Endangered Species | Animals
The conservation status of a species indicates the species’ likelihood of becoming extinct. An endangered species is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular jurisdiction. Endangered species are at risk due to factors like habitat loss, poaching, and invasive species.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List lists the global conservation status of many species. In 2012 the IUCN Red List listed 3,079 animal species and 2,655 plant species as endangered. There are laws in many nations that protect conservation-reliant species like forbidding hunting and restricting land development.
We can protect endangered species by learning more about the endangered species around our surrounding communities, minimizing the use of pesticides, and reducing our consumption of water within the home. Other ways to protect endangered species include recycling, not littering, and not purchasing products that are made from endangered animal species.
The most endangered species in the world include the southern rockhopper penguin, snow leopard, savanna elephant, polar bear, and olive ridley turtle. Other endangered animal species are the marine iguana, loggerhead turtle, and hippopotamus. The greater one-horned rhino, greater white shark, giant tortoise, giant panda, and dugong are also considered endangered animal species.
Animal species are endangered due to loss of habitat which happens either through human actions or naturally as well as loss of genetic variation. Other reasons for species being endangered include loss of genetic variation, which can sometimes occur naturally or happen due to human activity.
