Published 14:06 IST, December 21st 2020
Viral animals of 2020: From Himalayan Serow to Nilgiri Marten, animals that won internet
A rare Nilgiri marten was spotted wandering at an undisclosed location earlier this year. A 17-second video clip of the same was shared on Twitter in October.
2020 has been one of the grimmest years in over a century, particularly because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected more than 100 million people worldwide. However, one positive to come out of this pandemic phase is the return of wildlife due to the lockdowns imposed by governments across the world earlier year to contain the spread of the virus. Images and videos of rare and stunning animals have started to surface all over the world since nature has reclaimed its spaces.
Himalayan Serow
A rare Himalayan serow was captured on camera earlier this month. Rare photographs of the Himalayan serow were shared by ANI on Twitter where they created a stir immediately. In the photographs, one could see the greyish-brown colour animal standing against the crystal clear blue water and beige rocks. As per Susanta Nanda, the Himalayan serow (Capricornis thar), has an appearance of a goat with long, donkey-like ears, and a habit of standing with forelegs astraddle, make the Serow an ungainly goat antelope. Himalayan serows are considered an extinct species.
Great Fox-Spider
A rare species of spider that was assumed extinct in the United Kingdom was rediscovered recently after more than 25 years. The Great Fox-Spider, which is also known as Alopecosa fabrilis, is red-listed as critically endangered and was thought to be extinct in the UK before it was recently rediscovered on a Ministry of Defence (MOD) training area in Surrey, England. The discovery was made by Mike Waite of Surrey Wildlife Trust, who calls himself a spider enthusiast. The Great Fox-Spiders are known for their predator-like habit as they hunt down their prey at night like wolves.
Nilgiri Marten
A rare Nilgiri marten was spotted wandering at an undisclosed location earlier this year. A 17-second video clip of the same was shared on Twitter by IAS officer Supriya Sahu, who dubbed the animal as “elusive and beautiful”. In the clip, the animal could be seen trotting at the edge of a road, in what seems like a mountainous area. Nilgiri Marten is the only marten species native to South India. It is categorised as Vulnerable, as per the IUCN list.
Black leopard
Earlier this year, pictures of rare Black leopard had gone viral on social media platforms. Wildlife photographer Anurag Gawande had captured the magnificent animal crossing a road while it was hunting a deer in Tadoba National Park, Maharashtra. Black colour in leopards is caused by a mutation in their gene because of which they have excessive black pigments. However, they still have the typical spotted markings present in other leopards.
Singing dog
Earlier, an extremely rare breed of 'singing' dog, thought to have been extinct, was spotted in its natural habitat for the first time in 50 years. The New Guinea singing dog, known for their unique howls and bark, though bred in captivity, had not been spotted in wild for the past five decades. However, following research by the New Guinea Highland Wild Dog Foundation (NGHWDF) in 2016, a breakthrough was witnessed.
Updated 14:04 IST, December 21st 2020