Top Ten Endangered Animals
Of all the leopards, the Amur leopard is the most critically endangered. Hunted largely for its beautiful, spotted fur, the loss of each Amur leopard puts the species at greater risk of extinction. Support WWF in its efforts to protect the species and its habitat.
Javan rhinos are the most threatened of the five rhino species, with only 58-68 individuals that live only in Ujung Kulon National Park in Java, Indonesia. Javan rhinos once lived throughout northeast India and Southeast Asia.
The rarest, most endangered lemur species the world is the northern sportive lemur, which as been added to All About Wildlife’s Top Ten list of Endangered Species—Our Ten Most Endangered Animals list.
The western lowland gorilla is the most numerous and widespread of all gorilla subspecies. Populations can be found in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea as well as in large areas in Gabon and the Republic of Congo.
Protect endangered species, including the saola, at World Wildlife Fund. Learn about the ways WWF works to conserve a future where people live in harmony with nature. Protect endangered species, including the saola, at World Wildlife Fund.
Leatherback turtles are named for their shell, which is leather-like rather than hard, like other turtles. They are the largest sea turtle species and also one of the most migratory, crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Most of the reasons tigers are on the endangered species list are tied to human interference. The overall combined population of all five tiger species is between 3,000 and 5,000, according to National Geographic.
The Chinese giant salamander is listed as a critically endangered species. It has experienced a drastic population decline, which is estimated to be more than 80% in the last 3 generations due to human causes. Human consumption is the main threat to the Chinese giant salamander.
"Right whales will be gone in 20 years if we do nothing," says Mark Baumgartner, a marine ecologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Unlike endangered animals like chimpanzees, whales can't be bred in captivity. Human intervention to save their species relies on limiting impacts from commerce like fishing and shipping.
© Thomas A. Jefferson. The vaquita is the most endangered cetacean in the world. With as few as 30 left, the species will become extinct without a fully enforced gillnet ban throughout their entire range.
Species of rhino Learn more about each of the five species of rhino: white, black, greater one-horned, Sumatran and Javan. Millions of years ago, many other species of ancient rhino roamed the earth.