Between habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, poaching, climate change, and a variety of other factors, our planet’s plant and animal life face many threats to their survival. Currently, of the more than 166,000 species on the IUCN Red List, more than 46,300 are threatened with extinction. That includes trees, corals, and land and marine animals. Here are 10 of the most interesting species on the brink, along with what you can do to help.

North Atlantic Right Whale

North Atlantic right whales stand out due to the white calluses on their heads, which are so unique to each whale that they help researchers identify individuals. These large baleen whales, which feed on swarms of zooplankton by swimming through them with their mouths open, eat more than 2,000 pounds of food each day. They can also be social, meeting up in what’s called SAGs, or surface-active groups, and communicate with low-frequency moans and pulses. Mothers and calves have also been spotted butting heads.

The species’ scientific name, eubalaena glacialis, translates to “true whale of the ice.” Unfortunately, the reason behind their other moniker is that they were the “right” whale to hunt because they floated after being killed. By the late 19th century, they’d been all but hunted to extinction as a result. Today, their population is estimated at about 370 and their threats include entanglement, vessel strikes, ocean noise, and climate change impacting their habitat and distribution. If spared these hazards, individual whales are believed to be able to live for at least 70 years.

Basking Shark

Another endangered filter feeder is the basking shark, the second largest fish in the world, measuring up to 40 feet long. Only the whale shark is bigger. Though the basking shark may look imposing with its size and the fact that it swims near the surface with its mouth open to chow down on zooplankton, it’s actually quite harmless to people. These unique sharks also breach, are pregnant for at least three years, filter roughly 2,000 tons of seawater every hour, and are known to gather in groups. The largest recorded gathering was nearly 1,400. The reason behind its name is pretty relatable, too: It loves to bask in the sun at the surface.

Unfortunately, the basking shark is threatened by overfishing, its lengthy maturation time, long gestation period, and its already low population.

Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle

The smallest member of the sea turtle family, the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is named for the fisherman who first submitted it for identification. It can weigh up to 100 pounds and measure in at up to two feet long. Mostly found in the Gulf of Mexico, these turtles like having nesting buddies. Females go ashore and nest en masse in what’s known as “arribada” nesting, which may be a defense mechanism or a response to their environment. Their environment can also impact the eggs’ outcome. Warm eggs create females, while cooler eggs create males.

All sea turtle species face a variety of threats and several are endangered, but the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is critically endangered. They often become bycatch in fishing gear, are harvested in egg and adult form, and experience egg and nesting loss due to predators. They’re also threatened by climate change, loss and degradation of nesting habitat, pollution and marine debris, and vessel strikes.

Pangolin

The pangolin – a unique animal once called “endearing” by naturalist David Attenborough – gets its name from a Malay word meaning rolling up. That’s because, when threatened, they roll into a ball with thick armor-like scales protecting them. Their bodies stand out in other ways, including that black-bellied pangolins have the most vertebrates in their tails among all mammals and that female white-bellied pangolins have the second-most chromosomes among mammals. In fact, one researcher said of them, “There’s nothing else like them on the planet; they’re in their own order, their own family.”

There are eight species of pangolin: four in Asia (the Chinese, Sunda, Philippine, and Indian pangolins) and four in Africa (the white-bellied, black-bellied, giant, and ground pangolins). Three are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, while three others are endangered and the remaining species are vulnerable. This is because they’re the most trafficked mammal on the planet due to demand for their scales and meat.

San Joaquin Kit Fox

The San Joaquin kit fox has the distinction of being the smallest member of the dog family in North America, while also being found only in a small area: California’s San Joaquin Valley. These foxes can grow up to two-and-a-half-feet long, largely due to their tails, and weigh around five pounds, though females are a bit smaller. They operate by the cover of night, too, only emerging from their dens once it’s dark out.

The species was once widespread across the San Joaquin Valley area, but development has removed much of its habitat and blocked its movement corridors, while pesticides and rodenticides have limited its prey and also poisoned them as the chemicals build up in their bodies.

African Forest Elephant

African forest elephants can be found in the dense rainforests of west and central Africa. Smaller than their savanna elephant cousins, they’re also more difficult to find. Population counts are estimated via analysis of their droppings. Despite their elusive nature, they aren’t strangers to each other, living in family groups of up to 20 and communicating emotions to each other in a variety of ways, including with their ears. They also shape their environment, by eating large amounts of fruit and dispersing their seeds, as well as helping thin vegetation as they dig for water and uproot trees. As a result, they’re among the species considered nature’s gardeners.

However, these important and intelligent creatures are critically endangered, owing to poaching for their tusks, habitat loss stemming from agriculture and other development, human conflict, and their slower reproductive rate. (They’re pregnant for up to two years.)

Whooping Crane

The whooping crane, North America’s tallest bird, stands out due to its sleek mostly white body with distinctive black and red feathers mixed in. Their name likely comes from their vocalizations. Not only do they have musical pipes, they’re also graceful dancers. Their courtship dance – which they do with their life-long mates - includes leaping, head pumping, wing sweeping, and bills pointed upward, along with bugling calls. This dance is not the only way in which they work together. They also both incubate and care for their young.

The species, which is only found in North America, once numbered more than 10,000 but fell to around just 20 individuals by the early 1940s, due to shooting and habitat destruction. Habitat destruction in their wetland homes continues to plague the species today. 

Black-Footed Ferret

The black-footed ferret is the only ferret species native to North America. They spend most of their time underground and are active at night, which makes them difficult to study. What is known about them is that their diet consists almost entirely of prairie dogs, they love play and even partake in something called a “ferret dance” when they’re young, and they have vocalizations for a variety of situations, including during mothering, mating, alarm-sounding, and agitated moments.

The species was once believed to be extinct, until it was rediscovered in Wyoming in 1981. Captive breeding, reintroductions, and habitat protection have helped a bit, but they’re still one of North America’s most endangered mammals. Threats include habitat loss, drought, disease, declining prairie dog populations, and an increasing lack of genetic diversity.

Cotton-Top Tamarin

The cotton-top tamarin is found only within the forests of northwest Colombia, where it spends most of its time in the upper tree canopy. Its body is ideal for this environment, with its long tail, low weight, and clawed fingers and toes. These animals also live in small groups called troops, which usually consist of one breeding pair and their offspring. They chat with each other using dozens of different calls, including some that are too high pitched for people to hear. They also help shape their tropical environment through seed dispersal.

Many primate species are facing threats to their survival, but one of the species most at risk is the cotton-top tamarin. They are critically endangered, with fewer than 6,000 individuals left in the wild. Threats to their survival include deforestation, habitat degradation, and the illegal pet trade.

Saola

Called the Asian unicorn, the saola may be nearly as elusive as traditional unicorns. It wasn’t discovered until 1992 during a survey, and, since then, it’s still rarely been seen. Research has centered on camera traps, dung analysis, and analysis of the blood found in leaches within their habitat, deep primary forest in the Annamite Mountains of Laos and Vietnam. This environment makes them even more difficult to study, due to its difficult terrain. Saolas are striking, though, with white facial markings and two parallel horns that can reach up to 20 inches in length, found on both males and females.

This elusive species is critically endangered, with population estimates of between a few dozen and a few hundred. It’s often bycatch in snares, and its habitat is getting smaller due to human encroachment.

Help Endangered Species

With the biodiversity crisis our planet is facing, we’ve long worked with partners to help study species at risk, and to work to conserve and protect their habitat. If you’d like to join us, click below!