Endangered animals are animals and other living things that face the threat of extinction. Their numbers are falling because of human causes such as deforestation, poaching, hunting, animal cruelty, and animal experimentation. The following endangered animals list names all such animals whose existence, even in the near future, poses a big question mark over the biodiversity of planet Earth!

Most Endangered Species List

The animals on this list are some of the best-known and most beloved species threatened with extinction. It would be a shame for all of humanity to see these creatures stay on the endangered list. If we go by the current endangered species facts, it won't be long before they make the move from the endangered list to the extinct animals list. That is, unless we humans (the chief culprits) come to our senses and work hard to preserve these diverse and beautiful life forms on Earth!

The animals below face a very serious threat of extinction. They have top priority for wildlife conservation. Very few individuals are left in many of these species. Widespread destruction of habitat and poaching have brought their numbers down to frightening lows.

  • African Elephant
  • Asiatic Lion
  • Aye Aye
  • Bald Eagle
  • Bengal Tiger
  • Blue Poison Frog
  • Bonobo
  • Bornean Orangutan
  • Brown Spider Monkey
  • Cheetah
  • Chimpanzee
  • Coelacanth
  • Diana Monkey
  • Diademed Sifaka
  • Eastern Red Colobus
  • Elegant Frog
  • Giant Armadillo
  • Giant Anteater
  • Giant Otter
  • Giant Panda
  • Great Green Macaw
  • Golden Bellied Capuchin Monkey
  • Golden Lion Tamarin
  • Golden Mantella
  • Golden Poison Frog
  • Grizzly Bear
  • Harpy Eagle
  • Hyacinth Macaw
  • Imperial Parrot
  • Indian Elephant
  • Indian Rhinoceros
  • Indian Wild Dog
  • Jaguar
  • Javanese Langur
  • Javanese Rhinoceros
  • Kakapo
  • Komodo Dragon
  • Leopard
  • Lear's Macaw
  • Leatherhead Turtle
  • Loggerhead Turtle
  • Mahogany Glider
  • Maned Sloth
  • Mediterranean Monk Seal
  • Mountain Gorilla
  • Mountain Tapir
  • Orinoco Crocodile
  • Panama Golden Frog
  • Passenger Pigeon
  • Piping Plover
  • Proboscis Monkey
  • Pronghorn Antelope
  • Pygmy Sloth
  • Rancho Grande Harlequin Frog
  • Sea Otter
  • Sei Whale
  • Snow Leopard
  • Sumatran Orangutan
  • Sumatran Tiger
  • Takahē
  • White Lion
  • White Tiger
  • Yellow Crested Cockatoo

Continent-wise List of Endangered Animal Species

The lists below name some of the most well-known animals whose numbers are shrinking fast. Take a look, the variety is striking.

Endangered Species in Africa

Wild animals in Africa are disappearing at an alarming rate. Their numbers drop every year. If conservation efforts are not stepped up, Africa will soon lose much of its incredible wildlife and wild beauty.

  • Cheetah
  • Cuvier's Gazelle
  • African Elephant
  • Chimpanzee
  • Leopard
  • Ostrich
  • White Rhinoceros
  • Addax
  • Ethiopian Wolf
  • Striped Hyena
  • African Wild Dog
  • Geometric Tortoise
  • Gorilla
  • Slender-snouted Crocodile
  • African Wild Ass

Here are some of these animals. Take a close look at the majestic creatures that are on the verge of disappearing from our planet.

Silverback mountain gorilla in the rainforest
The mountain gorilla of central Africa is one of our closest animal relatives. Only a few hundred live in the wild, in the misty Virunga and Bwindi forests.

Take the Endangered Animals Quiz!

5 quick questions about the animals that need our help. How many can you get right?

Endangered Species in Antarctica

Antarctica is already home to very few plants and animals. Now it faces the danger of losing some of the most extraordinary life forms found anywhere on Earth. Many endangered sea creatures live in the cold Antarctic waters. Because of that, global warming is a direct threat to their survival. Here are some of the most endangered animals found on and around Antarctica.

  • Gray Whale
  • Humpback Whale
  • Beluga Whale
  • Sperm Whale
  • Killer Whale
  • Bowhead Whale
  • Blue Whale
  • Polar Bear
  • Amsterdam
  • Albatross

What a shame to see such incredible creatures on this list of endangered species.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean when an animal is endangered?

An endangered species is one whose numbers have fallen so low that it is at serious risk of dying out, or becoming extinct.

What are the main reasons animals become endangered?

The biggest causes are human ones: habitat loss from deforestation, hunting and poaching, pollution, and a changing climate.

What is the difference between endangered and extinct?

An endangered animal is still alive but at risk of dying out. An extinct animal has died out completely, with none left alive anywhere.

Which famous animals are endangered today?

Well-known endangered animals include the Bengal tiger, giant panda, mountain gorilla, snow leopard, polar bear and many more.

Polar bear walking across melting Arctic sea ice
The polar bear hunts seals from the frozen sea. As the ice melts earlier each year, these great white bears have less time to find food.

Endangered Species in Asia

These Asian animals are losing numbers fast, and for some of them, extinction is not far away.

  • Giant Panda
  • Indian Rhinoceros
  • Asiatic Lion
  • Bengal Tiger
  • Komodo Dragon
  • Monkey Eating Eagle
  • Asian Elephant
  • Orangutan
  • White Handed Gibbon

Some of the most amazing animals in the world appear on this list.

Giant panda eating bamboo in a misty forest
The giant panda eats little else but bamboo. When bamboo forests shrink, the panda's whole food supply shrinks with them.

Endangered Species in Australia

The Island Continent risks losing the following species, which are part of its unique and remarkable biodiversity.

  • Numbat
  • Bandicoot
  • Leadbeater's Possum
  • Bilby
  • Tree Kangaroo
  • Dugong
  • Australian Sea Lion
  • Banded Hare-wallaby
  • Central Rock Rat

Here are a few animals from the Australian continent that face the threat of extinction.

Explore More Animals

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Endangered Species in Europe

It's sad to see these amazing European animals now listed as endangered species.

  • Iberian Lynx
  • Mediterranean Monk Seal
  • Saiga
  • Azorean Bat
  • European Mink
  • North Atlantic Right Whale
  • Sandy Mole Rat
  • Canary Shrew
  • Madeira Pipistrelle
  • Mouse Tailed dormouse
  • Long Eared Bat
  • Wisent (European bison)

Endangered Species in North America

The following North American animals may not survive the next decade unless we get actively involved in protecting them.

  • Red Wolf
  • Wood Bison
  • Kangaroo Rat
  • Amargosa Vole
  • Woodland Caribou
  • Jaguarundi
  • Mexican Hualapai Vole
  • Mexican Bobcat
  • Black Footed Ferret
  • Indiana Bat
  • American Crocodile
  • Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard
  • Gray Bat
  • Rice Rat
  • California Big Horn Sheep
  • North American Cougar
  • Gopher Tortoise
  • Alameda Whip Snake
  • Delmarva Peninsula Fox
  • West Indian Manatee
  • Island Fox
  • Cedros Island Mule Deer
  • Houston Toad
  • California Tiger Salamander

Endangered Species in South America

South America is home to many threatened species. The following endangered animals live in the great Amazon rainforest, which forms one of the most unique ecosystems on Earth.

Margay wild cat resting on a rainforest branch
Margay — a small, big-eyed spotted cat of the South American rainforest. Its extra-long tail and flexible ankles make it one of the best tree-climbers of all the wild cats.
  • Amazonian Manatee
  • Brazilian Three-toed Sloth
  • Giant Otter
  • Giant Armadillo
  • Little Spotted Cat
  • Margay
  • Bald Uakari
  • Maned Wolf
  • Central American Tapir
  • Cotton Top Marmoset
  • Marsh Deer
  • Ocelot
  • Yellow Tailed Wooly Monkey
  • Pampas Deer
  • Bespectacled Bear
  • Jaguar
  • Bolivian Chinchilla
  • Thin-spined Porcupine
  • South Andean Huemul
  • Marine Otter
  • Mantled Howler Monkey
  • Pied Tamarin
  • Toucan
  • Poison Dart Frog

Here are some of these animals from the Amazon below.

This was just a glimpse of how many different species are being threatened with extinction. A complete list of all endangered species is a chilling record of the destruction that humans have brought upon Earth's wildlife and biosphere. If you look carefully at the lists above, you'll spot a pattern, some species of tiger or monkey appears in nearly every endangered species list! The mangrove forests of Southeast Asia, which used to be full of yellow-and-black striped tigers, now witness the rapid decline of these majestic big cats. The same is true for the rarer white tigers, who are close to disappearing completely if their shrinking numbers are anything to go by. Endangered primates such as the Proboscis Monkey, various Howler Monkeys, and the Brown Spider Monkey are also in serious danger. It is not too late. The damage done so far may not be fully reversible, but further damage can be stopped if thoughtful and urgent steps are taken to protect what remains. Pushing animal species toward extinction is the worst violation of animal rights. We have no right, whatsoever, to decide which creatures get to live and which get to leave.