A rare species are an organism which are very uncommon or scarce. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and may be distinct from the term "endangered" or "threatened species" but not "extinct". Designation of a rare species may be made by an official body such as a national government, state or province. However, the term is used more commonly without reference to a specific criteria. The IUCN does not normally make such designations but may use the term in its scientific discussions.[1]
The concept of rarity is established from having a very small number of organisms worldwide, usually a number less than 10,000; however, the concept is also influenced by having a very narrow endemic range and/or fragmented habitat.[2]
A species may be endangered or vulnerable, but not considered rare if, for example, it has a large, dispersed population but its numbers are declining rapidly or predicted to do so. Rare species are generally considered threatened simply because the inability of small population sizes to recover from stochastic events, and the potential for a rapid decline in population.
Contents |
Examples of rare species
Animals
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Anas laysanensis | Laysan Duck | Laysan and Midway Island, Hawaii, United States |
| Crotalus durissus unicolor | Aruba Island Rattlesnake | Aruba Island |
| Dryococelus australis | Lord Howe Island stick insect | Ball's Pyramid, Australia |
| Geochelone nigra abingdoni | Abingdon Island Tortoise | Pinta Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador |
| Grus americana | Whooping Crane | Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta, Canada |
| Nomascus nasutus | Cao-vit Crested Gibbon | Cao Bang Forest, Vietnam |
| Petroica traversi | Black Robin | Chatham Islands, New Zealand |
| Rhinoceros sondaicus | Javan Rhinoceros | Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia and Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam |
| Strigops habroptila | Kakapo | Maud, Little Barrier, Codfish and Mana Islands, New Zealand |
| Thalasseus bernsteini | Chinese Crested Tern | Matsu Islands, Taiwan (claimed by China) |
Plants
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
| Betula uber | Virginia Round-leaf Birch | Cressy Creek, Virginia, United States |
| Corypha taliera | Dhaka University campus, Bangladesh | |
| Delphinium bakeri | Baker's larkspur | Marin and Sonoma counties, California, United States |
| Mentzelia leucophylla | Ash Meadows stick-leaf | Ash Meadows, Nevada, United States |
| Pritchardia munroi | Maui, Hawaii, United States | |
| Trifolium amoenum | Showy Indian clover | Marin and Sonoma counties, California, United States |
| Wollemia nobilis | Wollemi Pine | Wollemi National Park, New South Wales, Australia |
See also
References
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
