Top 10 Tacky Wealth Flaunts

Many of us poor people have inevitably been within hearing range of someone who says “If I was really rich, I would ________.” Often it’s something intentionally wasteful or indulgent. Well, here are some rich people doing things that really will put whatever that wishful person could come up with to shame.


10. Bono Gets His Hat


If you’ve ever felt the sting of last minute Christmas shopping and having to send presents through overnight delivery, you still will probably never hold a candle to when in 2003, rock superstar and charity performer Bono spent L1,000 to have a hat that he’d just retrieved from a legal dispute with a former wardrobe employee flown overnight from Italy to him. Bear in mind this was a hat he had forgotten about for years and was only concerned about so that he could ensure it was not sold off. And this was for a charity performance, where you’d imagine the L1,000 could have been put to better use. Foolishly, it was apparently the hat’s only solo flight, so frequent flyer miles were not really possible.


9. An Era Of Hiring Hermits

When you consider how far the wealthy are willing to go these days to keep the poor away, it’s almost impossible to imagine that for a period during the early nineteenth century, well-to-do Europeans were hiring people to live by themselves cut off from human interaction in little homes on their estates. One of the best stories of this is Charles Hamilton, who had a big tree fort built on his property for a hired hermit to live in. The best part is the guy who took the job only lasted three weeks. What on Earth did the people who didn’t get the job have to do to blow it at the interview?


8. Francis Egerton’s Dinners

Back during the years when famine was a regular occurrence all over the world (i.e., pretty much pre-twentieth century), Egerton still managed to hold some nice and lovely dinners, even if they did fly in the face of mother nature. Meaning, his dinner parties consisted entirely of himself and packs of dogs at his table. Dogs that had special shoes tied on and jackets, with servants in attendance behind them. If the dogs misbehaved, they were sent to the servant’s dining room. Hint, hint.


7. Hamad bin Hamdan Al Nahyan’s Name

Yeah, that does look like an expensive name, doesn’t it? Very long engravings, printings, hard to fit on name tags, and probably very expensive to carve into the ground in letters large enough to see from space. Yes, this member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family has indeed spent untold amounts to have Pakistani, Bangledeshi, and probably laborers from every other poor country dig his name into the ground. The best you can say about this is he’s had the restraint to not have his full name written. Or to use comic sans font.


6. The Ruff

You’ve seen it before in dozens of pictures of people from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but what is the deal with those excessive, uncomfortable-looking collars people wore back then? Get this: the aesthetic choice behind it was to separate the body from the head so that the head would be judged more on it’s own aesthetic values, like putting a lamp or a plate on a doily. Yes, in an era where peasants wanted to rebel for religious, financial, and political reasons, the upper class were going around wearing outfits that said “This is what my head would look like if you cut it off! Isn’t that great!?”


5. Timothy Dexter’s Statue Collection

Given that by his own insane admission in his autobiography (which is most famous for not containing a single bit of punctuation) Dexter lucked his way to wealth, it’s appropriate that he insisted on being called by the title “Lord,” even though the lack of monarchy made it so that he couldn’t possibly actually be one. So to impress everyone else instead, he had 40 statues erected in his front yard of luminaries ranging from Napoleon Bonaparte to George Washington to himself. Actually, there were two statues of himself. Cause really, saying he was only twice as good everyone else there was only being modest.


4. Jefri Bolkaih’s Life

So, you’re the minister of finance from 1996 to 1998 for the oil rich country of Brunei and a member of the nation’s royal family. Then you decide to steal an alleged $14.6 billion’s worth. What do you do with that money? How do the following sound:

-Buy a 747 and refit it so that it can be used for just your polo horses.
-Buy a cruise ship and name it “T**s” (and name lifeboats on it “Nipple 1” and “Nipple 2”
-Buy a bunch of custom made ultra-realistic statues of you having sex (that don’t flatter you in the least)
-Assemble a harem, including Jillian Lauren, who can go write a bestseller about you.

All of this has managed to come back to haunt him, as currently he is on trial. Surely a bunch of disgruntled jury members won’t feel any animosity towards an incredibly obnoxious multi-billionaire.


3. Princess Diana, Prince Charles Wedding

Remember how everyone would have a complete cow over how wonderful it was that Princess Diana raised money for charity? No wonder she felt the need to raise money for those less fortunate. It would take a long time to make up the amount of money spent on her wedding day. The wedding (cost an adjusted for inflation) $110 million dollars in contemporary dollars. Then fifteen years later, it all got flushed away in a divorce. Sorry, but for $110 million, the British government should have been legally allowed to hypnotize them into only loving each other or giving them reverse Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind treatments to ensure they would never, EVER be capable of thinking that they should separate.


2. Norwood Young’s Uninspiring Movement

An R&B singer from the 90’s who decided a statue of Michelangelo’s David was just what his yard needed. Oh, wait, no, he got twenty of them. When a bunch of people protested and he managed to make the news for what he did, he made a music video about the whole mess called Stand Up For Something. There’s not much evidence that people united together to defend the right of a millionaire to keep millions of dollars worth of statues on his property.


1. Jim West’s Direct Approach



Texan oil baron Jim West who lived from 1903 to 1957 accrued a fortune of only $10 million, which even adjusted for inflation doesn’t come close to the Jefri Bolkaih’s or Princess Diana’s fortunes. But he more than made up for it with lack of style. In restaurants, at parties, at pools, he had a habit of throwing handfuls of silver dollar coins around to watch people scramble for them. He had pants made with extra big pockets to hold enough coins for proper coin throwing parties.


Source
READ MORE»

10 Famous Statue in the World

Statues have been created by man since the prehistory for all kinds of reasons and in all sizes. One of the first statues, a 29.6 cm (11.7 inches) high sculpture called the Lion Man, was created almost 32,000 years ago. The original Seven Wonders of the World included two statues: The Colossus of Rhodes and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Today, statues have been erected all over the world representing everything from religious deities, historical events and influential people.

The famous statues in our list were are all indented to stand outside to face the elements, though some have been moved to a museum since their creation.


10. Little Mermaid


The statue of The Little Mermaid sits on a rock in the Copenhagen harbour at Langelinie in Denmark. Tourists visiting for the first time are often surprised by the relatively small size of the statue. The Little Mermaid statue is only 1.25 metres high and weighs around 175 kg. Designed by Edvard Eriksen, the statue was erected in 1913 to commemorate a play of the Little mermaid. The poor lady has lost her head several times but has each time been restored. Copenhagen officials announced that the statue may be moved further out in the harbour, as to avoid further vandalism and to prevent tourists from climbing onto it.


9. Lions of Delos

Located near Mykonos, the island of Delos is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece. Delos had a position as a holy sanctuary for a millennium before Olympian Greek mythology made it the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. The Terrace of the Lions was dedicated to Apollo by the people of Naxos shortly before 600 BC and had originally 9 to 12 marble guardian lions along the Sacred Way. Only 5 lions survived and from 3 lions fragments exists. The weather-battered originals were moved to the Archaeological Museum of Delos in 1999.


8. Mother Russia Statue

The Mother Russia statue, also called The Motherland Calls, is a famous statue in Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Russia commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad. When the memorial was dedicated in 1967 it was the tallest sculpture in the world, measuring 85 metres (279 feet) from the tip of its sword to the top of the plinth. The figure itself measures 52 metres (170 feet), and the sword 33 metres (108 feet). Two hundred steps, symbolizing the 200 days of the Battle of Stalingrad, lead from the bottom of the hill to the monument. The statue is currently leaning due to groundwater level changes causing movement of the foundations.


7. Olmec Heads

The Olmec were an ancient Pre-Columbian civilization living in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico, in what are roughly the modern-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco. The Olmec civilization flourished roughly from 1400 BC to about 400 BC. The most recognized aspect of the Olmec civilization are the enormous helmeted heads. The heads are thought to be portraits of rulers, perhaps dressed as ballplayers. No two heads are alike and the helmet-like headdresses are adorned with distinctive elements. There have been 17 colossal heads unearthed to date. The heads range in size from the Rancho La Cobata head, at 3.4 m high, to the pair at Tres Zapotes, at 1.47 m.


6. Mount Nemrut

Nemrut is a 2,134 meter (7,001 ft) high mountain in southeastern Turkey, near the city of Adiyaman. In 62 BC, King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene built on the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues (8–9 m/26–30 ft high) of himself, two lions, two eagles and various Greek, and Persian gods. Since their erection, the heads have toppled from the bodies and lay scattered throughout the site. The summit of Mount Nemrut provides a great view of the surrounding mountains. The main attraction is to watch the sunrise from the eastern terrace which give the bodyless heads a beautiful orange hue and adds to the sense of mystery of the place.


5. David Statue

David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture sculpted by Michelangelo from 1501 to 1504. The 5.17 meter (17 ft) marble statue portrays the Biblical King David in the nude. Unlike previous depictions of David which portray the hero after his victory over Goliath, Michelangelo chose to represent David before the fight contemplating the battle yet to come. To protect it from damage, the famous statue was moved in 1873 to the Accademia Gallery in Florence in Italy, where it attracts many visitors. A replica was placed in the Piazza della Signoria, at the original location.


4. Great Sphinx

Located at the Giza Plateau in Egypt, The Great Sphinx is one of the largest and oldest statues in the world, but basic facts about it, such as who was the model for the face, when it was built, and by whom, are still debated. It is the largest monolith statue in the world although it is considerably smaller than the Pyramids around it. Despite conflicting evidence and viewpoints over the years, the traditional view held by modern Egyptologists at large remains that the Great Sphinx was built in approximately 2500 BC by the pharaoh Khafre, the supposed builder of the second pyramid at Giza.


3. Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France to celebrate the centennial of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence, stands upon Liberty Island and is one of the most famous symbols in the world. It represents a woman wearing a stola, a radiant crown and sandals, trampling a broken chain, carrying a torch in her raised right hand and a tabula ansata tablet. The construction of the statue was completed in France in July 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor the following year. From 1886 until the jet age, it was often one of the first glimpses of the United States for millions of immigrants.


2. Christ the Redeemer

Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Located at the peak of the 700 metres (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain, it provides a sweeping panorama from the interior of Guanabara bay to the north, to Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas to the south. The statue stands 39.6 metres (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 metres (31 ft) pedestal, and 30 metres (98 ft) wide. It is one of the tallest of its kind in the world though the statue of Cristo de la Concordia in Bolivia, is slightly taller. A symbol of Christianity, the famous statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil.


1. Moai
#1 of World Famous Statues
The world famous moai are monolithic statues located on Easter Island, one of the most isolated islands on Earth. The famous statues were carved by the Polynesian colonizers of the island, mostly between circa 1250 AD and 1500 AD. In addition to representing deceased ancestors, the moai may also have been regarded as the embodiment of powerful living or former chiefs. The tallest moai erected, called Paro, was almost 10 meters (33 ft) high and weighed 75 tonnes. The heaviest erected was a shorter but squatter moai weighing 86 tons and one unfinished sculpture, if completed, would have been approximately 21 meters (69 ft) tall with a weight of about 270 tons. The statues were till standing when Europeans first visited the island, but most would be cast down during later conflicts between clans. Today about 50 moai have been re-erected on Easter Island or museums elsewhere.


Source
READ MORE»

10 Largest Malls in the World

Large shopping malls provide a one-stop shopping for anything imaginable. Our list of largest malls in the world is based on the amount of “Gross Leasable Area”. This is the number of square feet the property has for revenue-generating activities like retail, dining and amusements. The building boom in Asia, where land is cheap and labor costs are low has produced the largest shopping malls. Only two shopping malls on this list are located outside Asia.

10. Siam Paragon (3.22 million sq ft)
Siam Paragon
Siam Paragon in Bangkok is one of the largest shopping malls in Thailand. Only the nearby CentralWorld is larger. It includes a wide range of specialty stores and restaurants as well as a multiplex movie theater, the Siam Ocean World aquarium, the Thai Art Gallery and an opera concert hall. It also has a large bowling alley and karaoke center.


9. Berjaya Times Square (3.44 million sq ft)
Berjaya Times Square
Located in Kuala Lumpur, Berjaya Times Square is a twin tower complex containing a shopping center and two five star hotels. With 7.5 million square feet (700,000 m²) of built up floor area it is currently the fifth largest building in the world. The shopping mall includes more than 1,000 retail shops, 65 food outlets and several entertainment attractions such as Asia’s largest indoor theme park, Cosmo’s World and Malaysia’s first-ever IMAX 2D & 3D theater which is located on the 10th Floor.


8. Istanbul Cevahir (3.47 million sq ft)
Istanbul Cevahir
Located on the European side of Istanbul in Turkey, the Cevahir Shopping and Entertainment Centre opened its doors in 2005. It is the largest shopping mall in Europe. There are 343 shops, 34 fast food restaurants and 14 exclusive restaurants in the shopping centre. Other facilities include a large stage for events, 12 cinemas, a bowling hall, a small roller coaster and several other entertainment facilities.


7. SM Megamall (3.6 million sq ft)
SM Megamall
Opened in 1991, SM Megamall in Metro Manila is one of the largest malls in the Philippines. The mall attracts a daily foot traffic of 800,000 people with a maximum capacity of 4 million people. The mall has two main buildings. Building A features cinemas, a bowling alley, food courts and the Toy Kingdom. Building B features the retail shops. The bridgeway connecting the two main buildings of the mall contains several eateries. SM Megamall is currently under major renovation and expansion. When finished, it will be able to claim the ultimate title of largest shopping mall in the Philippines.


6. West Edmonton Mall (3.77 million sq ft)
West Edmonton Mall
The West Edmonton Mall in Alberta Canada, was the largest shopping mall from 1981 until 2004 and is currently the largest mall in the Americas. Beside 800 stores and services the mall includes the largest indoor amusement park in the world, the largest indoor waterpark in the world and Ice Palace (a scaled down version of a NHL regulation sized ice rink, so not the largest in the world). Other attractions include an 18-hole miniature golf course, a movie theatre and a bowling alley.


5. Dubai Mall (3.77 million sq ft)
Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall is part of the Burj Khalifa complex, the tallest man-made structure ever built. At over 12 million square feet (equivalent in size to more than 50 soccer fields), the Dubai Mall is the largest shopping mall in the world based on total area but about the same size as the West Edmonton Mall if based on leasable space. The mall contains more than 1,200 shops including the world’s largest candy store, an ice rink, a SEGA game center (featuring a 3D bowling game), a 5 star luxury hotel, 22 cinema screens plus 120 restaurants and cafes. The mall also contains one of the largest aquariums in the world.


4. SM Mall of Asia (4.2 million sq ft)
SM Mall of Asia
The SM Mall of Asia in Metro Manila, the Philippines, opened in 2006, consists of four buildings interconnected by walkways. It features a 20-seater tram which takes shoppers around the mall grounds. One of the mall’s main attractions is an IMAX theater with one of the world’s biggest 3D screens. The mall also features an Olympic-sized ice skating rink. It can accommodate both recreational and competitive figure skating, as well as ice hockey.


3. CentralWorld (4.62 million sq ft)
CentralWorld
Opened in 1990, the eight-story CentralWorld is the largest shopping mall in Thailand. It marketed itself as a middle class shopping center, opposed to the upper class-marketed Siam Paragon. On 19th May of this year, CentralWorld was one of the many properties set on fire by anti government protestors. The fire raged for two days and the Zen department store collapsed in the fire. After months of repair works, the shopping complex reopened on 28th September with 80% of its retail space open for business.


2. Golden Resources Mall (6.0 million sq ft)
Golden Resources Mall
At 1.5 times the size of the Mall of America, Golden Resources Mall in China was the world’s largest shopping mall from 2004 to 2005. Although the developer of the mall initially estimated that the mall would have 50,000 shoppers a day, as of 2004 the actual number was far smaller, as few as 20 in an hour. One problem was that prices of most items sold were far beyond the purchasing ability of most ordinary Chinese. Another barrier was the inaccessibility of Golden Resources Shopping Mall to foreign consumers due to its location outside the heart of Beijing.


New South China Mall (6.46 million sq ft)
#1 of Largest Malls In The World
New South China Mall in Dongguan, China, is the largest mall in the world based on gross leasable area. The mall features seven zones modeled on international cities including a replica of the Arc de Triomphe and a canal with gondolas. It also has an indoor-outdoor roller coaster. What is doesn’t have is customers. Since its opening in 2005, the mall has suffered from a severe lack of occupants. Much of the retail space has remained empty, with over 99% of the stores vacant. The only occupied areas of the mall are near the entrance where several Western fast food chains are located. It has been nicknamed the largest ghost mall in the world.


Source
READ MORE»

10 Ancient Egyptian Temples

The earliest Egyptian temples were built around the middle of the 4th millennium BC in the shape of reed huts. The last construction on an Egyptian temple was at Philae which ceased to be used in the 6th century AD. So not surprisingly, this list of ancient Egyptian Temples covers a huge variety of different structures that evolved over an enormous period of time.

Medinet Habu


Located on the West Bank of Luxor, Medinet Habu is the Arabic name for a huge temple complex second only to Karnak in size and better preserved. Pharaohs Hatshepsut and Tutmosis III built a small temple dedicated to Amun on the site. Next to their temple, Ramesses III built his mortuary temple, Medinet Habu’s largest standing monument. Ramesses III then enclosed both structures within a massive mud-brick wall that included storehouses, workshops, and residences.




Temple of Kom Ombo

Situated on a high dune overlooking the Nile, The Temple of Kom Ombo is an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic dynasty. The actual temple was started by Ptolemy VI Philometor in the early second century BC. The Temple of Kom Ombo is actually two temples and everything is duplicated along the main axis. There are two entrances, two courts, two colonades, two hypostyle halls and two sanctuaries.




Colossi of Memnon

Built around 1350 BC, The Colossi of Memnon are two massive stone statues depicting Pharaoh Amenhotep III in a seated position. The original function of the Colossi was to stand guard at the entrance to the Amenhotep’s mortuary temple where he was worshipped both before and after his departure from this world. Once the largest temples of ancient Egypt it is today almost completely disappeared except for the two statues. Both statues are quite damaged though, with the features above the waist virtually unrecognizable.




Philae Temples

The island of Philae was the center of the cult of the goddess Isis. The first temple on the island was built by native pharaohs of the 30th dynasty. The temple construction continued over a three century period by the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty and the Roman rulers. The Roman Emperor Trajan built the Trajan’s Kiosk in 100 AD which probably served as a river entrance into the larger temple of Isis. In the 1960s the temple and other monuments on the island were transported to the island of Agilika by UNESCO to save it from being submerged by the rising waters of the Nile due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam. The island of Philae is now buried beneath Lake Nasser.




Temple of Edfu

The Temple of Edfu, dedicated to the falcon god Horus, is the second largest Egyptian temple after Karnak and one of the best preserved. The construction of this temple began in 237 BC during the reign of Ptolemy III, and completed almost two centuries later in 57 BC by Ptolemy XII, the father of the famous Cleopatra. This temple consists of traditional elements of Egyptian Temples of the New Kingdom, together with a few Greek elements such as the house of birth (the Mammisi).




Temple of Seti I


The Temple of Seti I is the mortuary temple of Pharaoh Seti I on the west bank of the Nile in Abydos. The ancient temple was constructed towards the end of the reign of Seti, and may have been completed by his son Ramesses the Great after his death in 1279 BC. The temple contains the Abydos King List. It is a chronological list of many dynastic pharaohs of Egypt from Menes, the Egyptian king credited with founding the First dynasty, until Ramesses I, Seti’s father.




Temple of Hatshepsut

The Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, who ruled Egypt from around 1479 BC until her death in 1458 BC, is situated on the west bank of the Nile. It is a colonnaded structure, which was designed and implemented by Senemut, the royal architect of Hatshepsut, to serve for her posthumous worship and to honor the glory of Amun. The temple is built into a cliff face that rises sharply above it and consists of three layered terraces reaching 30 meters (97 ft ) in height. These terraces are connected by long ramps which were once surrounded by gardens.




Luxor Temple



The Luxor Temple is located on the east bank of the River Nile in the ancient city of Thebes and was founded in 1400 BC during the New Kingdom. The temple was dedicated to the three Egyptian gods Amun, Mut, and Chons. The temple was the center of the festival of Opet, Thebes’ most important festival. During the annual festival the statues of the three Gods were escorted from the temple of Amun in Karnak to the temple of Luxor along the avenue of sphinxes that connect the 2 temples.




Abu Simbel

The twin temples of Abu Simbel were carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses The Great in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari. The complex was relocated in its entirety in the 1960s to avoid their being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of a dam on the Nile. Abu Simbel remains one of Egypt’s top tourist attractions.




Karnak

Although badly ruined, few sites in Egypt are more impressive than Karnak. It is the largest ancient religious site in the world, and represents the combined achievement of many generations of Egyptian builders. The Temple of Karnak actually consists of three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and several outer temples located about 2.5 kilometers north of Luxor. It took millennia to build and enhance the massive Karnak Temple. However, most of the work on Karnak was done by the pharaohs of the New Kingdom (1570-1100 BC). One of most famous structures of Karnak is the Hypostyle Hall, a hall area of 5,000 m2 (50,000 sq ft) with 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows.




Source
READ MORE»

Top 10 Rare Animals

There are many beautiful animals on this great planet. Some are familiar to us because we’ve seen them in person, on one of the many television shows devoted to animals, or in school books or biology textbooks. Other animals are rare. So rare, in fact, that you may have never heard of them. Or, you may have heard of them, and know that they are extremely rare because they are critically endangered. Here are some of the rarest animals in the world.


10. Tarsiers

Tarsiers are found only in the islands of Southeast Asia. Since Southeast Asia encompasses a wide range of islands – Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and more, that might not seem like these little guys are so rare. When you think about the fact that they used to live in many more regions, it sort of puts in in perspective. They mostly live in Borneo. These little primates are only 4-6 inches tall, but their hind legs are twice the length of their torso. Additionally, their eyes are each the size of their brains. What else makes these adorable little primates so rare? They are the only primates who are completely carnivorous – insectivorous to be exact. They stalk bugs and jump at them. They also eat small animals like birds, bats, lizards, and snakes. Tarsiers are considered Critically Endangered and will likely be on that list for some time. They are, thus far, impossible to breed in captivity.


9. Okapi

Is it a giraffe? Is it a zebra? Is it a ziraffe? A gebra? It’s an Okapi! Ever heard of it? Apparently, the Okapi’s history reaches back to ancient Egypt, where carvings have since been found. In Europe and Africa, prior to the 20th century, there existed legends of an “African unicorn.” Today, that animal is thought to be the Okapi. In 1887, Henry Morton Stanley reported on a type of donkey in the Congo named an “Atti.” Today, THAT animal is thought to be the Okapi as well. Scientists, zoologists, and scholars know a lot more about the animal today. For instance, the fact that it is related to the giraffe, despite it’s zebra-like markings, and the fact that the species Okapia johnstoni is considered a “living fossil,” a creature who seems to be the same species as it’s ancient fossils and has no close living relatives (I guess the giraffe is a VERY distant cousin). There are about 10,000-20,000 alive in the wild, but since this dude is sooooo vintage, he goes on the list.


8. Sao Tome Shrew

The Sao Tome Shrew is on the Critically Endangered list because not only are there few left, their habitat is progressively declining. The population continues to decrease, making these animals rare. Found only Sao Tome Island, a small island that is actually a shield volcano that rises out of the Atlantic Ocean. These little shrews are only about 3 inches long, and have white teeth (other than the standard yellow) and light bellies.


7. Red Wolf

The Red Wolf is a cousin to the Gray Wolf. The Red Wolf was actually deemed extinct in the wild in 1980. There were, luckily, some Red Wolves were still in captivity, twenty to be exact. Wildlife conservationists increased the number of Red Wolves in captivity to 207, and today there are about 100 living in the wild. A success story, yes, but the factors that caused the Red Wolf to become so endangered are still present today, in that their hunting ground has been severely depleted. Luckily there are wildlife preserves that allow these wolves to live in their natural habitat, though protected from urban sprawl.


6. Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat

This cute critter, considered one of the rarest large mammals in the world, is on the Critically Endangered list. Over 39 inches long, the Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat is a shade larger than normal wombats, and are able to breed faster, though that has not improved their Critically Endangered status. These vision-impaired marsupials inhabit a mere 750 acre space in Epping Forest in Queensland, except for a second colony (recently established) that lives in a predator-protected refuge in St. George. Currently there are only about 130 Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombats alive.


5. Seychelles Sheath-Tailed Bat

This sac-winged bat lives in the Seychelles Islands that lie north of Madagascar. Once abundant throughout the island chain, the Seychelle Sheath-Tailed Bat is extinct on most of the islands. The bats live in harem colonies, and have a high reproductive potential. Unfortunately, they are very susceptible to habitat changes, and because of their need to roost in several different locations within a habitat, their survival has not been overly successful. There are less than 100 Seychelles Sheath-Tailed Bats thought to live in the world.


4. Javan Rhino

The Javan Rhino is one of five living rhinoceros types, and is part of the same genus as the Indian Rhinoceros, but they are smaller. These Javan Rhinos were once abundant in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, but they are now on the Critically Endangered list with only about sixty (broken into two known populations) in the wild. There are no Javan Rhinos in captivity. The Vietnam War is cited to be one of the biggest deterrents to the Javan Rhino’s existence, in that it severely depleted its natural habitat. Some sources say that this rhino is THE rarest large mammal in the world, unlike the Fur-Nosed wombat, who is somewhere on the “Most Rare” list.


3. Golden Tabby Tiger

This type of rare tiger is only found in captivity. The coloring is a result of a recessive gene, and sometimes the Golden Tabby is also called the Strawberry Tiger. These types of tigers have a Bengal parentage, but generally have Amur tiger in their lineage somewhere. This type of tiger has been in existence as far back as the early 1900s, and their occurrence is strangely tied to areas with a heavy concentration of clay in the soil. There are less than 30 of these tigers known in existence.


2. Yangtze River Dolphin (Baiji)

Also called the Chinese River Dolphin, the Whitefin Dolphin, and the Yangtze Dolphin, the Baiji is NOT the Chinese White Dolphin. This rare animal has become “functionally extinct” because of China’s industrialization. Late in 2006. researchers were unable to find any of these mid-size dolphins, but in August of 2007 a Chinese photographer captured an image of what might be a Bainji. There are anywhere between 0 and 13 Yangtze River Dolphins left in the world.


1. Pina Island Tortoise

The Pinta Island Tortoise has been reduced to one known survivor – Lonesome George. A Galapagos tortoise, George is considered a “poster child” for the conservation efforts in the Galapagos Islands. George is about 100 years old, and all he’s missing is a mate. In fact, some sources report that there is a $10000 reward for someone who finds a female mate for George. There is some skepticism about George’s claim as the last Pinta Island Tortoise in the world. A Prague zoo claims to have another male that they call Tony, but this information is unconfirmed.

Source
READ MORE»