Different Types and Categories of Endangered Animals

Endangered animal categories, definitions, and lists

A-Z Animals follows the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s nine categories of endangered animal lists. They are:

	Extinct (EX) — Extinct species no longer exist. After exhaustive research, scientists around the world agree that there isn’t a single living individual of the species on the planet. Interestingly, 99 percent of all species that ever graced the Earth over the past five billion years have gone extinct. Read more and see an extinct species list here.
	Extinct in the wild (EW) — Species that only survive in captivity, cultivation, or outside their native range are deemed “extinct in the wild.” For example, if only 10 individuals of a rare bird are left, and they all live in zoos or on a single nature preserve, the IUCN would classify the species as extinct in the wild. Read more and see an extinct in the wild species list here.
	Critically endangered (CR) — Critically endangered species are on the brink of becoming extinct or extinct in the wild but have not yet met the criteria for either category. See a list of critically endangered species here.
	Endangered (EN) — Endangered species are at a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild or extinct. For an animal to be added to the category, it must meet specific criteria regarding population or habitat decline, which you can read about on our endangered species list.
	Vulnerable (VU) — Vulnerable species meet at least one of the five Red List criteria. They’re considered to be at high risk of human-caused extinction if conservationists don’t intervene. For the IUCN to add a taxon to the Vulnerable animals list, it must meet specific criteria regarding population or habitat decline. Read more on our vulnerable species list here.
	Near threatened (NT) — A species is considered Near Threatened when it doesn’t qualify as Critically Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable, but scientists believe it will reach one of those levels in the near future. See our near threatened species list here.
	Least concern (LC) — Species that fall into the Least Concern category are not presently facing any population or habitat declines. See a least concern species list.
	Data deficient (DD) — Data deficient species lack enough information to properly categorize into one of the groups above. See a data deficient species list.
	Not evaluated (NE) — This species has not been evaluated for an IUCN categorization yet. See a list of not evaluated species.

What is the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)?

The IUCN is the organization that monitors the conservation status and other ecological metrics for the world’s plants and animals. Its mission is to promote sustainable use of the Earth’s resources.Founded in 1948, in Fontainebleau, France, as the Union for the Protection of Nature, the IUCN is the oldest global environmental advocacy group. Today, headquartered in Gland, Switzerland, the umbrella organization collaborates with over 1,000 smaller nonprofits, associations, and governments representing 140 countries.

How Many Species Occupy the Earth?

The IUCN monitors the world’s species, which raises the question: How many species currently occupy the planet?In 2016, researchers declared their collective belief that over one trillion species currently occupy the Earth. However, scientists have only observed and described about one-thousandth of one percent of them, or 7 to 10 million.The typical lifespan of a species is 10 million years. However, some stick around for hundreds of millions of years. For example, jellyfish have lived on Earth for nearly 550 million years!

What is a Taxon?

The IUCN frequently uses the word “taxon.” So what is it? A taxon is a group of one or more populations of a species or organism that form a unit.

What is the Red List?

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature is perhaps best known for creating the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a detailed accounting of the world’s vulnerable and endangered species. The list started in 1964 and details at-risk taxons, for both plants and animals, which are separated into several categories.

How Many Animals are Currently Endangered?

You may be wondering: How many animals are endangered, or what animals are endangered in 2020? For the most recent version of the list, IUCN researchers and scientists evaluated 63,837 species. Of that number, 19,817 are threatened with extinction; 3,947 landed in the Critically Endangered category; 5,766 qualified as Endangered, and over 10,000 species are listed under Vulnerable.

What is the Endangered Species Act?

Passed in 1973, the Endangered Species Act is a federal United States law designed to protect threatened and endangered species that are imperiled because of a “consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation.” The goal of the act is to prevent extinction and recover species to the point where they no longer need protection.

Extinct Animals

Psittacosaurus

The Psittacosaurus dinosaurs had four limbs but were mostly bipedal.

Argentinosaurus

The Argentinosaurus weighed as much as 10 elephants!

Pelycosaurs

See all of our extinct animals.

Extinct in the Wild Animals

Spix’s Macaw

One of earth's rarest animals!

Elephant Bird

Vorombe titan, a type of elephant bird, is the largest bird that ever lived

Giant Beaver

The Giant Beaver are not closely related to modern beaver at all.

See all of our extinct in the wild animals.

Critically Endangered Animals

Goliath Grouper

Massive reef fish with a strong tail

Antiguan Racer Snake

One of the most endangered snakes in the world

Freshwater Eel

Freshwater eels are actually catadromous, meaning they migrate to saltwater to spawn

See all of our critically endangered animals.

Endangered Animals

Tiger Beetle

The adult tiger beetle is one of the fastest land insects in the world

Galapagos Penguin

Found around the Equator!

Atlantic Sturgeon

Atlantic Sturgeon often leap out of the water.

See all of our endangered animals.

Vulnerable Animals

Cheetah

The fastest land mammal in the world!

Clouded Leopard

Has canines that can be two inches long!

Finch

Finches have strong, conical bills that help them break open tough seeds that many other birds cannot.

See all of our vulnerable animals.

Near Threatened Animals

Whale Shark

The largest species of fish in the world!

Cinereous Vulture

This vulture can fly at great heights. At least one was found a few thousand feet from the top of Mount Everest.

Molly

Known for their calm and peaceful nature!

See all of our near threatened animals.

Least Concern Animals

Lesser Scaup

Young lesser scaups learn to dive as soon as their down dries.

Red Paper Wasp

The Red Paper wasps are lazy flyers; they occasionally land on people, pets, and objects without noticing them. 

Blue-Ringed Octopus

The blue-ringed octopus produces some of the deadliest poison in the world

See all of our least concern animals.

Data Deficient Animals

Anchovies

November 12th is celebrated as National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day

Dusky Dolphin

Communicates using whistles, squeaks and clicks!

Dragonfish

Dragonfish can emit red light from their eyes

See all of our data deficient animals.

Not Evaluated Animals

Bombardier Beetle

Spray a noxious solution from their abdomens

Bark Scorpion

Glow under UV light

Red Racer Snake

See all of our not evaluated animals.

The Big List of Endangered Animals

List of Extinct Animals

List of Extinct in the Wild Animals

List of Critically Endangered Species

List of Endangered Species

List of Vulnerable Species

List of Near Threatened Species

List of Least Concern Species

List of Data Deficient Species

List of Not Evaluated Species