1. North American Cacomistle

Refreshingly this species is not endangered. The North American Cacomistleis common in southern USA but is otherwise unknown. Alias’s of the North American Cacomistle include ‘ring-tailed cat’ and ‘cat squirrel’, neither of which give an accurate description of this evasive mammal. The North American Cacomistle is more like a Raccoon than at cat and has similar habits, sometimes causing trouble that the Raccoon gets the blame for. The name North American Cacomistle comes from the Nahuatl language literally meaning ‘ half mountain lion‘ which again is pretty far off target.

That rounds up out list of the most elusive mammals in the world! hopefully you’ve discovered some wonderful creatures that you never thought existed so if you live close to any of these animals why not keep an eye out for them? just don’t bother the Hairy Saki!

2. Moon rat

This funny looking creature is the Moon rat or otherwise known as the hairy hedgehog. The Moon rat makes its home in south east Asia and avoided by many due to the potent foul smell produced from its musk glands that rival the better known skunk. Sporting a white face the moon rat is big for its family and usually has a dark brown cost everywhere bar its face. The most distinct characteristic this weird mammal possesses is its nose which is bald and oddly shaped like a toned down version of the Star moles nose.

3. Fossa

The Fossa is an extremely rare mammal that is found only on the island of Madagascar. The Fossa does look a lot like a cat but is actually much more like a Mongoose and sporting a lushous brown coat the Fossa is the largest member of the Civet family and the largest mammal on Madagascar. Currently the Fossa is listed as endangered as it is believed there is only around 3000 left in Madagascar.