ODDITIES IN DANGER

Many of the world’s most unique species are in grave danger, and losing them would delete a swathe of evolutionary history. Here are  five threatened oddballs. Long-beaked echidnas (Zaglossus) There are only three species of long-beaked echidna, all native to New Guinea. They are the top three species on the EDGE list of unique and endangered mammals, in danger from hunting and habitat loss. Hirola (Beatragus hunteri ) Only found on the border of Kenya and Somalia, the hirola is the world’s most threatened antelope. Populations have collapsed alongside those of elephants, which nibbled grass to the height the hirolas prefer. Christmas Island frigatebird (Fregata andrewsi ) This fork-tailed seabird, pictured, has just one breeding colony on cyclone-prone Christmas Island. Giant ibis (Thaumatibis gigantea) By far the largest ibis, the giant ibis stands a metre tall. Only about 345 are left, mainly in Cambodia. The biggest threat is deforestation. Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus) The largest amphibian, the Chinese giant salamander lived alongside the dinosaurs 170 million years ago. It is one of only two surviving species in its family, but is now critically endangered due to hunting and habitat destruction.