The 20 most endangered animals in the world

A list of animals that could soon disappear forever.

Nature is full of fascinating life forms, but the balance between them is delicate. Rapid changes in a natural habitat can cause their populations to vary rapidly, resulting, among other things, in the disappearance of some of them: their extinction.

That is why today there are lists of endangered animals all over the world: species that in a short time could cease to exist on the entire planet.

In this article we will see which are some of the animals in danger of extinction in the world..

Animals in danger of extinction: the extreme cases

Although there are hundreds of endangered animals, here we will focus on the most endangered large animals.

1. Javan rhinoceros

The Javan rhinoceros is one of the one-horned rhinoceros species living in Asia. Its large size, habitat destruction and poaching have caused their population have caused its population to fall to less than 60 individuals.

2. Mountain gorilla

Although its population has grown slightly in recent years, this ape is still in a very vulnerable state of conservation. It is believed that there are around 100 in the wild, in reserves in central Africa.

3. Amur leopard

This leopard of cold zones does not even number 40 individuals living in the wild.. It lives in some northern areas of the Korean Peninsula and in its border with the rest of the Asian continent.

4. Black rhinoceros

This is another example of the extent to which large animals are in a situation of almost complete disappearance nowadays. There are less than 6,000 members of this species in the wild, and their horns have been cut off preventively to avoid poaching.

5. Bornean Orangutan

In the last 20 years more than half of the territory that was once the habitat of this ape has been devastated by human exploitation, so it is not surprising that it appears on the list of endangered animals.

6. Malayan tiger

This subspecies of tiger is a recent discovery that could a recent discovery that may have come too late, as it is critically endangered.It is critically endangered. It lives mainly in the south of the Malay Peninsula.

7. Saola

This small bovine, more similar to antelopes than oxen, lives in Laos and Vietnam, and was only discovered as a species in the 1990s.

8. Sumatran elephant

This endemic elephant from the island of Sumatra is relatively small, reaching just over two meters in height. It could disappear in less than three decades.

9. Vaquita porpoise

This cetacean, a close relative of dolphins, lives exclusively in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Only a few dozen specimens remain in the wild.

10. Salamander

The salamander is one of the most amazing amphibians, as it is capable of regenerating virtually any part of its body, including its brain. Unfortunately, the destruction of its habitat (lakes in the Valley of Mexico) has made it has meant that today there are probably many more specimens in captivity than in the wild..

11. Woodpecker

This bird has become so rare that it is not known if it still exists or if it has already disappeared from the face of the planet. Like the rest of the birds in its group, it lives by creating holes in tree trunks to eat its insects.

12. Large bamboo lemur

This type of primate belonging to the lemur family only lives in certain areas of the island of Madagascar. It is believed that there are only about 500 specimens in the wild..

13. Giant Chinese salamander

This is another endangered animal that belongs to the amphibian group, like the salamander. Specifically, it is the largest amphibian in the world, reaching almost two meters in length. It is being hunted for its meat.

14. Manumea pigeon

This bird is possibly the closest relative of the Dodo that still exists. Like the latter, it may end up disappearing due to hunting and habitat destruction.

15. Pondicherry shark

This medium-sized shark has been reduced to some areas of Sri Lanka, an island whose riversThe Pondicherry shark has been reduced to some areas of Sri Lanka, an island whose rivers it is able to swim upstream.

16. Olive Ridley Turtle

This species of aquatic reptile, native to the Caribbean Sea and the eastern coast of North America, is being wiped out by trawling.

17. Sahafary's jumping lemur

The body of this small primate measures less than 20 centimeters, and the cultivation of eucalyptus trees that is devastating many areas of Madagascar may lead to its extinction.

18. Electric stingray

This shark-like fish is capable of generating an electric field of up to 230 volts around it. The few remaining specimens of this species live scattered in the sea areas of the American Atlantic..

19. Iberian lynx

This species of lynx lives only in several areas of southeastern Spain and Portugal. The main cause of their disappearance is the destruction of their habitat caused by the construction of roads without safe passages.

20. Shanghai Softshell Turtle

This is one of the rarest large turtles in existence, because despite its large size (it can weigh more than 120 kilos) its shell is not very hard.