Ranked by IUCN Red List status
Most Endangered Animals
The species closest to being lost — and the guides that explain how each one can still be saved.
In brief
This list ranks 76 of the world's most threatened animals by their IUCN Red List status — from 11 Critically Endangered species one step from extinction, through Endangered and Vulnerable animals. Each links to a full, sourced guide explaining why it is at risk and how it can be helped.
Axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum
An axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a neotenic salamander from the Xochimilco canals near Mexico City that stays aquatic and larval-looking for life, keeping external gills. Famous for regenerating limbs, organs and brain tissue, it is Critically Endangered in the wild yet common in captivity.
Condor
Vultur gryphus (Andean) / Gymnogyps californianus (California)
Condors are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere: the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN with roughly 6,700 mature individuals remaining, while the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is Critically Endangered but recovering, with approximately 607 birds alive as of 2025 thanks to an intensive captive-breeding and reintroduction programme that saved it from a low of just 22 birds in 1982.
Eel
Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus, 1758)
The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a Critically Endangered catadromous fish spawning in the Sargasso Sea; populations have declined over 90% since the 1970s from dams, pollution, fisheries and illegal trade.
Gharial
Gavialis gangeticus (Gmelin, 1789)
The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a Critically Endangered fish-eating crocodilian of India and Nepal with fewer than 900 mature individuals remaining; river damming, sand mining and pollution are the primary threats.
Gorilla
Gorilla gorilla (Savage, 1847) — Western Gorilla; Gorilla beringei (Matschie, 1903) — Eastern Gorilla
A gorilla is the largest living primate, a ground-dwelling, mostly plant-eating great ape native to the forests of equatorial Africa. There are two Critically Endangered species — the Western and Eastern gorilla — and gorillas share roughly 98% of their DNA with humans.
Macaw
Tribe Arini (true macaws) — ~18 species across 6 genera: Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Primolius, Orthopsittaca, Diopsittaca (family Psittacidae)
Macaws are large, long-tailed tropical parrots native to Central and South America; status varies by species, with several — including the blue-throated and Spix's macaws — Critically Endangered or Extinct in the Wild due to the illegal pet trade and deforestation.
Orangutan
Pongo pygmaeus (Linnaeus, 1760), Pongo abelii (Lesson, 1827), Pongo tapanuliensis (Nurcahyo, Meijaard et al., 2017)
Orangutans are Critically Endangered great apes found only in Borneo and Sumatra; all three species — Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli — face extinction driven mainly by habitat loss from palm oil and logging, plus the illegal pet trade.
Pangolin
Order Pholidota, family Manidae — eight living species across three genera (Manis, Smutsia, Phataginus)
Pangolins are the world's most heavily trafficked wild mammals; all eight species are threatened by illegal trade in their keratin scales, used in traditional medicine across Asia, with the Chinese and Sunda pangolins now Critically Endangered.
Sumatran Rhino
Dicerorhinus sumatrensis
A Sumatran rhino is the smallest, hairiest living rhinoceros — a two-horned, rainforest-dwelling species of Indonesia and the only surviving member of the genus Dicerorhinus, now Critically Endangered with fewer than roughly 50 individuals left.
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.
Vaquita
Phocoena sinus
The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is the world's rarest marine mammal, a small porpoise found only in Mexico's Gulf of California, with fewer than ten individuals remaining as of 2025 due to drowning in illegal gillnets.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Penguin
Spheniscidae
Penguins are flightless seabirds of the family Spheniscidae with 18 living species, found almost entirely in the Southern Hemisphere; their conservation status ranges from Least Concern to Critically Endangered, with the African penguin now Critically Endangered and the emperor penguin uplisted to Endangered in 2026.
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.
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.
Rabbit
Leporidae (incl. Oryctolagus cuniculus)
Rabbits are small herbivorous mammals of the family Leporidae (over 70 species); most are common, but a few wild species such as the riverine and volcano rabbits are Critically Endangered or Endangered, and pet and farmed rabbits raise real welfare concerns.
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.
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.
Sea Turtle
Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae (superfamily Chelonioidea)
Sea turtles are a group of seven species of large, long-lived marine reptiles whose conservation status ranges from Least Concern to Critically Endangered, with most species threatened by fishing bycatch, egg poaching, plastic pollution and coastal development.
Slow Loris
Nycticebus spp. (and Xanthonycticebus pygmaeus, the pygmy slow loris, since 2022)
Slow lorises are small nocturnal primates from South and Southeast Asia; every species is threatened with extinction — ranging from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered — largely because of the illegal pet trade, which is fuelled in part by viral social media videos.
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).
Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arctica
A puffin is a small North Atlantic seabird of the auk family, best known as the Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica). Nicknamed the "sea parrot" for its large, colourful striped bill, it nests in clifftop burrows in summer and spends the winter alone far out at sea.
Betta
Betta splendens (Regan, 1910)
Betta splendens is a Vulnerable labyrinth fish of South-east Asian rice paddies — males are territorial; pet bettas need heated filtered tanks of at least 15–20 litres, not unheated bowls or vases.
Binturong
Arctictis binturong (Raffles, 1821)
The binturong (Arctictis binturong) is a Vulnerable tree-dwelling viverrid of South-east Asian rainforest, the only Old World mammal with a fully prehensile tail; it is threatened by deforestation and the illegal pet trade.
Cheetah
Acinonyx jubatus
The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is the fastest land animal, reaching roughly 100-120 km/h (about 60-75 mph) in short bursts, and is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with the Asiatic cheetah in Iran listed as Critically Endangered.
Clouded Leopard
Neofelis nebulosa & Neofelis diardi
A clouded leopard is a medium-sized arboreal wild cat native to the forests of Asia, recognised by its cloud-shaped coat patches and famous for having the longest canine teeth relative to body size of any living cat; two species exist, the mainland (Neofelis nebulosa) and Sunda (Neofelis diardi) clouded leopards, both listed as Vulnerable.
Dingo
Canis lupus dingo
The dingo is Australia's native wild dog and apex predator, historically classified as Vulnerable due to widespread persecution and hybridisation with domestic dogs — though it was removed from the IUCN Red List in 2019 following taxonomic reclassification, and new genomic research suggests pure dingoes are more numerous than previously feared.
Dove
Streptopelia turtur (Linnaeus, 1758)
The European turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur) is a Vulnerable migratory columbid of European woodland and farmland, declining by roughly 80% since 1970 due to habitat loss, hunting and agricultural intensification.
Dugong
Dugong dugon
A dugong is a large, plant-eating marine mammal of the order Sirenia (the "sea cows"), reaching about 3 metres long, that lives entirely in warm coastal seas and feeds almost exclusively on seagrass.
Frog
Anura
A frog is a tailless amphibian of the order Anura, a group of over 7,700 species worldwide that begins life as an aquatic tadpole and is widely used as a bioindicator of environmental health.
Gaur
Bos gaurus (Hamilton, 1827)
The gaur (Bos gaurus) is a Vulnerable forest bovid — the largest wild cattle species, ranging from India through Malaysia; threatened by habitat loss, bushmeat hunting and agricultural encroachment.
Giant Anteater
Myrmecophaga tridactyla
The giant anteater is a large, toothless mammal of Central and South America listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with populations declining by at least 30% over the past three generations due to habitat loss, fire, and road mortality.
Giant Panda
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a bamboo-eating bear native only to China, listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List with roughly 1,800 to 1,900 mature individuals in the wild as of the 2016 assessment.
Giraffe
Giraffa
Giraffes are the tallest animals on Earth and are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List; the group was split into four species in 2025, and while overall numbers are now near 117,000, some subspecies such as the Kordofan and Nubian giraffe are Critically Endangered.
Hamster
Multiple species — Mesocricetus auratus (Syrian), Phodopus spp. (dwarf) and others
Hamsters are nocturnal cricetine rodents — Syrian hamsters must live alone; dwarf species may tolerate pairs. Wild Syrian hamsters are Vulnerable; pet welfare requires large enclosures, deep bedding and wheels with a straight back.
Harpy Eagle
Harpia harpyja
A Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is the largest and most powerful bird of prey in the Americas, a rainforest eagle that hunts tree-dwelling mammals such as sloths and monkeys from the canopy of Central and South America; the IUCN classifies it as Vulnerable.
Hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius
The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) is a large semi-aquatic African mammal listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with roughly 115,000-130,000 individuals remaining and a declining population driven by habitat loss and demand for its tooth ivory.
Hyacinth Macaw
Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus
A Hyacinth Macaw is the world's largest flying parrot — a roughly one-metre-long, cobalt-blue bird from central South America, especially Brazil's Pantanal, that uses its powerful beak to crack hard palm nuts; it is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.
Koala
Phascolarctos cinereus
The koala is a Vulnerable eucalyptus-eating marsupial native only to Australia, where habitat loss, disease and bushfire have made its eastern populations Endangered under national law as of 2022.
Koi
Cyprinus carpio haematopterus — ornamental domestic carp (Cyprinus carpio)
Koi are ornamental domestic carp bred for pond display — wild Cyprinus carpio is Vulnerable; koi need large filtered ponds, quarantine and never release into wild waterways.
Lion
Panthera leo
The lion (Panthera leo) is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with an estimated 23,000 mature and subadult lions remaining in Africa plus around 670 in India, and the overall population is decreasing.
Marlin
Makaira nigricans (Lacepède, 1802)
The blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) is a Vulnerable billfish of tropical oceans, declining from longline bycatch and overfishing; white and striped marlin face similar pressures.
Polar Bear
Ursus maritimus (Popham, 1774)
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with an estimated 22,000–31,000 individuals; climate change and the loss of Arctic sea ice are the primary threats to its survival.
Quokka
Setonix brachyurus
The quokka is a Vulnerable marsupial found only in south-western Western Australia, best known for its photogenic "smile" but facing serious threats from feral predators, habitat loss, and climate change.
Rhinoceros Hornbill
Buceros rhinoceros
A Rhinoceros Hornbill is a large black-and-white rainforest bird (Buceros rhinoceros) native to Southeast Asia, named for the big curved orange casque above its bill; the IUCN classes it as Vulnerable.
Shark
Selachimorpha (superorder); e.g. great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Linnaeus, 1758)
Sharks are a group of more than 500 species of cartilaginous fish found in every ocean; conservation status varies by species, but about one-third of all sharks, rays and chimaeras are threatened with extinction, mainly because of overfishing, the fin trade and bycatch.
Shoebill
Balaeniceps rex
The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) is a Vulnerable African swamp bird famous for its massive shoe-shaped bill and motionless hunting posture; roughly 5,000–8,000 individuals remain in Central and East African wetlands.
Sloth Bear
Melursus ursinus (Cuvier, 1793)
The sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is a Vulnerable myrmecophagous bear of India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan — adapted for eating ants and termites with long claws and a tube-like muzzle, threatened by habitat loss and conflict.
Snow Leopard
Panthera uncia
A snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a large wild cat native to the high mountains of Central and South Asia, recognised by its pale grey rosette-patterned coat and very long tail, and listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Spectacled Bear
Tremarctos ornatus (F. Cuvier, 1825)
The spectacled bear is South America's only bear species and the last surviving short-faced bear; the IUCN lists it as Vulnerable, threatened by deforestation, conflict with farmers, and the illegal wildlife trade.
Sun Bear
Helarctos malayanus (Raffles, 1821)
Sun bears are the world's smallest bears, native to Southeast Asia, and are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN; they are threatened by deforestation, the pet trade, and the bear bile industry, in which bears are caged for years and milked for bile used in traditional medicine.
Urial
Ovis vignei
The urial (Ovis vignei) is a Vulnerable wild sheep of Central and South Asia, with around 30,000 individuals remaining and populations declining across most of its range due to poaching, habitat loss, and livestock competition.
Walrus
Odobenus rosmarus
A walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is a huge Arctic pinniped, or fin-footed marine mammal, famous for its long ivory tusks and bristly whiskered snout. It hauls out on sea ice and dives to the seabed to feed on clams, using sensitive whiskers to find shellfish in dark water.
Yak
Bos mutus (Przewalski, 1883)
The wild yak (Bos mutus) is a Vulnerable high-altitude bovid of the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas — ancestor of the domestic yak, threatened by hunting, hybridisation and habitat disturbance; remnant populations persist in Pakistan and Nepal.
American Bison
Bison bison
The American bison is the largest land mammal in North America, listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN with an estimated 15,000 truly wild individuals remaining after a dramatic near-extinction in the 19th century.
Buffalo
Syncerus caffer (Sparrman, 1779)
The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a Least Concern bovid of sub-Saharan Africa — a 900 kg herd grazer and formidable prey for lions, with roughly 400,000 individuals; Asian wild water buffalo is a separate Endangered species.
Flamingo
Phoenicopteridae
Flamingos are a family (Phoenicopteridae) of six species of tall, filter-feeding wading birds whose pink colour comes from carotenoid pigments in the algae and small crustaceans they eat in saline and alkaline lakes.
Gila Monster
Heloderma suspectum
The Gila monster is a heavy, slow-moving venomous lizard of the American Southwest, classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN due to habitat loss, road mortality, and climate-driven changes to its desert home.
Hedgehog
Erinaceinae
A hedgehog is a small spiny insectivorous mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae; there are 17 species across Europe, Asia and Africa, and the widespread European hedgehog was listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List in 2024 after sharp declines.
Jaguar
Panthera onca
A jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large spotted big cat native to the Americas — the largest cat on the continent and the third-largest in the world — known for the strongest bite of any big cat and a habit of killing prey by piercing the skull.
Maned Wolf
Chrysocyon brachyurus
A maned wolf is the tallest wild canid in the world, a long-legged, reddish-coated omnivore native to the grasslands of central South America — especially Brazil's Cerrado — that despite its name is neither a true wolf nor a fox but the only species in the genus Chrysocyon.
Markhor
Capra falconeri
A markhor (Capra falconeri) is a large wild goat native to the mountains of Central and South Asia, famous for the males' long, twisting corkscrew horns; it is Pakistan's national animal and is currently listed by the IUCN as Near Threatened.
Owl
Strigiformes
An owl is a nocturnal bird of prey in the order Strigiformes, made up of about 250 species across two families, distinguished by forward-facing eyes, near-silent flight and the ability to rotate its head up to 270 degrees.
Platypus
Ornithorhynchus anatinus
A platypus is a semi-aquatic, egg-laying mammal (a monotreme) native to eastern Australia and Tasmania. It has a duck-like bill, webbed feet and a beaver-like tail, hunts underwater using electroreception, and males carry venomous ankle spurs. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
Salamander
Salamandra salamandra (Linnaeus, 1758)
Salamanders are tailed amphibians of order Caudata; the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) is Near Threatened in Europe, threatened by Bsal fungus linked to the pet trade, while many species face habitat loss and overharvesting.
Zebra
Equus (subgenus Hippotigris) — Equus quagga, Equus zebra, Equus grevyi
A zebra is a striped African member of the horse genus Equus; there are three species — plains, mountain, and Grevy's — ranging from Near Threatened to the Endangered Grevy's zebra, of which fewer than about 2,000 mature animals survive.
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