Viral animals of 2020: From Himalayan Serow to Nilgiri Marten, animals that won internet

2020 has been one of grimmest years in over a century, particularly because of COVID-19 pandemic that has affected more than 100 million people worldwide. However, one positive to come out of this pandemic phase is return of wildlife due to lockdowns imposed by governments across world earlier year to contain spre of virus. Ims and videos of rare and stunning animals have started to surface all over world since nature has reclaimed its s. 

Himalayan Serow

A rare Himalayan serow was captured on camera earlier this month. Rare photographs of Himalayan serow were shared by ANI on Twitter where y created a stir immediately. In photographs, one could see greyish-brown colour animal standing against crystal clear blue water and beige rocks. As per Susanta Nanda, Himalayan serow (Capricornis thar), has an appearance of a goat with long, donkey-like ears, and a habit of standing with forelegs astrdle, make Serow an ungainly goat antelope. Himalayan serows are considered an extinct species. 

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Great Fox-Spider

A rare species of spider that was assumed extinct in United Kingdom was rediscovered recently after more than 25 years. Great Fox-Spider, which is also kwn as Alopecosa fabrilis, is red-listed as critically endangered and was thought to be extinct in UK before it was recently rediscovered on a Ministry of Defence (MOD) training area in Surrey, England. discovery was me by Mike Waite of Surrey Wildlife Trust, who calls himself a spider enthusiast. Great Fox-Spiders are kwn for ir predator-like habit as y hunt down ir prey at night like wolves. 

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Nilgiri Marten

A rare Nilgiri marten was spotted wandering at an undisclosed location earlier this year. A 17-second video clip of same was shared on Twitter by IAS officer Supriya Sahu, who dubbed animal as “elusive and beautiful”. In clip, animal could be seen trotting at edge of a ro, in what seems like a mountaius area. Nilgiri Marten is only marten species native to South India. It is categorised as Vulnerable, as per IUCN list.

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Black leopard

Earlier this year, pictures of rare Black leopard h gone viral on social media platforms. Wildlife photographer Anurag Gawande h captured magnificent animal crossing a ro while it was hunting a deer in Toba National Park, Maharashtra. Black colour in leopards is caused by a mutation in ir gene because of which y have excessive black pigments. However, y still have typical spotted markings present in or leopards. 

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Singing dog

Earlier, an extremely rare breed of 'singing' dog, thought to have been extinct, was spotted in its natural habitat for first time in 50 years. New Guinea singing dog, kwn for ir unique howls and bark, though bred in captivity, h t been spotted in wild for past five deces. However, following research by New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation (NGHWDF) in 2016, a breakthrough was witnessed.

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