Written By: Ananya Sankar
Definition
Critically Endangered- A species facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
Endangered-A species considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
Vulnerable-A species considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Near Threatened- A species that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future
Critically Endangered
Bornean and Sumatran orangutans have slight behavioral and physical differences such as facial hair and sociality. Recently a third species was discovered: the Tapanuli orangutan. While Bornean and Sumatran orangutans are both critically endangered, the Tapanuli species is the most critically endangered ape in the world. The biggest worries to orangutans are hunting, trading, and deforestation. Since females are easy hunting targets and their babies are often sent into the pet trade where 3-5 die for each one that reaches Taiwan, where trading is most rampant.
Saola is a small deer-like mammal that is actually a cousin of cattle. Like most of the animals on this list, Saolas are threatened by hunting and deforestation. The destruction of their forest homes allows hunters to have access to their prey so making hunting easier to supply illegal trade circles. The total population is unknown but estimates hit a high of a few hundred and a low of less than 20.
Four Gorilla species are critically endangered
Cross River Gorilla
With only about 250 individuals left in the wilds of Nigeria and Cameroon, Cross River gorillas have been nearly hunted to extinction
Eastern Lowland Gorilla
War and other civil unrest have been huge threats to these apes for years. Researchers have estimated a population decline of 50% since the 1990s. The regional violence has made it difficult to accurately count and track Eastern Lowland gorillas and it has forced them into smaller and smaller areas.
Mountain Gorilla
It was once thought that mountain gorillas would be extinct by the 20th century due to poaching, habitat loss, and human diseases they catch from people moving in on their homes. While the subspecies is still holding on, there are only 880 individuals estimated to be left.
The Amur leopard is threatened by poaching, poaching of prey species, habitat loss, and deforestation or exploitation of forests
Illegal Wildlife Trade causing them to be critically endangered as poaching is the deadliest to them since black rhinos remain critically endangered because of rising demand for rhino horn
Finless porpoises need an abundant food supply for survival. The destruction of the Baiji dolphin food supply was central to its extinction. Overfishing is the main factor that contributes to the decrease in finless porpoises' food supply, but pollution and ship movement are factors as well.
Endangered
There are two types of dolphins that endangered
Ganges
Irrigation projects like dams make groups of these mammals away from their habit so there are, exposed to the poachers, who hunt them for medicinal purposes. Also, pollution is rapidly destroying their habitat and can infect their bodies with chemicals and toxins. And, like many water-dwelling animals, these river dolphins are often victims of fishing nets.
Indus
Similar to their Ganges relatives, Indus river dolphins are blind and use echolocation to survive. They are slightly smaller than the Ganges topping the scale at about 250 pounds and reaching a little over eight feet in length. Barrages, dams, and other irrigation-related constructions have fragmented their habitats, sometimes forcing them into canals where they die before they could be rescued. So, pollution, bycatch, and hunting are also prevalent threats to the Indus river dolphin.
Almost 50% of the red panda’s habitat is in the Eastern Himalayas. So their habit has been lost due to logging, grazing livestock, demand for firewood, human encroachment, and farming. Since, primary threats are habitat loss and degradation, human interference, and poaching.
Loss of habitat and disease makes these small mammals endangered. So they estimate only 370 to be left in the wild. As they rely on prairie dog colonies for food and shelter.
Sea Turtle (All kinds)
Slaughtered for their eggs, meat, skin, and shells, sea turtles by poaching and over-exploitation. They have also face habitat destruction and accidental capture—known as bycatch—in fishing gear.
Elephant(all kinds)
Today, the greatest threat to African elephants is wildlife crime, primarily poaching for the illegal ivory trade, while the greatest threat to Asian elephants is habitat loss, which results in human-elephant conflict.
The blue whale is endangered as a result of people's actions in the past and today. Hunting and killing whales are called whaling as they have successfully killed hundreds of thousands of blue whales
Vulnerable
They are vulnerable to endangerment largely because of habitat destruction. The shallow marine waters in which they graze are degrading due to industrial development and pollution. They also fall victim to fishing nets, like so many other sea creatures.
Great Whites are greatly threatened due to hunting for sport and for their teeth and fins. Like the dugong, they are also victims of bycatch (“the accidental entanglement in fishing nets” - said the WWF).
Listed as vulnerable since 2008 due to climate change destroying their icy sea habitat. Due to the result, there have been 19 subpopulations of polar bears in the Arctic, three of which are estimated for extreme population decline in the near future.
Giant pandas first became vulnerable in 1990 due to poaching in the 80s and deforestation, losing their bamboo food source. So, in the 1940s, the Chinese government has worked to conserve giant panda habitat and protect the wildlife within it making the Giant panda vulnerable.
Hunting, habitat loss, retaliatory killings as a result of them being vulnerable, poaching, and climate change are the biggest threats that snow leopards face. Snow leopard habitat range continues to decline from human settlement and increased use of grazing space. Poaching threatens the snow leopard because people use the leopards for fur and to make medicines. Overgrazing by nearby farm animals also causes farmers to kill snow leopards when they attack their farm animals and livestock looking for food.
The destruction of tropical rainforests and threats from hunting pose the greatest challenge to the black spider monkey's survival. Because they prefer mature tropical forests and seldom venture into disturbed habitats, these monkeys are especially vulnerable to the effects of forest fragmentation.
Near Threatened
Beluga whales are vulnerable to many stressors and threats, including pollution, habitat degradation, predation from killer whales, harassment, interactions with commercial and recreational fisheries, oil and gas exploration, disease, and other types of human disturbance such as underwater noise.
One of the biggest reasons that jaguars are Near Threatened is because humans have destroyed their habitat. Habitat destruction is when trees are cut down and land is cleared and changed from what it originally was. Jaguars live in all types of forests and many grasslands.
One of the main threats to these beautiful narwhals is the rapid climate changes in the Canadian Arctic. With decreases in natural ice cover and thickness, this is one of the main reasons why narwhals are Near Threatened!
Poaching. Historically, uncontrolled hunting in the colonial era caused the major decline of white rhinos. Today, poaching for their horn is the main threat. The white rhino is particularly vulnerable to poaching because it is relatively unaggressive and lives in herds.
Bison are threatened by genetic diversity, human intolerance, and habitat fragmentation, and loss. Help us speak up for wild bison by contacting your Senators or representatives and state governor in states where wild bison live. Advocate for the protection of their habitat and management like other wild species.
The mountain plover is threatened by habitat loss, agriculture, pesticide exposure, and oil and gas development. In 1982 the US Fish and Wildlife Service first found the bird in need of Near Threatened Species Act protection but delayed acting.
Credits: picanimals,picanimals2
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