Endangered Asian Mammals and Where to Find Them Quiz

The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is a subspecies of leopard that was once found in Northern China, the southernmost part of the Russian Far East (Primorsky Krai), and the whole of the Korean Peninsula. The few specimens remaining (around 110 in 2021) are now concentrated in an area of about 8,398 kmē (3,242 sq mi) along the Russian-Chinese border. The Amur River after which this beautiful big cat is named forms a natural border between Northeast China and the Russian Far East. The Siberian tiger, which is sympatric (i.e. occurring within the same geographical area) with the Amur leopard, is often referred to as Amur tiger.

Compared to other subspecies, the Amur leopard is smaller in size, and has paler, thicker fur, adapted to the cold winters of its home region. It lives in forested areas, where various species of deer -its preferred prey - can also be found. The main threats to the Amur leopard's survival are illegal hunting for its skin and habitat loss (in particular forest fires). With such a small population, inbreeding also poses a danger to this subspecies.

A number of Amur leopards (173 in 2011) are held in zoos worldwide; a captive breeding programme was established in 1961. The classification as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List dates from 2008, when the numbers were at an all-time low.

Once considered a subspecies with the name of Panthera tigris jacksoni, the Malayan tiger is a population of Panthera tigris tigris (a subspecies that also includes the Bengal, Indochinese, South Chinese, and Siberian tigers) native to Peninsular Malaysia. However, a recent genetic analysis has revealed differences between the Malayan tiger and the other subspecies found on mainland Asia.

The national animal of Malaysia, the Malayan tiger is generally smaller than the Bengal tiger, though larger than the Sumatran tiger - the only surviving population of Panthera tigris sondaica. It inhabits forested areas of central and southern Malaysia, while it has been eradicated from Singapore. Like other tigers, it preys primarily on various species of deer and wild pigs; the tigers' presence keeps down the wild boar population, which are considered pests in cultivated areas.

Throughout their range, tigers are threatened by commercial poaching for body parts and habitat loss, and the Malayan tiger is no exception. With an estimated surviving population of around 300 individuals, in 2015 this tiger population was assessed as Critically Endangered by IUCN. The species as a whole has been classified as Endangered since 1996.

After the very likely extinction of the baiji, or Yangtze dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis) is now China's only remaining freshwater cetacean. Native, like the baiji, to the Yangtze River basin, this small toothed whale is one of three species in the genus Neophocaena, known as the finless porpoises because they lack a dorsal fin, replaced by a dorsal ridge covered in rows of tubercles. It was initially thought that the Yangtze finless porpoise was a subspecies of the East Asian finless porpoise (Neophocaena sunameri), which lives in saltwater, but genetic studies have proved that the two species are distinct.

Known as "jiangtun" (river piglet) in Mandarin Chinese, the Yangtze finless porpoise can reach a length of over 2 m (6.5 ft), but is usually smaller. It also has a very steep forehead and no beak; adult specimens are usually grey in colour.

These unique cetaceans are subjected to the same threats that have probably driven the baiji to extinction: illegal fishing, pollution of the river's waters, dam construction, and boat traffic. Such has been the population decline in recent years that the Chinese government has taken a number of initiatives to save thid species from the same fate. Because of these protection efforts, the porpoises' numbers have slightly rebounded in some parts of the Yangtze basin: the number of mature individuals is estimated to be around 1,000. The Yangtze finless porpoise has been classified as Critically Endangered by IUCN since 2012.

The Malabar large-spotted civet (Viverra civettina) is a viverrid - a cat-like, carnivorous mammal endemic to the Western Ghats, a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of India. The Malabar coast that gives this animal its name lies in southwestern India, mostly in the state of Kerala; it has been known since antiquity for its spices, including black pepper, which is native to the region. The Malabar large-spotted civet is one of the denizens of Malabar's rainforests, whose extent has sadly been reduced by human activity. It has a long, slender body, covered by dusky gray fur with large, transverse dark marks (hence its name), and a long, narrow head.

After the destruction of most of its natural forest habitat to make way for plantations, the Malabar large-spotted civet has become increasingly rare, and is thus very rarely sighted. It is estimated that about 250 mature individuals survive, mostly in protected areas. Along with habitat loss, hunting for the aromatic oil (civet musk) extracted from their perineal glands is the main cause of these animals' sharp decrease.

The Malabar large-spotted civet has been listed by IUCN as Critically Endangered since 1996. As there are no known specimens in captivity, and recent reliable records of wild individuals are not available, this species is believed to be possibly extinct.

The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is a subspecies of the cheetah that diverged from the African population between 67,000 and 32,000 years ago. In terms of physical appearance, this beautiful big cat is not substantially different from its African counterpart, though it tends to be smaller in size, with a shorter coat. Once the Asiatic cheetah ranged from the Arabian Peninsula to Central Asia and India, but during the 20th century it gradually disappeared from most of its range - with the exception of northeastern Iran, where the only surviving populations are found.

According to various Iranian sources, there are no more than 30-40 individuals left in the country - possibly less than that. Cheetahs live in protected areas of an arid, sparsely populated region of Iran's central plateau. One of the main drivers of the sharp population decline was the lack of any kind of wildlife conservation in the years following the revolution of 1979. Human activity - including conflict with herders and their fierce dogs - is the main threat faced by this extremely rare animal. Attempts at reproduction in captivity or semi-captivity, however, have been at least partly successful.

These stunning cats, which in the past were tamed and employed by royalty for hunting, have been classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered since 2008.

The Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is one of the five extant species of rhinoceros, and one of the three found on the Asian continent. Superficially similar to the Indian rhinoceros - one-horned, and covered in thick, tough skin folds that look like plate armour - this rarest of all rhino species is smaller (though not as small as the Sumatran rhino), and its horn is short and blunted, rarely exceeding 27 cm (7.9 in). The Javan rhino, however, is still one of Asia's largest mammals, and in its native Indonesia it is only second in size to the Asian elephant.

Until the early 20th century, the Javan rhino was found not only on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra, but also in mainland Southeast Asia, and as further west as East India and Bhutan - where it inhabited lowland rainforests and wet grassland areas. Sadly, the species was hunted nearly to extinction in most of its original range because of the alleged healing properties of its horn. The last mainland population, in southern Vietnam, went extinct in 2010. Now less than 100 individuals (probably much fewer) remain in the wild, confined to Ujong Kulon National Park on the western tip of Java.

Assessed by IUCN as Critically Endangered in 1996, the Javan rhinoceros is now one of the rarest animal species on Earth, with only one living population and no individuals kept in captivity.

The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is a species of oceanic dolphin found in scattered populations around the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia. These cetaceans are dark grey to dark slate blue in colour, with a short beak (as their specific name suggests); the generic name Orcaella, on the other hand, hints at the species' close relation to the killer whale (orca). Adults can grow to a length of 2.5 m (8.2 ft), and weigh up to 200 kg (440 lb). Named after the River Irrawaddy, which flows through Myanmar into the Andaman Sea, these dolphins prefer to live in brackish water near river deltas and estuaries. However, three of the known seven populations are found in stretches of freshwater.

Used to interacting with humans, especially fishermen - whom they help to drive fish into their nets - Irrawaddy dolphins are nevertheless threatened by human activity. Many dolphins drown when caught in gillnets, or are killed by electricity or explosives used for fishing; dam building, mining and tourism are also threats to their survival. Though the species is listed by IUCN as Endangered (2017), some populations (including the one in Myanmar) are classified as Critically Endangered, with only few dozens of individuals remaining. International and national efforts are being made to protect these animals, whose worldwide population is estimated at around 7,000 individuals.

The only bovine endemic to the Philippines, the tamaraw (Bubalus mindorensis) is a small species of buffalo that is only found on the island of Mindoro, southwest of Luzon, the archipelago's largest island (where it is believed to have occurred in the past). Unlike the carabao, the Philippines' national animal, the tamaraw is not a subspecies of the water buffalo, from which it is also physically different. This animal's distinguishing feature - along with its smaller size (about 1 m/39 in high at the shoulder) - are its thick, V-shaped horns, triangular at the base.

A reclusive, solitary creature, the tamaraw inhabits tropical highland forests, where it feeds on grasses and bamboo shoots, avoiding human contact as much as possible. In the past, Mindoro was sparsely populated because of malaria, but people started settling there again with the advent of effective anti-malarial medicines. This had a very negative impact on the numbers of tamaraw in the wild: by the mid-1960s, their range had already been reduced to just three areas of the island. Hunting, habitat loss, and disease spread by domestic cattle have been the main factors for the sharp decline of these mammals' numbers.

With an estimated population of less than 250 individuals remaining - mostly concentrated in one area (Mount Iglit-Baco National Park), the tamaraw has been listed by IUCN as Critically Endangered since 2000. Various initiatives have been taken at national and international level to ensure the survival of this rare mammal.

One of the three species of echidna found in New Guinea (a fourth, the short-beaked echidna, also occurs in Australia), the western long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus bruijni) is also known as Bird's Head long-beaked echidna - after the Bird's Head (Doberai) Peninsula that makes up the northwestern portion of the world's second-largest island. This species of echidna is also found in the Bomberai Peninsula, south of the Bird's Head. Though New Guinea lies east of the Wallace Line - the faunal boundary separating Asia and Australia - the regions inhabited by the western long-beaked echidna belong to the Indonesian provinces of Southwest Papua and West Papua, which are politically part of Asia (as the map also shows).

The western long-beaked echidna is the largest of the four species of this egg-laying mammal, and also the largest extant monotreme. Like the other two Zaglossus species, it feeds on earthworms and larvae - unlike the ant- and termite-eating short-beaked echidna. It lives in hill and mountain forests, where its preferred food is abundant.

Unfortunately, this distinctive-looking creature - covered in spines and coarse hair, with a long, downward-turned snout - is considered a delicacy in its home range. Hunting and habitat loss have contributed to the slow disappearance of this unique mammal, which has been classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered since 2008. The short-beaked echidna, on the other hand, is listed as Least Concern (2015).

The wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) is closely related to the domesticated Bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus). Once it was believed that these animals descended from domesticated camels that had become feral, but in the early 2000s genetic studies revealed that the two species have different ancestors. The specific name "ferus" means "wild" in Latin, while the name "Bactrian" refers to an ancient region in Central Asia, corresponding more or less to northern Afghanistan.

Like its domesticated counterpart, the wild Bactrian camel has two humps: it is, however, smaller and more slender, with much smaller, cone-shaped humps, and shorter, sparser wool. Among this species' peculiarities, there is the ability to drink very salty water. Once widespread in the steppes and deserts of Central Asia, now wild Bactrian camels are restricted to two main protected areas - the Lop Nur Wild Camel National Nature Reserve, in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, and the Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area in Mongolia (which is also home to other endangered species, such as the Gobi brown bear). Smaller populations are found in other protected areas in Xinjiang and Mongolia It is believed that less than 1,000 individuals survive in the wild.

Threatened by human encroachment, climate change, and poaching - as well as hybridization with domestic camels, and increasing attacks by wolves, their only natural predators - wild Bactrian camels have been classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered since 2002.

The type species of orangutan, the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) is also the largest of the three surviving species of this great ape native to Southeast Asia. It is also the only one found on the island of Borneo: the other two, the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) and the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) are endemic to the island of Sumatra. This highly intelligent primate, covered by a shaggy, reddish fur, is also characterized by large cheek pads. A mainly arboreal species, it uses its long arms very effectively to move from tree to tree. Like most primates, orangutan are omnivorous, though their diet chiefly consists of fruits and leaves.

The Bornean orangutan inhabits tropical rainforest areas in the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah in northern Borneo, and the Indonesian provinces of West, East, and Central Kalimantan. There are about 100,000 individuals left in the wild - much more numerous than the two Sumatran species put together, but still much fewer than they used to be in the past.

Orangutan are threatened by deforestation - primarily due to the development of palm oil plantations - and climate change, as well as hunting for meat. It has also been reported that Bornean orangutans are often killed by the local population when found raiding crops - even if these killings are technically illegal. The Bornean orangutan has been classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered since 2016.

The black-crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor) belongs to one of the four genera of the family Hylobatidae - primates also known as lesser apes. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Asia (including parts of southern China), swinging from tree to tree with their long arms. With this method of locomotion - known as brachiation - they can move extremely fast.

The black-crested gibbon has four subspecies, two found in the Yunnan province of China, one in Laos, and one in northern Vietnam - the region once named Tonkin. They tend to live at high altitudes (up to 2,700 m/8,858 ft), where they can easily find their primary food sources; though they are technically omnivorous, they prefer to feed on ripe fruits and leaf buds, and rarely eat animals. Males are uniformly black, while females are a pale golden or buff colour with black patches.

It is estimated that around 1,500 specimens of black-crested gibbon are left in the wild. These primates are threatened by habitat loss, hunting, and the illegal pet trade. They have been classified as Critically Endangered by IUCN since 2008.