The Zoological Society of London highlighted 100 species – ranging from the spiny long beaked echidna to the potentially already extinct Yangtze river dolphins – for their new program EDGE: Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered. Although these species, selected because of the “peculiarity of their genetic backgrounds and the degree of danger they face,” represent animals found nowhere else on the planet, two-thirds are receiving little to no conservation effort.
Not only does Jonathan Baillie, a ZSL scientist, believe that EDGE will gain a larger international support for these rapidly decreasing mammals, but he also projects that a younger crowd will give increased support. "The younger generation is more interested in the weird and wonderful," he said to the Associated Press.
Whatever generation you’re from, check out the list of peculiar animals and show your support.
