Endangered Species
Explore our complete guide to at-risk plants and animals. Learn about extinction threats, vital conservation projects, and the groups protecting wildlife.
ENDANGERED ANIMALS - The Consequence Of Habitat Loss, Poaching & Climate Change
Earth is home to approximately 2.17 million described animal and organism species.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), almost 50,000 species are currently threatened with extinction.
Global wildlife populations have plummeted by an average of 73% between 1970 and 2020. Current species loss is estimated to be 1,000-10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.
Protecting endangered animals starts with preserving their natural habitats. As human expansion and deforestation fragment ecosystems, wildlife is left with dwindling space and resources, pushing countless species toward extinction.
Coupled with the effects of climate change, the biodiversity crisis, intensive agricultural practices, conflict, and the merciless illicit wildlife trade, many species are under threat like never before.
Pangolins, Amur Leopards, Sunda tigers, mountain gorillas, Bornean and Sumatran orangutans, black rhinos, African elephants, hawksbill turtles, and the Yangtze finless porpoise are among the world's most critically endangered animals.
The northern white rhino is one of the world's most endangered species. Only two remain out of the entire population: a mother and daughter who live in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
To prevent the further eradication of entire species, we must ramp up conservation efforts, monitor populations, restore degraded environments, clamp down on illegal wildlife trading, and invest heavily in science-driven efforts to reverse such widespread biodiversity loss.
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Curated Directory & Deep-Dive Resources on Endangered Species
- Threatened Bat Species in Vermont Now Endangered as Deadly Fungal Disease Cuts Population Down - Nature World News 11.04.23 340569
- Texas Flower Threatened By Urban Sprawl Wins Endangered Species Act Protection - Biological Diversity 10.04.23 340570
- India’s tiger population tops 3,000, survey finds - Al Jazeera 09.04.23 339827
- Cell bank for endangered species to be set up - Tehran Times 08.04.23 340571
- Atlantic Humpback Dolphin Recommended for Endangered Species Act Listing - Biological Diversity 07.04.23 340572
- Two man arrested for smuggling endangered species - Vietnam News 07.04.23 340573
- Tennessee’s Barrens Darter Back on Track for Endangered Species Protections - Biological Diversity 06.04.23 340574
- Endangered Hawaiian species gain protections - Courthouse News 28.03.23 340575
- "Earth Hour" - We turn off the Lights and Shine a Light on the Problem of Endangered Animal Species - Novinite 25.03.23 340576
- Fears of Monarch Butterfly Extinction as Numbers Plummet 22% in Annual Count - CD 22.03.23 340673
- Three Endangered African Penguin at Arizona Aquarium Give Hope for Conservation Efforts Against Species Population Decline - Nature World News 22.02.23 331135
- California Spotted Owl Gets Endangered Species Act Protections After 23 Years - Biological Diversity 22.02.23 331133
- Mapping out a path to protecting Iran's endangered species - Phys 22.02.23 331134
- Lawsuit Challenges White House Offices for Records on Endangered Species Delays - Biological Diversity 21.02.23 331136
- It’s Too Soon to Remove the Grizzly From the Endangered Species List - Counter Punch 21.02.23 331137
- The Endangered Species Act Turns 50: Assessing Successes & Failures - The Good Men Project 20.02.23 331139
- North America’s Only Native Stork Poised to Fly off the Endangered Species List - Good News Network 20.02.23 331138
- World Pangolin Day: African conservationist sounds alarm over endangered species - IOL 19.02.23 331140
- Petition Seeks Oregon Endangered Species Protection for Southern Resident Orcas - Biological Diversity 16.02.23 331141
- Legal action launched to protect hippos under the Endangered Species Act - The Humane Society 15.02.23 331142
- Legal Action Launched to Protect Hippos Under Endangered Species Act - Biological Diversity 15.02.23 331143
- Health, Climate And Endangered Species To Benefit From Synthetic Biology - Scoop 13.02.23 331144
- Environmental DNA Helps Determine Distribution, Population of Endangered Species, Research Reveals - Nature World News 10.02.23 331146
- Save Endangered Species From Environmental Regulations - Reason 10.02.23 331145
- Rare southern New Mexico butterfly now an endangered species - AP 31.01.23 331147
- South Korea to ban bear farming, but what to do about hundreds of captive animals that remain? - Conversation 12.01.23 324467
- More than 1 in 10 species could be lost by end of century, study warns - Guardian 16.12.22 320905
- Red squirrel numbers steady with endangered species still found across North East - Chronicle Live 23.09.22 306823
- Chinese medicine practitioner caught selling endangered species including deer and seahorses - Northants Live 22.09.22 306824
- A bumblebee is a fish in California? Maybe — until lawmakers fix the law - Courthouse News 21.09.22 306825
- What History Can Teach Us About the Conservation of Endangered Species - The Revelator 14.09.22 306826
- Tricolored Bats Proposed for Endangered Species Act Protection - Biological Diversity 13.09.22 306827
- Agreement Reached to Protect Endangered Species From Livestock in National Conservation Area in Arizona - Biological Diversity 12.09.22 306828
- Breeding program has seen 53 Tassie devil joeys born this season - The Canberra Times 11.09.22 306830
- MSC urges shippers to adjust Sri Lanka routes to protect endangered species - Asia Cargo News 09.09.22 306829
- Slovakia's most endangered bird species appears again after 12 years - The Slovak Spectator 08.09.22 306831
- Podcast: With less than 10 years to save Sumatran elephants, what’s being done? - Mongabay 06.09.22 304050
- Photos: Scientists race to save Cuban crocodiles - Al Jazeera 06.09.22 304009
- Endangered whale species have fewer calves - The Canberra Times 02.09.22 306832
- Water vole colony established in Hampshire to help protect endangered species - ITV 01.09.22 306833
- The Guardian view on de-extinction: Jurassic Park may be becoming reality - Guardian 19.08.22 302273
- Giraffes, parrots, and oak trees, among many species facing extinction - UN News 07.08.22 299921
- Monarch butterflies are in trouble; Here’s how you can help - AP News 28.07.22 298017
- Monarch butterflies are now on endangered ‘red list’ - Al Jazeera 21.07.22 296668
- Cloned mice created from freeze dried skin cells in world first - Guardian 05.07.22 294718
- Giraffes One Step Closer to U.S. Endangered Species Protections - Center for Biological Diversity 31.05.22 290422
- Can cross-breeding protect endangered species from the climate emergency? - Guardian 29.05.22 290418
- 7 wildlife documentaries to watch this Endangered Species Day - Earth Touch 20.05.22 290427
- How Are Animals Added to the Endangered Species List? - Tufts 20.05.22 290420
- These are the 10 fastest declining species on the brink of extinction - Euro News 06.05.22 290424
- 5 Facts About Endangered Penguin Species - Earth 25.04.22 290421
- Extinction: Is Climate Change Causing a Mass Extinction? - Climate Science 14.04.22 290440
- 10 of the Most Endangered Animals in the U.S. - Eco Watch 25.03.22 280193
- Koalas Declared Endangered After “Shockingly Fast Decline” - Mother Jones 10.02.22 273344
- Koala listed as endangered after Australian governments fail to halt its decline - Guardian 10.02.22 273235
- Report: Last Chance: U.S. Species Already Imperiled - Endangered Species Coallition 12/21 272459
- California grants endangered species protections for world’s largest turtle species - EcoWatch 18.10.21 258682
- Investigation derails Namibia’s key argument for sale of endangered elephants - Canary 15.08.21 252771
- African elephant recognised as two separate species – both endangered - Guardian 25.03.21 247242
- The street art raising awareness of endangered wildlife - BBC 27.06.16 241211
- Why are some endangered species ignored? - Mongabay 03.08.20 213286
- Study Warns Only 'Rapid Action' Can Prevent Worst Marine Extinction in 250 Million Years - CD 29.04.22 284814
- Reptiles: why one in five species face extinction - The Conversation 27.04.22 284516
- What is the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species? - Earth 02.03.22 290423
- Scientists Decry Human Indifference to 'Probable Sixth Mass Extinction' - Common Dreams 18.01.22 270205
- Book: Extinction: Our Fragile Relationship with Life on Earth - Marc Schlossman, 2022 290416
- Within Decade, Planet's Natural World Facing Largest Mass Extinction Event Since Dinosaurs - CD 30.12.21 267542
- 22 Animals That Went Extinct in the US in 2021 — and How to Take Action for Biodiversity - Global Citizen 14.12.21 272937
- 'Red List of Threatened Species': A Grim Tally of Those Facing Extinction - Common Dreams 04.09.21 254513
- Komodo dragon in danger of extinction as sea levels rise - Guardian 04.09.21 254483
- 'We Must Heed the Warning': 1 in 3 Freshwater Fishes—Vital to Food and Jobs for Millions—Face Extinction - CD 23.02.21 236246
- Top scientists warn of 'ghastly future of mass extinction' and climate disruption - Guardian 13.01.21 232150
- Video: Endangered Species - FuseSchool 16.10.20 377584
- Video: What is an endangered species? - WWF Wild Classroom 15.10.20 377592
- High extinction risk for all seven leatherback sea turtle populations - CD 10.08.20 213833
- Herbivores, not predators, most at risk of extinction - Utah State University 05.08.20 213597
- Quarter of native UK mammals at imminent risk of extinction - Guardian 30.07.20 213173
- Yellowstone grizzlies win reprieve from trophy hunt as court restores endangered species protections - EcoWatch 09.07.20 212270
- Updated Species Extinction List Signals 'Urgent Action Needed to Save Life on Earth' - CD 09.07.20 213291
- New species extinction target proposed for Global Nature Rescue Plan - ENN 03.07.20 211975
- Farewell smooth handfish: What can we learn from the world’s first marine fish extinction? - ENN 02.07.20 211951
- Stopping koala extinction is agonisingly simple. But here’s why Australians aren't optimistic - The Conversation 02.07.20 211780
- 'Without Urgent Govt Intervention,' Koalas Face Extinction in New South Wales by 2050 - CD 01.07.20 212783
- Less than a thousand remain: New list of animals on the brink of extinction - Mongabay 09.06.20 209298
- 'Extinction is a political choice,' scientist says after study warns of threat to civilization from humans destroying wildlife - CD 02.06.20 208793
- Sixth mass extinction of wildlife accelerating, scientists warn - Guardian 01.06.20 209237
- Endangered tigers face growing threats from an Asian road-building boom - EcoWatch 02.05.20 206384
- Documentary: Wildlife Warriors - The tough fight against the extinction of endangered species - Wildlife Warriers 31.03.20 290425
- Video: 5 Incredible Animals That Could Go Extinct In Your Lifetime - BBC Earth 25.02.20 290426
- 'Saving Life on Earth' for Just $100 Billion: New Roadmap Shows How US Can Address Global Extinction Crisis - Common Dreams 13.01.20 196309
- Book: Saving Endangered Species: Lessons in Wildlife Conservation from Indianapolis Prize Winners - Robert Shumaker, 2020 290434
- Book: KILLING GAME: The Extinction Industry - Eduardo Gonçalves, 2020 290432
- Endangered Species Are Overwhelmingly Threatened by Climate Change - Defenders of Wildlife 25.11.19 290438
- Endangered species get fighting chance with climate change ruling – CD 25.10.16 174470
- Bees in peril as first species added to Endangered Species List – Common Dreams 01.10.16 185277
- Documentary: The Ivory Game, 2016 290431
- Documentary: Virunga: Gorillas in Peril - IMDb, 2015 290429
- Book: The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History - Elizabeth Kolbert, 2015 290435
- Animals Affected by Climate Change - WWF, 2015 290436
- Documentary - Polar Bears: Spy on the Ice - IMDb, 2011 290430


