Question

What are rare species?

Answer 1

Hint: The term ‘rare species’ can be designated to either an animal or a plant. It must also be known that the term has a different meaning from the term endangered or threatened species.

Complete Answer:Rare species are basically those animals that are infrequently encountered. Such a designation can be made by the national or the state governments and also the provinces.

However this designation is different from endangered or threatened species. If a species has a large and dispersed population then that particular species may be considered as endangered or vulnerable but not rare. Still rare species are usually considered threatened because it is not likely that a small population size can recover from ecological disasters.

For example if a species is only found in a particular island then it may be designated as a rare species but it may not be designated as an endangered species.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) uses the term ‘rare’ to designate those species which are found in isolated geographical locations. They are not classified as endangered but are classified as ‘at risk’.

The concept of rare species can also be used for those species which have a very narrow endemic range or fragmented habitat. It is believed that almost 75 percent of the known can be classified under the designation of ‘rare species’.

Many of the rare species are at risk of being given the designation of endangered or vulnerable if the negative factors affecting them continue to operate.

Note: Some of the rarest species in the world are - giant otter, sumatran rhinoceros, vaquita, red wolves, etc. IUCN is an international organization which works towards the conservation of nature and the sustainable use of natural resources.