Random animal generator

Endangered Animals

Which animals are endangered?

The tiger, red panda, blue whale and okapi are examples of animals listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. This directory also includes other high-risk categories so you can compare them. Each photo card shows the recorded category for that species. Start with an example you recognise, then open its profile to see its habitat and diet. Those details help explain what an animal needs in order to survive in the wild.

Browse 239 animals

What the IUCN categories mean

Endangered (EN) is a specific global extinction-risk category. Critically Endangered (CR) represents a higher level of risk, and Vulnerable (VU) a lower level within the threatened categories. Extinct in the Wild (EW) has a separate meaning: individuals survive in captivity, cultivation or populations established outside the species’ former range. The list shows these categories separately, so you can find Endangered species and compare them with other species of conservation concern.

Why the threats differ by species

A forest animal may lose feeding and breeding sites when a continuous forest is divided into small patches. An ocean animal can face vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear or loss of nesting areas, depending on how and where it lives. Small populations can be especially exposed when many individuals depend on a single area. A conservation category summarises extinction risk. Read the species assessment for the causes, trends and evidence behind a particular listing.

Use the status with its context

The status shown here is the global category recorded in this directory. A local population may have a different status or legal protection, and new assessments can change the global category as evidence improves. For a report or classroom project, use the scientific name from the profile to look up the latest IUCN assessment. Record the category, assessment date and the source link together. This makes it easier to compare species and to check the source again later. An older report may still be useful for describing how a population changed over time.

IUCN Red List categories and assessments

Endangered Animals List