Ten Most Endangered Animals

Endangered species means a population of a particular living organism at the probable risk of becoming extinct. The threat of extinction can be attributed to a range of factors, including the already small size of population, loss of habitat, poaching for food or economic gains, and so on. Of the numerous species which are considered endangered as of today, some of the oft-heard species are...

Black Rhino
Native to the central areas of Africa namely, Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia and Zimbabwe, Black rhino (Diceros bicornis) is facing a serious threat to its existence. Standing 58 to 63 inches tall and 10 to 12 feet long, a Black rhino weighs around 1700 to 3000 pounds. It has 2 horns, made up of keratin, which have a huge demand in International market. Poaching of this rhino species, for its horns, is a lucrative business and has led to a drastic decline in its population. The creature, which was found in abundance in early 20th century is battling for its survival, with only 3610 black rhinos living today. The West African Black Rhino which is a sub-species of the black rhino is worst affected with less than 10 animals remaining in the world.

Giant Panda
Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a mammal native to Central western and South western China. Although a carnivore, about 99 per cent of its diet consists of bamboo. It is 1.5 m long, 75 cm tall and weighs 115 kg. The current population of Giant panda is 239 living in captivity in China, and 27 outside China. While it is assumed that around 1600 giant pandas are still present in the wild. Even though their number is increasing, the International Union for Conservation of Nature is still skeptical about excluding this species from the list of endangered animals.

Giant Sable Antelope
Giant sable antelope (Hippotragus niger variani) is a sub-species of the Sable antelope. Native to Angola, it is most commonly found in the region between river Cuango and river Luando. Standing at 115 to 140 cm tall, this creature weighs about 238 kg. The male species are black in color while the females are chestnut colored. They have white eyebrows. Giant sable antelopes are enlisted as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List.

Sumatran Tiger
Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is a sub-species of tiger, most commonly found on Sumatra island in Indonesia. It is 234 cm or 6 feet 8 inches long and weighs around 136 kg. It has narrower stripes compared to other species. It's estimated that there are less than 500 Sumatran tigers left throughout the world today. This decline in number can be attributed to cruel poaching of this magnificent creature specifically for its precious skin which has a high demand in the International market.

Asiatic Cheetah
Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus), which was once found between the region from Arabia to India, is today restricted only to Iran. Although there have been occasional sighting of this animal in Pakistan, it is quite rare phenomena. Around 115 cm long, Asiatic cheetah weighs around 35 to 55 kg. In 2004-05 it was assumed that only 50 to 60 Asiatic cheetahs were left in the World, most of which were restricted to the Kavir desert in Iran. But projects such as Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah Project, a United Nations Development Program initiative render some hope, that someday, this creature will be ticked out of endangered species list.

Riverine Rabbit
Riverine rabbit (Bunolagus monticularis), is one of the most endangered species in the world. This beautiful animal sports a cream color fur, a brown woolly tail and black stripe on its cheek. It is only found in the Karoo desert in Cape Province of South Africa. This limitation as far as habitat is concerned may be the reason for the drop in the population of this animal to as low as 200 individuals throughout the world.

Island Fox
Island fox (Urocyon littoralis) is the second smallest species of fox in the United States. It is mostly found in Channel islands of California. It has gray fur on the head and ruddy red coloring on the sides. Its population has dropped down to as low as 500 and a large part of this drop can be attributed to the Golden eagle predation.

Walia Ibex
Walia Ibex (Capra Walie) is mostly found in the mountains of Ethiopia. Weighing at around 80 to 125 kg, Walia ibex, sports a chocolate brown or chestnut brown coat and a grayish brown muzzle. Poaching and habitat depletion has led to a huge fall in their number, with only 400 of them surviving. But there has been a slow rise in their number, considering that only 150 to 200 creatures existed in 1963. More conservation measures are needed to ensure that this species does not get extinct in the near future.

Iberian Lynx
Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is a feline mammal, native to Iberian peninsula in Southern Europe. These creatures are 85 to 110 cm long and weigh up to 28 kg. They sport a light gray coat and have spots on their body. They are the worlds most threatened species of cat. Only 400 Iberian lynx existed in the world in the year 2000 and this number has come down to less than 100 today.

Pygmy Hog
Pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is an endangered species of small wild pig native to India, Nepal and Bhutan. They are 55 to 70 cm long, 20 to 30 cm tall and weigh up to 10 kg. Today their number has declined to less than 150. Human encroachment is considered to be the most important reason for the drastic downfall in their number.

Conservation measures, like demarcating protected areas and curbing poaching, need to be introduced so that there is less of human intervention in their surroundings. The list of endangered animals on the planet is growing with each passing year - if we don't act fast, we will lose all these animals forever.