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Conservation status

Endangered Animals

Endangered is the IUCN Red List category for species facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild — one step below Critically Endangered. This collection gathers 33 WARN guides to species currently assessed as Endangered.

By the WARN Research & Conservation TeamChecked against IUCN Red List & CITES sourcesLast updated

This collection links to 33 sourced WARN guides with conservation status, key facts, threats, FAQs and references.

African wild dog with mottled coat in savanna

Endangered

African Wild Dog

Lycaon pictus

The African wild dog is a lean, long-legged carnivore of sub-Saharan Africa, famous for its mottled coat of black, tan, and white patches. Weighing 20 to 30 kg and standing about 1.1 m in body length, it is one of the world's most efficient pack hunters, chasing prey at up to 60 km/h.

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Lowland anoa, a small dark buffalo with short horns, standing in Sulawesi rainforest understorey

Endangered — both species declining on Sulawesi

Anoa

Bubalus depressicornis and B. quarlesi — dwarf buffalo of Sulawesi

Anoa are dwarf buffalo endemic to Sulawesi, Indonesia — the smallest wild cattle at roughly 90 cm shoulder height — with lowland and mountain species both listed Endangered and declining through hunting and forest loss.

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Aye-aye with large eyes and elongated finger

Endangered

Aye-aye

Daubentonia madagascariensis

The aye-aye is a large nocturnal lemur found only in Madagascar, easily recognised by its bushy tail, rodent-like teeth and long, spindly middle finger. It weighs 2 to 3 kg (4.4 to 6.6 lb) and forages alone at night for insect larvae, fruit, nectar and fungi.

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Banteng bull with dark coat and white stockings standing in Sundaland forest clearing

Endangered — first endangered species cloned in 2003; wild herds shrink as forest converts

Banteng

Bos javanicus (Hardwicke, 1825) — family Bovidae

The banteng (Bos javanicus) is an Endangered wild cattle of Southeast Asia; the first Endangered species cloned successfully in 2003, it continues to decline as oil palm, pulpwood, mining and hunting remove forest across Sundaland.

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Basking shark with enormous open mouth filter-feeding near the surface

Endangered — the second-largest fish, and harmless

Basking Shark

Cetorhinus maximus (Gunnerus, 1765) — family Cetorhinidae

The basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) is the second-largest fish on Earth at around 10 metres, an entirely harmless filter feeder that strains plankton at the surface, and is listed as Endangered.

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A blue whale surfacing in open ocean, its mottled blue-grey body dwarfing the surrounding water.

Endangered

Blue Whale

Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758)

The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the Endangered largest animal on Earth — a krill-filtering baleen whale found in all oceans, recovering slowly after twentieth-century whaling.

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Bonobo resting in lush Congo rainforest canopy

Endangered

Bonobo

Pan paniscus

Bonobos are great apes found only in the Democratic Republic of Congo, closely related to chimpanzees but generally less aggressive, with female-led social bonds and extensive use of social behaviour to resolve conflict. Listed Endangered, they weigh 30–50 kg and face habitat loss and bushmeat hunting.

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A small, round-bellied Borneo pygmy elephant with oversized ears and a long tail standing in a riverside rainforest clearing in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, with a calf beside it.

Endangered (subspecies, 2024) — ~1,000 left

Borneo Pygmy Elephant

Elephas maximus borneensis

A Borneo pygmy elephant is the smallest subspecies of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), native to the island of Borneo in Sabah, Malaysia and Kalimantan, Indonesia; the IUCN listed it as Endangered in 2024 with about 1,000 left in the wild.

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An adult chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) with dark hair and a bare, expressive face, sitting in dappled forest light and gazing thoughtfully to one side.

Endangered (IUCN); CITES Appendix I

Chimpanzee

Pan troglodytes

A chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is a great ape from the forests and woodlands of equatorial Africa. Along with the bonobo, it is humans' closest living relative, sharing roughly 98-99% of our DNA. Famous for tool use, complex societies and culture, it is classified as Endangered.

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Dhole with russet coat and dark bushy tail standing alert in dense South Asian monsoon forest understorey

Endangered — declining across South and Southeast Asia

Dhole

Cuon alpinus (Pallas, 1811) — family Canidae

The dhole (Cuon alpinus) is an Endangered wild canid of South and Southeast Asian forests that hunts deer and wild pig in coordinated packs, communicates with whistles rather than barks, and is declining across most of its range.

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A wild Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) tusker walks through dense forest at Bardiya National Park, Nepal, its small rounded ears and prominently domed skull clearly visible in sharp detail against a backdrop of trees

Endangered

Elephant

Elephas maximus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Asian elephants are Endangered; their main threats are habitat loss and human-elephant conflict, while African elephants also face poaching for the illegal ivory trade.

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A giant otter surfacing in a dark Amazon river, its sleek brown body and the distinctive cream-coloured throat patch visible above the water, whiskers spread and head raised alertly

Endangered (IUCN, 2021) — locally extinct or Critically Endangered across much of its former range

Giant Otter

Pteronura brasiliensis

A giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is the world's longest otter, a fish-eating, highly social mammal of South American rivers that grows up to 1.8 metres long and lives in family groups; it is classified as Endangered by the IUCN.

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A golden lion tamarin with a flame-coloured silky coat and a dark face framed by a lion-like mane, perched on a mossy branch in dense Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

Endangered (conservation comeback)

Golden Lion Tamarin

Leontopithecus rosalia

A golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) is a small, endangered New World monkey with a bright reddish-gold coat and a lion-like mane, native only to the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil.

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An adult golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) with vivid orange-golden fur and distinctive pale blue facial skin sits on rope branches, facing the camera against a softly blurred green woodland background.

Endangered (IUCN, 2015)

Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey

Rhinopithecus roxellana (Milne-Edwards, 1870)

The golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) is an Endangered Old World monkey of central China's mountain forests, famous for its golden fur, pale blue face and upturned nose; it lives in large social groups and is protected under CITES Appendix I.

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Enormous Goliath frog resting on a wet rock beside a fast-flowing rainforest river

Endangered

Goliath Frog

Conraua goliath

The Goliath frog is the largest living frog, growing up to 32 cm (13 in) long and weighing as much as 3.3 kg (7.3 lb). It lives only in fast-flowing rivers of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea in West Africa.

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A live Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) surfacing in a calm, murky river, its distinctive elongated beak with visible teeth and rounded, low dorsal ridge clearly visible above the waterline; the animal's pinkish-brown skin glistens in natural light.

Endangered (IUCN, 2021) — fewer than ~2,000 mature individuals

Indus River Dolphin

Platanista minor

The Indus River dolphin (Platanista minor), or bhulan, is a small, nearly blind freshwater dolphin found only in the Indus River system of Pakistan; it is the national mammal of Pakistan and is classified as Endangered, with fewer than about 2,000 mature individuals remaining.

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Kea alpine parrot perched on a rocky mountain outcrop

Endangered — the world's only alpine parrot

Kea

Nestor notabilis (Gould, 1856) — family Strigopidae

The kea (Nestor notabilis) is the world's only alpine parrot, native to New Zealand's South Island mountains; it is highly intelligent and inventive, and is listed as Endangered largely because of introduced predators, lead poisoning and human conflict.

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A wild adult Komodo dragon walking across dry savanna grassland on an Indonesian island, its forked yellow tongue extended, showing powerful clawed limbs, muscular tail and tough scaled grey-brown skin.

Endangered (IUCN, 2021) — fewer than ~1,400 mature individuals

Komodo Dragon

Varanus komodoensis

A Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the world's largest living lizard, a venomous monitor species native to a few islands in eastern Indonesia that can grow to about 3 metres long and 70-90 kilograms.

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A Malayan tapir standing at a rainforest edge, showing its striking two-tone coat: a jet-black head, shoulders and legs with a broad white "saddle" across its back and rump, plus a short, flexible prehensile snout.

Endangered (IUCN) — fewer than 2,500 mature adults and declining

Malayan Tapir

Tapirus indicus

A Malayan tapir is a large, plant-eating mammal native to the rainforests of Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. It is the biggest of the five tapir species and the only tapir found in Asia, recognisable by its black-and-white "saddle" coat and short, flexible snout.

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Maleo with black upperparts, rosy-pink belly and prominent casque on the head standing on volcanic sand

Endangered — nesting grounds lost to development and egg collecting

Maleo

Macrocephalon maleo (Müller, 1840) — family Megapodiidae

The maleo (Macrocephalon maleo) is an Endangered megapode of Sulawesi that buries a single large egg in geothermal or sun-heated sand and abandons it; the chick hatches fully developed and flies the same day without any parental care.

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A giant manta ray gliding through blue water with wide triangular pectoral fins and cephalic lobes extended.

Endangered

Manta Ray

Mobula birostris (giant) and Mobula alfredi (reef manta)

Manta rays are Endangered filter-feeding elasmobranchs — giant and reef species with wingspans up to seven metres — threatened globally by bycatch, gill-plate trade and fisheries.

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Okapi with zebra-striped legs in Congolese rainforest

Endangered — restricted entirely to the rainforests of the DRC

Okapi

Okapia johnstoni (Sclater, 1901) — family Giraffidae

The okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is the giraffe's only living relative, a solitary rainforest herbivore found exclusively in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with striped hindquarters for camouflage and a long dark prehensile tongue.

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A pink-hued adult Amazon river dolphin (boto) surfacing in a tea-coloured Amazon tributary, showing its long slender beak, bulging melon forehead and low ridged back instead of a tall dorsal fin.

Endangered (IUCN, 2018) — assessed as one species with three subspecies

Pink River Dolphin

Inia geoffrensis

A pink river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis), also called the boto or Amazon river dolphin, is a freshwater toothed whale native to the Amazon and Orinoco river systems of South America. It is the largest river dolphin, named for the pink colouring adults often develop, and is classed as Endangered by the IUCN.

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A male proboscis monkey with a large pendulous nose, reddish-brown coat and pot-bellied build perched in a riverside mangrove tree in Borneo, Indonesia.

Endangered (IUCN, 2020) - CITES Appendix I

Proboscis Monkey

Nasalis larvatus

A proboscis monkey is a large, reddish-brown Old World monkey found only on the island of Borneo (in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei), famous for the male's oversized hanging nose and for living in coastal mangrove and riverside forests; the IUCN classes it as Endangered.

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Female Queen Alexandra's birdwing with brown wings and cream markings, the largest butterfly in the world

Endangered — restricted range and the only butterfly on CITES Appendix I

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing

Ornithoptera alexandrae (Rothschild, 1907) — family Papilionidae

Queen Alexandra's birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae) is the largest butterfly in the world, with females reaching a wingspan of around 28 cm; it is known from lowland rainforest in northern Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, listed Endangered, and is the only butterfly on CITES Appendix I.

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A red panda with russet fur and a ringed tail resting on a mossy branch in montane forest.

Endangered

Red Panda

Ailurus fulgens (F. Cuvier, 1825)

The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is an Endangered Himalayan forest mammal unrelated to giant pandas — a bamboo-eating specialist threatened by deforestation, poaching and road deaths across Nepal, India, Bhutan, China and Myanmar.

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A sea otter floating on its back in kelp, using its chest as a table while eating a shellfish.

Endangered

Sea Otter

Enhydra lutris (Linnaeus, 1758)

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is an Endangered North Pacific keystone predator that maintains kelp forests by controlling sea urchins — insulated by the densest fur of any mammal, not blubber.

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Secretary bird with grey body, black flight feathers, crest of head feathers and long bare pink legs walking through African savanna grass

Endangered

Secretary Bird

Sagittarius serpentarius (Miller, 1779) — family Sagittariidae

The secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) is an Endangered African raptor that hunts on foot across savanna, killing snakes and other prey with rapid stamping blows delivered in about 15 milliseconds at force several times its body weight.

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Siamang pair with black fur and inflated throat sac calling from a rainforest canopy branch

Endangered — loud duets and throat sacs on forests being cleared for plantations

Siamang

Symphalangus syndactylus (Illiger, 1811) — family Hylobatidae

The siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) is the largest gibbon, Endangered across Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, known for paired morning duets amplified by an inflatable throat sac; oil palm, pulpwood and mining drive forest loss across its range.

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A Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) with characteristic black fur and white chest patch, crouching on sandy ground at Healesville Sanctuary, Australia.

Endangered

Tasmanian Devil

Sarcophilus harrisii

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is an Endangered carnivorous marsupial found only in Tasmania, Australia, whose wild population has plummeted by around 80% since the 1990s due to a transmissible facial cancer called Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).

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A Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) crouches low and peers forward through tall green grass, its orange-and-black-striped face and amber eyes clearly visible at close range in a natural jungle setting.

Species Endangered (IUCN 2022); Sumatran and Malayan tigers both Critically Endangered

Tiger

Panthera tigris (subspecies P. t. sondaica, P. t. jacksoni)

A tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest living cat species, a striped, solitary carnivore native to Asia; the Sumatran tiger of Indonesia and the Malayan tiger of Malaysia are two of the most endangered surviving populations, both listed as Critically Endangered.

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Tree kangaroo with thick fur and long balancing tail climbing a mossy New Guinea rainforest trunk

Varies by species — several Endangered or Critically Endangered

Tree Kangaroo

Genus Dendrolagus (Müller, 1840) — around 14 species

Tree kangaroos are around 14 species of marsupial in the genus Dendrolagus that live in the rainforest canopies of New Guinea and far north Queensland; they descend from ground-dwelling kangaroos that returned to the trees, and several species are Endangered or Critically Endangered.

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Whale shark with white checkerboard spots swimming in blue tropical water

Endangered — the largest fish alive, and a filter feeder

Whale Shark

Rhincodon typus (Smith, 1828) — family Rhincodontidae

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish on Earth at up to around 18 metres, a filter feeder that eats plankton and small fish, and is listed as Endangered.

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Endangered Animals: FAQs

What does Endangered mean on the IUCN Red List?
Endangered is the second-highest threat category, applied to species facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. It sits between Vulnerable and Critically Endangered, and is assigned against quantitative criteria covering population size, rate of decline and range.

What is the difference between Endangered and Critically Endangered?
Both indicate serious extinction risk, but Critically Endangered is the more severe category, reserved for species facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Endangered species face a very high risk. The distinction is set by thresholds for population size, decline rate and geographic range.

Can an Endangered species recover?
Yes. Species have moved to lower-risk categories after sustained habitat protection, anti-poaching work and, where appropriate, reintroduction — the giant panda moved from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2016. Recovery is usually slow and depends on removing the original cause of decline.

How is a species assessed as Endangered?
Assessors apply five quantitative criteria covering population reduction, restricted geographic range, small population size with decline, very small population, and quantitative extinction-risk analysis. Meeting any one criterion at the relevant threshold qualifies the species.
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