Endangered Animals | World’s Most Endangered Animals Species

What are Endangered Animals?

Endangered animals are animals that are threatened with extinction. This means that there will be no more animals living on earth. An animal is considered endangered or “threatened” when there are very few of them alive.

Some animals are more endangered than others. To track a species’ extinction risk, scientists classify the risk by a different name. From most threatened to least threatened, these names are:

1) critically endangered
2) in danger of extinction
3) vulnerable

There are also animals that only exist in captivity (e.g. in zoos). These animals are said to be “extinct in the wild”.

What are some of the most Endangered Animals?

They are classified as critically endangered. This is just a sample of the list:

Black Rhino – Only a few black rhinos remain. They live mainly in West Africa. They are mainly threatened by hunters who kill them for their horns.

Red Wolf – The red wolf originally lived in the southeastern United States. There are only a few hundred left, most living in captivity.

Others include the Siberian tiger, Florida leopard, mountain gorillas, California osprey and giant ibis.

Some of the “endangered” animals include sea otters, tortoises, giant pandas, blue whales, albatrosses and snow leopards.

Some of the “vulnerable” animals include lions, clouded leopards, hippos, dingoes, polar bears, humpback whales, as well as macaroni and king penguins.

How are Endangered Animals protected?

Many countries around the world have laws that protect endangered species. It is generally a crime to kill or injure an endangered or protected animal. In the United States, there are several laws that protect endangered animals. These laws are part of the Endangered Species Act, which was signed into law by President Nixon in 1973.

These laws help protect animals and their habitats. They also include programs to help animals recover known as rehabilitation plans. The main agencies that enforce the law and help protect animals are the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Around the world, there are also nature or wildlife sanctuaries. These sanctuaries are large tracts of land where animals and their habitats are protected. Development is very limited or completely prevented on land. Hunting is also restricted or illegal. Critically endangered animals are often protected by keeping some of them in captivity and breeding them in captivity. This helps scientists keep the species alive and also helps them study animals.

Scientists also study animals in the wild to understand what might affect their populations. With good science, scientists can help an animal survive the threat of extinction.