Animals Alone in their Families
From a human perspective, it feels like we're quite distinct from other animals. There's not another species that feels like a next-door neighbor. Chimpanzees, at best, feel like they're maybe in the same town. And there is some scientific validity to this. Modern humans are the only extant member of the genus Homo. However, we do have lots of friends in the family Hominidae, which contains the other great apes - orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos.
Which brings about the question, how unique are we compared to the uniqueness of other animals? Are there other animals that are the only extant ones in their families? What animal is most separate from the others? Below I’ve listed all the animals I could think of that had no close relatives.
Alone in Their Families
There are animals who are even more distinct - even those that are all alone in their families. There are:
Red panda - only extant member of family Ailuridae
Magpie goose - only extant member of family Anseranatidae
Alone in Their Suborder
Going even further, some animals are the only remaining members of their suborder. These are:
Platypus - only extant member of suborder Platypoda
Tuatara - only extant member of suborder Rhynchocephalia
Alone in Its Order
Aardvark - only extant member of the order Tubulidentata.
(No photo here - I don’t think I’ve ever seen an aardvark)
They must get lonely sometimes.