Species you might not know are endangered

Written by:
May 13, 2019
Updated on May 22, 2019
Canva

Species you might not know are endangered

May 20 of this year marks Endangered Species Day, created to raise awareness, engage conservationists, and ultimately advocate for the protection of thousands of the world's species facing extinction.

The last decade has marked a dramatic increase in the risks facing species from rhinos to bees. In 2016, the animal trafficking market grew to an estimated $23 billion. Many researchers have called the additional loss of animal life to habitat change, pollution, climate change, and other factors a global epidemic.

To help raise awareness around animals at risk, Stacker looked to the World Wildlife Fund and The American Wildlife Foundation to identify species with a conservation status of "endangered" or "critically endangered" that face a high likelihood of extinction.

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African wild dog

Scientific name: Lycaon pictus
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 6,600

Asian elephant

Scientific name: Elephas maximus indicus
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 415,000

Bengal tiger

Scientific name: Panthera tigris tigris
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: More than 2,500

Black-footed ferret

Scientific name: Mustela nigripes
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 370

Blue whale

Scientific name: Balaenoptera musculus
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 10,000
25,000

Bluefin tuna

Scientific name: Thunnus thynnus
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: Fewer than 3.7 million

Bonobo

Scientific name: Pan paniscus
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 100,000

Borneo pygmy elephant

Scientific name: Elephas maximus borneensis
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 1,500

Chimpanzee

Scientific name: Pan troglodytes
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 150,000
250,000

Fin whale

Scientific name: Balaenoptera physalus
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 50,000
90,000

Galapagos penguin

Scientific name: Spheniscus mendiculus
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: Fewer than 2,000

Ganges river dolphin

Scientific name: Platanista gangetica gangetica
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 1,200
1,800

Green turtle

Scientific name: Chelonia mydas
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: data not available

Indian elephant

Scientific name: Elephas maximus indicus
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 20,000
25,000

Indochinese tiger

Scientific name: Panthera tigris corbetti
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 350

North Atlantic right whale

Scientific name: Eubalaena glacialis
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 300
350

Red panda

Scientific name: Ailurus fulgens
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: Fewer than 10,000

Sei whale

Scientific name: Balaenoptera borealis
Conservation status: Endangered
Estimated population: 12,000

Amur leopard

Scientific name: Panthera pardus orientalis
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
Estimated population: More than 60

Black rhino

Scientific name: Diceros bicornis
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
Estimated population: More than 5,000

Eastern lowland gorilla

Scientific name: Gorilla beringei graueri
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
Estimated population: Fewer than 4,000

Mountain gorilla

Scientific name: Gorilla beringei beringei
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
Estimated population: 880

Orangutan

Scientific name: Pongo abelii, Pongo pygmaeus
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
Estimated population: 104,700 (Bornean), 14,613 (Sumatran), 800 (Tapanuli)

Saola

Scientific name: Pseudoryx nghetinhensis
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
Estimated population: Fewer than 750

Western Lowland gorilla

Scientific name: Gorilla gorilla gorilla
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
Estimated population: Up to 100,000

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