Would you like to know which are the most endangered species in the world? This is certainly not a cheerful list, but one of a dignified tone, intended to raise awareness on a very serious issue: animal extinction. According to the latest issue of the Red List of Threatened Species, which is published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there are 2599 critically endangered animal species, subspecies, stocks and subpopulations around the world. Naturally, other natural kingdoms are endangered too, including plants and fungi. However, in this list we will only concentrate on the animal kingdom.
We should firstly illustrate how it is that the IUCN categorizes threatened species. The category we chose for this list is ‘critically endangered’, a lower level than that of ‘extinct in the wild’ and higher than ‘endangered’, ‘vulnerable’ or ‘nearly threatened’. With these labels, the IUCN is able to rank species according to their likelihood of extinction. Furthermore, we ranked the critically endangered animal species compiled by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) according to their living population in the wild.
Here’s the countdown for the most endangered species in the world. If you are further interested in animals, you should not miss our list of The 9 Most Expensive Cat Breeds.
16. Western Lowland Gorilla
Scientific Name: Gorilla gorilla gorilla
Habitat: Forests
Native Countries: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
Threats: Poaching, disease, hunting and logging.
Population: Unknown; they inhabit remote and dense rainforests in Africa.
15. Leatherback Turtle
Scientific Name: Dermochelys coriacea
Habitat: Oceans
Native Regions: Mesoamerican Reef, Coastal East Africa, Gulf of California, The Galápagos, Coral Triangle
Regionally Extinct in: Israel
Threats: Intense egg collection, fisheries bycatch, pollution and pathogens, climate change and coastal development affecting their habitat.
Population: Depending on the subpopulation
14. Hawksbill Turtle
Scientific Name: Eretmochelys imbricata
Habitat: Oceans
Native: Mesoamerican Reef, Coastal East Africa, Coral Triangle
Threats: Tortoiseshell trade, egg collection, slaughter for meat, destruction of nesting habitat, hybridization with other species, entanglement and ingestion of marine debris and oil pollution.
Population: Depending on the subpopulation
The list of the most endangered species in the world continues on the next page with another member of the ape family.
13. Sumatran Orangutan
Scientific Name: Pongo abelii
Habitat: Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Native: Indonesia
Threats: Logging, wholesale conversion of forest to agricultural land and oil palm plantations, fragmentation by roads and poaching for pet trade.
Population: Approximately 7,300
12. Black Rhino
Scientific Name: Diceros bicornis
Habitat: Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, Deserts and Xeric Shrublands
Native Countries: Angola, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, United Republic of Zimbabwe
Regionally Extinct in: Cameroon, Chad, Rwanda
Threats: Poaching for horn trade, civil unrest, habitat changes, competing species and alien plant invasions.
Population: 4,848
11. Sumatran Elephant
Scientific Name: Elephas maximus sumatranus
Habitat: Broadleaf moist tropical forests
Native Countries: Borneo and Sumatra
Threats: Habitat degradation, poaching for their ivory, poisoning and habitat reduction.
Population: 2,400 – 2,800
10. Yangtze Finless Porpoise
Scientific Name: Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ssp. asiaeorientalis
Habitat: Lakes and Rivers; Freshwater
Native Country: China (Anhui, Hubei, Jiangsu, Shanghai regions)
Threats: Increases in vessel traffic, pollution and habitat degradation.
Population: 1,000 – 1,800
9. Mountain Gorilla
Scientific Name: Gorilla beringei beringei
Habitat: Forests, mountains
Native Countries: Central Africa, Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo
Threats: Poaching, habitat loss, disease, war and unrest.
Population: 880
8. Sumatran Tiger
Scientific Name: Panthera tigris sumatrae
Habitat: Tropical Broadleaf Evergreen, Forest, Peat Swamps, and Freshwater Swamp Forests
Native Countries: Borneo and Sumatra
Threats: Expansion of palm oil and acacia plantations, prey-base depletion and illegal trade.
Population: less than 400
7. Cross River Gorilla
Scientific Name: Gorilla gorilla diehli
Habitat: Forests
Native Countries: Nigeria and Cameroon
Threats: Habitat loss, fragmented population, mining, agriculture, timber usage, hunting and ebola infection.
Population: 200 – 300 individuals
6. Sumatran Rhino
Scientific Name: Dicerorhinus sumatrensis
Habitat: Dense highland and lowland tropical and sub-tropical forests
Native Countries: Indonesia, Malaysia
Regionally Extinct in: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, India, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Threats: Poaching and reduced population viability.
Population: 220 – 275
5. Saola
Scientific Name: Pseudoryx nghetinhensis
Habitat: Evergreen forests with little or no dry season
Native Countries: Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Vietnam
Threats: Hunting and habitat destruction
Population: Fewer than 250 mature individuals
4. Vaquita
Scientific Name: Phocoena sinus
Habitat: Marine (only in the northern Gulf of California)
Native Country: Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
Threats: Bycatch, inbreeding depression, pesticide exposure and ecological changes.
Population: Fewer than 100
3. Javan Rhino
Scientific Name: Rhinoceros sondaicus
Habitat: Tropical Forests
Native Countries: Indonesia, Vietnam
Regionally Extinct in: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
Threats: Poaching, over-hunting for their horns and for medicinal products.
Population: As few as 35
2. Amur Leopard
Scientific Name: Panthera pardus orientalis
Habitat: Temperate, Broadleaf, and Mixed Forests
Native Countries: Southeastern Russia, Northeast China and North Korea
Threats: Poaching, forest degradation, inbreeding, development projects, new roads, encroaching civilization, exploitation of forests and climate change.
Population: Around 30 individuals.
1. South China Tiger
Scientific Name: Panthera tigris amoyensis
Habitat: Southeast China-Hainan Moist Forests
Native Region: Southeastern Asia
Threats: Hunting
Population: Believed to be extinct in the wild; functionally wild (hasn’t been sighted in the wild for over 25 years)