobi Desert. This species can withstand drought, food shortages and even radiation. However, to date only survived more than 1000 individuals living in four places. These animals are in danger of extinction because of hunting for them, habitat loss and the struggle for resources. (Scott T. Smith / Corbis)