Study Notes on 50 Critically Endangered and Endangered Animals of the World

Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• The Amur leopard is a subspecies native to southeastern Russia and northern China.
• They have the largest leopard ranges, in part due to the scarcity of prey.
• Amur leopards can run up to 37 miles per hour.
• They have excellent camouflage for their habitat, with pale yellow fur and elongated rosettes.
• Major threats come from poaching and habitat destruction, with under 100 estimated to remain in the wild.

Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• The black rhino is found across southern and eastern Africa.
• They are browsers, favoring leaves and shoots of plants.
• Their pointed upper lip helps them grip vegetation.
• They are more solitary than white rhinos.
• All subspecies experienced heavy poaching which reduced numbers from about 70,000 in 1970 to only 2,400 by 1993.
• Intense conservation efforts helped populations recover to around 5,600 today.

Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• The Bornean orangutan inhabits tropical forests in Borneo.
• They spend nearly all their time in trees.
• Bornean orangutans have broader faces and darker fur compared to their Sumatran counterparts.
• Forest destruction for palm oil, logging and fires have been disastrous for wild populations.
• Over 100,000 may have perished in recent decades.
• Less than 120,000 likely remain across fragmented habitats.

California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• With immense 10ft wingspans, California condors are specialized scavengers inhabiting the American west.
• They nearly went extinct in the 1980s when fewer than 25 remained.
• An intense captive breeding program increased numbers to nearly 500 today, over half which have been reintroduced to parts of their historical range.
• However, conservation management and monitoring must continue indefinitely to sustain the species.
• Lead poisoning and habitat impacts remain key threats.

Chinese Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Endemic to rocky mountain streams of central and southern China, these enormous salamanders can reach nearly 6 feet long.
• They are fully aquatic, subsisting on insects, fish, shrimp and crabs.
• Chinese giant salamanders have extremely low reproduction rates, making them highly vulnerable.
• Habitat destruction and overhunting has slashed wild populations by 80% since the 1960s.
• Illegal poaching for Chinese medicine also persists.

Cross River Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Found in a remote region along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, this gorilla subspecies numbers less than 300 individuals remaining in the wild.
• Cross River gorillas are extremely shy and avoidance of humans.
• Their habitat is highly threatened by logging, roads and development projects.
• Conservation groups are working with local communities to promote ecotourism and sustain wildlife corridors connecting fragmented gorilla populations.

Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Occurring in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, this subspecies has declined by over 70% in two decades.
• Eastern lowland gorillas are the largest gorilla subspecies and live in small family groups.
• Continuing violence, political instability, habitat destruction for mining/resources and bushmeat hunting have devastated populations.
• Surveys find only 3,800 remaining across their range.
• Conservation is extremely challenged by regional unrest.

Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Gharials are a long-snouted crocodilian that split from other crocodilians over 40 million years ago.
• Native to northern portions of the Indian Subcontinent, wild populations have declined 95% from fossil records.
• Their slender jaws are adapted to catch fish.
• Threats include hunting for skins, pollution and fishing practices that result in bycatch or destruction of riverine habitat.
• Fewer than 1,000 breeding adults are estimated in fragmented subpopulations.

Greater Bamboo Lemur (Prolemur simus)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• The greater bamboo lemur primarily feeds on bamboo in southeast Madagascar rainforests.
• With less than 250 mature lemurs remaining, they are considered the most Endangered
• endangered primate in Madagascar.
• Destruction of 90% of their forest habitat as well as hunting have reduced populations over 85% in just decades.
• No captive breeding program exists, and the species will be lost without successful intervention.

Hainan Gibbon (Nomascus hainanus)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• The rarest mammal in the world, fewer than 30 Hainan gibbons exist today on their namesake island off China’s coast.
• These arboreal apes depend on intact rainforest habitat containing sufficient canopy trees for food and home ranges.
• Historic habitat destruction reduced land area over 50% since the 1950s.
• Despite intense conservation efforts, slow breeding rates impede recovery.
• Current populations remain precarious and threatened unless continuous forest can regenerate.

Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Occurring only in the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra, fewer than 200 adult Malayan tigers likely remain.
• These smaller bodied tigers faced rampant deforestation destroying their habitat.
• Prey depletion and poaching also threaten this subspecies.
• Extensive camera trap analysis informs habitat corridors and conservation strategy.
• However, significantly expanding protections and antipoaching resources are imperative to ensure Malayan tiger survival.

Indri (Indri indri)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Among the largest lemur species, the indri inhabits lowland and highland rainforests in eastern Madagascar.
• Living in family groups, they have an eerie, wailing territorial call that can be heard over 2 miles through the forest.
• Deforestation and hunting have decimated populations.
• With less than 1,000 mature indri remaining, they now only occupy 10% of their historic range.
• Targeted reforestation projects on communal forestlands provide last hope for species recovery.

Javan Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Restricted to forested mountain elevations of Java, fewer than 60 breeding pairs remain for this enormous raptor.
• Rampant deforestation from logging, agriculture and settlements continue to reduce remnant habitat and breeding sites.
• Four protected national parks preserve what little suitable habitat is left to support hawk-eagle populations on the brink of extinction.
• Aggressive forest restoration is desperately needed.

Javan Rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• The most threatened of rhino species, fewer than 75 Javan rhinos survive in a single national park on Indonesia’s island of Java.
• These quiet browsers inhabit dense lowland rainforests and grasslands.
• With their habitat nearly decimated, the remaining rhinos are concentrated in an area prone to volcanic mudflows and potential disease transmission from nearby livestock.
• Intensive protection efforts give hope, but steady breeding success is uncertain for history’s rarest rhino.

Kakapo (Strigops habroptilus)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• As the world’s only flightless parrot, the kakapo evolved for 140 million years in New Zealand without land predators.
• Unable to flee introduced cats, rats and stoats, kakapo nearly vanished completely with intensified hunting from Polynesian settlement 700 years ago.
• By 1995 only 51 kakapo remained.
• An intensive conservation breeding program enabled the population to rebound to nearly 200 birds today.

Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) IUCN

• Status: Critically Endangered
• Found throughout tropical oceans, hawksbills get their name from a sharp bird-like beak suited for sponges.
• They are critically Endangered
• endangered from historic hunting for decorative shells and loss of nesting beaches.
• Remaining threats include exploitation for eggs, meat and shell products plus entanglement in fishing gear leading to drowning.
• Despite protections, they continue declining globally with under 25,000 nesting females.

Orangutan (Pongo spp.)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• The orangutan’s two species spanning Borneo and Sumatra face catastrophic habitat loss as rainforests are leveled for palm oil and pulpwood.
• Orangutan numbers plunged over 50% in just decades.
• Pet trade capture and orphanings compound threats.
• With complex tool use and human-like emotional bonds lasting generations in small dispersed groups, orangutans stand as one of humanity’s closest sentient wild kin facing extinction in our lifetime without urgent conservation intervention.

Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• One of the world’s largest eagles, Philippine eagles inhabit dense old-growth forests on multiple Philippine islands.
• Fewer than 800 breed in the wild.
• Rampant rainforest destruction removed over 95% of habitat plus hunting pressured eagle populations.
• Killing by farmers in retaliation for livestock predation exacerbates conflict.
• Community engagement for forest protection aims to purchase private lands for habitat connectivity to support this flagship raptor species.

Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• First discovered in 1992, the cryptic saola inhabits dense rainforests across the Annamites Mountains between Vietnam and Laos.
• Nicknamed the “Asian unicorn”, likely fewer than 100 exist.
• Saola fall victim to snare traps targeting tigers and other wildlife for the illegal bushmeat trade.
• Intensive patrolling efforts remove over 30,000 snares annually, but the species’ elusive nature provides little hope they can recover without vastly expanded conservation investment.

Sea Lions (Otariinae spp.)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Endangered to Threatened
• From Galapagos fur seals to Australian sea lions, over half of the world’s 14 otariinae species face population threats from habitat pressures and commercial fishing entanglement.
• Climate warming and extreme weather events hurt breeding populations and food chain dynamics.
• Conservation efforts to bolster genetic diversity and sustain recovery across breeding sites are vital to counter long term extinction risks amplified by climate change impacts across their ranges.

South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• The South China tiger is considered functionally extinct with none surviving in the wild.
• Historic overhunting extirpated wild populations by the 1970s.
• Around 100 captive tigers exist in China breeding centers.
• Reintroduction is extremely challenging without large protected landscapes to support viable breeding populations.
• Illegal demand for tiger bone wine compounds difficulty building wild populations without the resources and scale required for intensive monitoring and security.

Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Fewer than 800 Sumatran elephants persist, the smallest Asian elephant subspecies.
• Accelerated forest loss and expanding palm oil plantations in Sumatra increased human-elephant conflict and isolated populations.
• Without sufficient suitable habitat, groups raid crops and are poisoned or shot in retaliation.
• Elephants also fall into uncovered ditches and holes around new roads and developments, leaving many injured and orphaned calves.
• Urgent measures and interventions in land planning and protection policies offer final hope.

Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Perhaps the rarest large mammal on Earth, fewer than 80 Sumatran rhinos are scattered on remnants of native Indonesian rainforests.
• Their two hairy horns and armor plating couldn’t protect against historic overhunting and forest clearance for agriculture.
• Intensive patrol efforts show success in slowing poaching pressure, but steady breeding success remains fraught without more lush and expansive protected habitat, along with consolidation of isolated groups.

Sumatran Tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Endangered Fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers persist in the wild.
• Accelerated deforestation and rampant poaching on the Indonesian island decimated the apex predator populations by over 80% in just one generation.
• Remaining tigers contend with prey depletion from bushmeat hunting and habitat fragmentation isolating breeding pools.
• Expanded ranger patrols and forest corridors offer hope, but a four-fold increase in protected lands is urgently required to prevent imminent extinction.

Sunda Pangolin (Manis javanica)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Endangered The world’s most trafficked animals, these shy anteater-like mammals inhabit forests across Southeast Asia.
• Only the Sumatran pangolin lives exclusive to one island.
• All eight pangolin species (four in Asia, four in Africa) risk extinction from the illegal wildlife trade supplying pangolin meat for dinner tables and scales for traditional medicine.
• Recovery depends on educating consumers, enforcing laws and protecting habitat links to curb devastating poaching pressure.

Sunda Tiger (Panthera tigris sondaica)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• The extinct in wild Sunda tiger once roamed forests on multiple Indonesian islands but now only remains in a few zoos.
• Their insular range made survival impossible after habitat destruction and poaching extirpated populations over past decades.
• Other tiger subspecies indicate success possible restoring depleted populations with security, prey base and habitat protections.
• But with no political will for expensive rewilding, the regal Sunda tiger persists only behind bars, their wildness fading from the Earth.

Vaquita (Phocoena sinus)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Endangered The world’s rarest marine mammal, likely fewer than 10 vaquita porpoises remain in a small swath of the Gulf of California.
• Vaquita fall victim as bycatch in illegal fishing nets set for Endangered
• endangered totoaba fish, whose swim bladders demand high prices.
• Despite protected area bans, inadequate enforcement enables rampant poaching pushing vaquita to imminent extinction.
• Conservation groups call for extending zero-tolerance gillnet bans plus stronger efforts combatting illegal trade networks driving the species’ decline.

Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Endangered Western lowland gorillas inhabit dense African rainforests spanning Cameroon to Gabon.
• Numbering over 100,000 several decades ago, Ebola outbreaks decimated ape populations by over 60% through mortality and increased bushmeat poaching in affected regions.
• Forest loss and infrastructure development projects fragment remaining habitat.
• Conservation groups expand health monitoring and aim to balance logging activity with sustainable selective planting to preserve gorilla habitat connectivity.

Yangtze Finless Porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis)

• IUCNStatus: Critically Endangered
• Endangered Only around 1,000 Yangtze finless porpoises remain in the middle and lower reaches of China’s Yangtze River.
• As intelligent social creatures, they rely on sonar to navigate increasingly silted and polluted waters.
• Vessel traffic disturbances and fisheries bycatch batter the remnant porpoise populations now fragmented by dams without adequate protections.
• Conservationists advocate for more natural reserve corridors and fishing bans along key habitat.

African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The African penguin is found along the coast of Namibia and South Africa.
• Some interesting facts are that these penguins can travel up to 130 miles to find food, they are the only penguin species that breeds in Africa, and their distinct black and white coloring helps regulate body heat.
• The population has dropped from over 1 million pairs in the early 1900s to just over 15,000 pairs today due to factors like oil spills, climate change, and competition with commercial fishing.

African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The African wild dog ranges across sub-Saharan Africa.
• They are extremely efficient hunters, with up to 80% success rate in kills.
• Wild dogs have only 4 toes per foot, unlike other canids.
• They also have exotic fur markings, with no two dogs having the same pattern.
• Each pack has a dominant breeding pair, but the entire pack helps care for the pups.
• Though once numbering over 500,000, fewer than 6,600 adults remain in the wild today due to habitat loss, human conflict, and diseases like rabies.

Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Asian elephants are distributed across South and Southeast Asia.
• Despite their large size, Asian elephants feed on various grasses, fruit, vegetables and bark.
• The gestation period for calves is 18-22 months, the longest of any land mammal.
• While revered in culture and religion in their native lands, Asian elephant populations have dropped 50% in just 3 generations due to habitat loss and poaching.
• It’s estimated 35,000-40,000 remain across fragmented wild populations and captivity.

Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The Asiatic lion is a subspecies only found in India’s Gir Forest.
• Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than African lions.
• Male Asiatic lions have a less prominent mane compared to African lions.
• Nearly hunted to extinction by the late 1890s, the population rebounded under conservation to over 500 individuals today.
• However, a single isolated population is at risk of disease outbreaks or other threats.

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The Bengal tiger is native to India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
• It is the most common tiger subspecies.
• They are excellent swimmers, and even enjoy bathing.
• Female tigers give birth to litters of up to 6 cubs.
• Bengal tigers have declined over 95% in the past 200 years.
• Only about 2,500 breeding adults remain in isolated pockets of their historic range due to poaching and habitat destruction.

Black-footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Once thought extinct, a small population of black-footed ferrets was rediscovered in 1981.
• They depend almost entirely on prairie dogs for food and shelter.
• Their range covers parts of the central Great Plains of North America.
• Black-footed ferrets are nocturnal and solitary.
• Conservation breeding has increased captive and wild populations from just 18 individuals to over 300 today, but the species remains Endangered
• endangered by disease outbreaks and habitat loss.

Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Blue whales inhabit all major oceans.
• Weighing up to 200 tonnes, they are the largest animals ever known to have existed.
• Blue whales can produce extremely loud whale calls.
• Modern whaling practices nearly hunted them to extinction in the 1900s, with over 350,000 killed.
• Populations have since rebounded to 10,000-25,000 globally, representing about 15% of historic levels.
• Ship strikes, ocean noise and climate impacts remain threats.

Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Bluefin tuna live widely throughout the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
• They grow exceptionally large, over 1,500 lbs.
• Bluefin tuna are tremendous swimmers, capable of crossing oceans in weeks and diving over 4,000 feet deep.
• Decades of rampant overfishing plus illegal fishing have depleted stocks to only 20% of historic population levels.
• Though some signs point to recovery in certain areas, global regulation of catch limits are critical.

Bonobo (Pan paniscus)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The bonobo is found only in central Africa, south of the Congo River.
• Along with the chimpanzee, they are the closest living relatives to humans.
• Bonobos are highly social and use sex to reduce aggression and form social bonds.
• Widespread poaching and disease transmission from humans have reduced their populations significantly.
• However, they adapt well to sanctuaries and breeding programs aim to reintroduce captively raised apes.

Borneo Pygmy Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• A genetically distinct subspecies of Asian elephant, these smaller elephants inhabit lowland rainforests.
• They form smaller social groups with fewer adults than other elephants.
• Little studied, but habitat loss and conflict with farmers pose grave threats.
• Roughly 1,500 survive on the island of Borneo.
• Their extinction would represent the loss of crucial genetic diversity for Asian elephants.

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The chimpanzee inhabits forests and woodlands across Equatorial Africa.
• Their grasping hands, brains and use of tools bear striking similarities to humans.
• Chimpanzee social groups form complex fission-fusion dynamics.
• Diseases like Ebola have decimated wild chimpanzee numbers in recent decades, in addition to extensive habitat destruction.
• Poaching for bushmeat also critically threatens regional populations numbering as few as 200 apes.

Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The Ethiopian wolf exists only in small isolated Afroalpine populations across Ethiopia and possibly South Sudan.
• Their diet consists primarily of rodents.
• Rabies and canine distemper have caused periodic disease outbreaks, decimating up to 75% of some groups in the Bale Mountains.
• Conflict with farmers also claims wolves each year.
• Intensive vaccination and community outreach campaigns have helped stabilize but numbers likely remain under 500.

Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Long believed extinct until rediscovered in 1997, the forest owlet inhabits sparse forest fragments in central India.
• As few as 250 individuals exist due to extensive deforestation.
• These shy, nocturnal owls nest in tree cavities.
• Continued loss and degradation of habitat from firewood cutting, grazing and development hampers the species’ recovery.
• Recent conservation efforts have helped locate additional remnant groups, but the owlet’s population remains perilously endangered.

Galápagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The only penguin native to the Northern Hemisphere, this species survives around the Galápagos Islands.
• They endure unusually high temperatures for penguins by cooling off in shady volcanic rock crevices.
• Their numbers have declined over 50% since the 1970s due to food shortages from overfishing, pollution, and climate change impacts on their marine ecosystem.
• Protective measures have reduced threats, but warming El Niño cycles continue to impede population growth.

Ganges River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Blind Ganges river dolphins rely on echolocation to navigate the muddy waters of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna river systems.
• Only a few thousand likely survive.
• Dams and irrigation drastically alter water flow and level regimes necessary for the species while pollution is also problematic.
• They frequently become entangled in fishing nets and are poached for oil.
• Efforts are underway to establish protected river dolphin reserves.

Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

• IUCN Status: Vulnerable
• Giant pandas reside in fragmented bamboo forest habitat in high Sichuan mountain ranges.
• As herbivores, they subsist almost entirely on bamboo.
• Slow breeding patterns make wild pandas extremely vulnerable to threats.
• Due to extensive conservation efforts in China, wild populations have rebounded from under 1,100 to 1,800 individuals over the past decades.
• However, habitat isolation and connectivity issues persist in sustaining populations without intensive ongoing management.
• Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• Inhabiting sagebrush plains across western North America, male sage-grouse perform elaborate mating dances each spring.
• Wild population estimates are as low as 50,000 birds.
• Primary threats are conversion of sagebrush habitat for agriculture and development.
• Additional impacts from invasive species, wildfires, grazing and climate change compound habitat pressures.
• Conservation efforts have focused on protecting remaining intact expanses of sagebrush needed to sustain grouse numbers.

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Green sea turtles have wide tropical and subtropical distribution, nesting on warm beaches globally.
• Despite 19th century exploitation for tortoiseshell and continued poaching of eggs and adults today, sea turtle numbers show signs of resiliency with protected nesting beaches.
• However, bycatch in fishing gear, marine pollution and the emerging threat of fibropapilloma disease outbreaks prevent more robust population recoveries for this iconic species.

Hector’s Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The world’s smallest dolphin, Hector’s dolphin lives only along New Zealand’s coast.
• Their rounded dorsal fin has a distinctive black trailing edge.
• Overfishing and entanglement in nets escalated their extinction risk.
• Pollution and habitat degradation compound threats.
• Conservative estimates indicate 70% have been lost over recent decades.
• Protected zones exist for some populations but risks remain from commercial and recreational fishing pressure.

Humphead Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Among the planet’s largest reef fish, humphead wrasses span steep tropical to subtropical Indo-Pacific drop-offs.
• Late sexual maturation coupled with fishing pressure reduced numbers over 90% in a few decades.
• Living 35+ years, these magnificent fish were easy targets for spear and cyanide fishing.
• Although now banned, illegal trade persists for luxury seafood markets.
• Remaining key habitats must be protected to enable species recovery.

Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus)

• IUCN status: Endangered
• The world’s rarest feline, the Iberian lynx is native to Spain and Portugal.
• Habitat specialization on European rabbit coupled with habitat loss and hunting led to severe declines.
• By 2002 estimated at less than 100 cats, the species teetered on the brink of extinction.
• An emergency captive breeding program helped boost wild numbers to nearly 900 across protected areas restoring native prey.
• Continued habitat management is vital to long term viability.

Indian Elephant (Elephas maximus indicus)

• IUCN status: Endangered
• This elephant subspecies roams forests across India and Nepal.
• Indian elephants are smaller than African elephants but bigger than Sumatran or Borneo elephants.
• Highly intelligent and social, herds follow ancient seasonal migration corridors.
• Fragmentation of forest habitat caused increasing conflict with farmers.
• Over 50% of the 30-40,000 wild Indian elephants were lost in under 75 years to poaching and habitat loss.
• Conservation challenges remain in mitigating human impacts.

Indus River Dolphin (Platanista minor)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• This functionally blind dolphin relies on echolocation to navigate through sediment-filled waters of the lower Indus River.
• Fewer than 1,800 survive due to habitat fragmentation from dams and irrigation diversions.
• Toxins like pesticides also concentrate in their habitat causing illness and death.
• Efforts are underway to better manage river flows and engage fishing communities to release accidentally caught dolphins.
• Without intervention, the species faces extinction.

Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The Irrawaddy dolphin inhabits major river systems and brackish coastal waters from South Asia to Australia.
• Recognized by a bulging forehead, these very social dolphins travel in pods of 6-12.
• Habitat loss, pollution, fishing entanglement and hunting have caused steep declines.
• Remaining populations number in the low thousands scattered across isolated pockets of remaining habitat, requiring carefully tailored local conservation plans.

Jaguar (Panthera onca)

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• The iconic jaguar prowls forests and grasslands from the southwestern United States to Argentina.
• These powerful apex predators have cultural significance for indigenous groups.
• Jaguars require vast wilderness connectivity for hunting and migrations.
• Habitat loss and hunting drove an estimated 20% population decline over the past 21 years.
• Conservation groups promote sustainable landscape planning with wildlife corridors to ensure the big cats’ future.

Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

• IUCN Status: Vulnerable
• The leatherback turtle traverses all tropical and temperate oceans, diving half a mile deep and tolerating frigid arctic waters.
• Their leathery shells lack scales like other turtles.
• Female leatherbacks return to native nesting beaches every 2-3 years.
• Global populations show encouraging signs of resilience following egg harvest bans and reduced bycatch from fishing improvements.
• However, nest flooding from climate change impacts along with pollution and boat strikes continue hampering full recovery.

Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• The iconic mountain gorilla inhabits the Virunga Mountains spanning Rwanda, Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Studied for decades by researchers like Jane Goodall, these highland forests remained strongholds after extensive lowland habitat destruction.
• However from the late 1970s their populations dropped over half to less than 300 individuals by 1989.
• Conservancy efforts have since enabled growth around 620, but long term genetic viability remains tenuous due to small group numbers with persistent regional unrest.

Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus)

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• Nesting on high plains across western North America, mountain plover populations declined over 60% in 30 years.
• Much of their grassland ecosystem has been converted to agriculture.
• Plovers that attempt nesting in croplands have little success.
• Conservation efforts engage farmers to delay planting near plover nesting sites.
• Where possible, grazing management and prairie restoration also aim to recreate suitable conditions for the rare bird.

Narwhal (Monodon monoceros)

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• Narwhals live only in Arctic waters.
• Most famously, males boast a long tusk, actually an enlarged canine tooth.
• Narwhals winter among sea ice and migrate to coastal summering grounds.
• Climate change impacts threaten their frigid ecosystem through altering prey populations and ice levels.
• Historical hunting for meat and tusks depressed several populations that show few signs of recovery, highlighting the narwhal’s vulnerability to external pressures.

North Atlantic Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• North Atlantic right whales number under 450 individuals spanning from Florida to Canada.
• Heavily hunted for centuries, their population remains extremely depleted and threatened by ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements.
• Changing ocean conditions related to climate impacts have caused whale migration route shifts and difficulty finding dense seasonal food patches.
• Targeted conservation measures regulating vessel speeds and gear modifications offer hope but population growth remains very slow.

Plains Bison (Bison bison bison)

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• Once ranging over 40 million acres of North America in vast migratory herds, plains bison narrowly escaped extinction in the late 1800s after overhunting.
• Today roughly 20,000 plains bison occupy fragmented public parks and reserves, representing less than 1% of historic numbers.
• Lack of wild habitat plus introduced cattle genes mixing with bison herds pose long term challenges for ecological restoration.

Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• From the eastern Himalayas to southwestern China lives the shy, arboreal red panda.
• Surviving on a diet of bamboo, less than 10,000 remain across their range.
• Forest fragmentation coupled with poaching for fur pelts caused severe declines over decades.
• Positive signs of recovery stem from forest guard patrols evicting grazers and timber poachers from protected habitat to preserve adequate bamboo and nest sites.

Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Sei whales inhabit all ocean basins but were heavily exploited for blubber by early industrial whalers, with over 70,000 killed in the 1960s alone.
• Slow to reproduce after devastated populations, they number around 42,000 globally – less than 25% of pre-whaling abundance.
• Sei whales often go unseen as skim feeders less prone to breaching than related rorquals.
• More survey data informing population structure and distribution is key to strengthen protections from persisting ship strike threats.

Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Also called Amur tigers, the largest wild cats span Far East Russia and northern China.
• Their shaggy coats and mane assist surviving harsh winters.
• Excessive hunting and forest destruction caused Siberian tiger numbers to plummet over past centuries to the point of near extinction.
• Forest protection and antipoaching crackdowns facilitated double their population since the 1940s to around 600 wild tigers today.
• But habitat connectivity and conflict with human infrastructure remains a barrier to recovery.

Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia)

• IUCN Status: Vulnerable
• The snow leopard survives high in rugged mountains of Central Asia.
• As few as 4,000 remain across 12 range nations.
• Their habitat faces encroachment from livestock grazing, while overhunting of prey species depleted food sources.
• As big cats frequently turn to domestic animals in desperation, they are killed in retaliation.
• Conservation groups partner with communities on sustainable rangeland practices while enhancing enforcement to curb poaching of snow leopards and their prey.

Sri Lankan Elephant (Elephas maximus maximus)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• This elephant subspecies in Sri Lanka faces escalating conflict and dangers.
• Development projects fragment migration routes between protected parks where over 75% of forests were cleared over past decades.
• With habitats no longer able to support populations, elephants increasingly raid crops causing retaliation killings.
• Train collisions and wire fences electrocutions kill over 100 elephants annually.
• Urgent mitigation is required to ensure coexistence and prevent extinction of Sri Lanka’s beloved tuskers.

Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii)

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• The Sumatran orangutan numbers under 14,000 as palm oil and paper pulp deforestation destroys over 80% of the Indonesian island’s old-growth in two decades.
• Forest fires threaten remaining peat swamps refuge habitat.
• Females birth an infant only once every 8-9 years, meaning habitat with adequate fruit for orangutan survival requires protection for generations.
• Without vastly expanded habitat conservation of intact forests, the iconic ape risks extinction.

Tiger (Panthera tigris)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Endangered The tiger faces extinction across Asia from overhunting and habitat loss over past centuries.
• Nine subspecies reduced to surviving in fraction of historic range, with three subspecies already extinct.
• Wild tiger populations plunged over 95% to dangerously low population numbers around 4,000 total remaining across fragmented pockets and isolated reserves.
• Captive tigers cannot restore wild populations alone.
• Conserving interconnected landscapes and preventing poaching are paramount to safeguard the species in the wild.

Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Endangered Despite growing tourism interest, the majestic whale shark faces extensive threats from fisheries.
• As filter feeders, whale sharks are vulnerable to entanglement and boat strikes.
• But the iconic species’ mass migration events make monitoring and protection difficult.
• Additional survey work to identify key sites and behavior patterns is vital to balance fishing industry concerns with enforcement policies that enable whale shark population resilience worldwide.

White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum)

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened Both white rhino species the Northern & Southern white rhino faced catastrophic poaching pressure reducing wild populations to under 20,000 today across southern African nations.
• Intensive protection and oversight facilitated slight population recovery for the southern subspecies.
• However with only two aging northern white rhinos surviving under guard, the subspecies is functionally extinct.
• Stopping wealthy criminal trafficking networks financing rhino poaching is paramount to protect all surviving wild rhinos.

Whooping Crane (Grus americana)

• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Endangered Whooping cranes stand five feet tall with immense white wings spanning over seven feet.
• Hunting and habitat destruction decimated populations down to just 21 wild birds by 1941.
• Their migration route from Canada to Mexico spans thousands of miles over land and water.
• Conservation efforts established a second flock taught migration routes by guiding aircraft.
• However with only about 800 across 2 isolated wild breeding populations today, whooping cranes remain vulnerable to continue their ancient migrations.

Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares)

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• A prized target species for industrial tuna fisheries, yellowfin stocks declined over 50% since 1950 in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
• As apex open ocean predators, managing yellowfin populations and long term recovery requires balancing multi-national commercial fishing interests with scientific biomass data.
• This recognizes the interconnected impacts tuna overexploitation has on broader pelagic ecosystems.
• Rebuilding yellowfin abundance ensures future fish supply and helps mitigate climate influences on oceanic food chains.

Albacore Tuna (Thunnus alalunga)

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• Albacore tuna are found widely in tropical and temperate waters globally.
• They are the only tuna that do not have heat exchangers which allow them to maintain muscle temperature above water temperature.
• Young albacore feed on jellyfish and fish larvae before transitioning to fish and cephalopods.
• The albacore population has faced concerning declines recently due to high fishing pressure, with harvest rates above maximum sustainable levels.

Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas)

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• Belugas inhabit Arctic and sub-Arctic waters.
• They are highly social, living in pods that can contain over 1,000 members.
• Belugas lack a dorsal fin and use sonar for navigation and finding holes in sea ice.
• Overhunting previously devastated numbers, and current threats are climate change, pollution, and habitat disturbance.
• Some populations are recovering under protection while others remain endangered.