30 Most Endangered Species

Poaching and enviromental changes are making it very difficult for some species to maintain a healthy number. Due to this fact, humans really have to focus on our impact, as well as do what we need to, to drastically change this impact we are having. To get a glimpse of this, we have compiled a list of the 30 most endagered species on the planet

Africa

1. The Black Rhino, the cousin to southern Africa's White Rhino, lives in southern and central Africa. Smaller than its more populous cousin, it suffers from not only poaching issues but also it's the very limited diet of grass.
2. The Cross River Gorilla may only seem subtly different than other breeds of the lowland gorilla. Still, their low numbers mean even the occasional death to illegal hunting can have huge ramifications on their population. They live on the border of Nigeria and Cameroon and generally distrust humans.
3. Due to not only illegal poaching but also the general civil unrest in its Congo home, the Eastern Lowland Gorilla has been suffering from major population loss since the mid-90s. The largest subspecies of gorilla, conservation efforts have been put in place to restore the native population.
4. Western Lowland Gorillas may be smaller than their cousins, but they still face the same problems other gorillas face in the Congo. They are noticeably different due to their brown-grey fur.
5. The African Wild Dog, sometimes known as a Painted Wolf, makes its home in some regions of southern and eastern Africa. They are threatened by not only habitat fragmentation but also by disease and human persecution.
6. The Bonobo is a primate that lives among the jungles of the Congo. Similar to chimpanzees, they share 98.7% of human DNA. Much remains to be learned scientifically about the Bonobo, so hopefully, conservation efforts will help to strengthen our knowledge.
7. Chimpanzees not only share about 98% of our DNA, but they also exhibit traits similar to humans, such as socialization and how they take care of their young for multiple years. The illegal pet trade and other poaching activities have negatively affected their population over the years.

Asia

1. The Amur Leopard of far eastern Russia is suffering from not only poaching and deforestation, but the Amur Leopard also suffers from a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression due to how low of a number of them exist in the wild.
2. The Yangtze Finless Porpoise lives in the Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia. Another breed of dolphins known as the Baiji Dolphin once lived with it, but that species is now considered extinct.
3. It's very lonely for sociable animals on this list like the Asian Elephant. The largest land mammal in Asia suffers due to many negative interactions with humans, from hunting to poaching to simple mishandling.
4. The Javan Rhino is one of the least populace rhino species. Once thriving in southeast Asia, only a small number remain alive in captivity.
5. The Saola of Vietnam is one of the world's largest mammals, and one of the rarest. This bovine is rather adverse to humans; thus, rapid urbanization has left its habitat dwindling and its population fragmented.
6. One of the oldest species of mammal globally, the Ganges River Dolphin, has had its habitat shrink rapidly over the years. Essentially blind, they hunt using echolocation.
7. The Indian Elephant is a great cultural symbol for many of the people who live around its habitat. The Indian government has invested a lot in financial aid to help with the conservation of the species.

Indonesia

1. The Bornean Orangutan lives on the island of Borneo, north of Indonesia. While more populace than the Sumatran Orangutan, their numbers have been rapidly declining due to deforestation and the illegal pet trade.
2. Weighing up to 200 pounds, the Sumatran Orangutan of Malaysia faces many issues due to illegal capturing and overlogging its habitat. The Sumatran Orangutan is more likely to travel among the trees than its cousins.
3. The Sumatran Elephant of the Indonesian island of Sumatra suffers a fate similar to other endangered animals on the island; dwindling habitat and illegal poaching have left its population barren. For such a large animal, the remaining forest cover is simply too small to thrive.
4. Sumatran Rhinos are among the smallest living rhinoceros. Although a few have existed in captivity, they only thrive in their now dwindling natural habitat.
5. The hunting of the Sunda Tiger can lead to many fines and litigation if caught by the Indonesian government, due to the difficulty the cat faces with the ever-shrinking forests it can call its home.
6.  The Bornean elephant is the smallest of the Asian Elephant subspecies but still the largest animal in its dwindling island habitat. Once used as gifts by royalty, the hunting of this elephant is now highly outlawed by local governments.
7. At six feet long, the Humphead Wrasse is an exceptionally large fish that lives within the Coral Triangle made up of the ocean among Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste. The trade of this fish is a problem for conservationists.

The Ocean

1. The Hawksbill Turtle is not only known for its beautiful shell but also its importance in the upkeep of tropical marine ecosystems. They are mainly a casualty of human fishing practices.
2. Vaquita is a rare type of marine animal similar to a dolphin found in the gulf between Baja California and Mexico. Often caught on the nets of local fishers, they face extinction if conservation efforts do nothing to improve their odds.
3. Long-suffering from habitat loss and disease, the North American Black-footed Ferret as the subject of many local conservation efforts. While its current habitat is mainly in the northwestern United States, its population once reached Texas.
4. The Blue Whale makes its home at every corner of the world's oceans and is the largest animal ever known to live. Sea pollution and excessive whaling activities drastically reduced their population, but the species is seeing a steady comeback in certain oceans.
5. The Bluefin Tuna is a victim mainly of overfishing. A highly prized delicacy may conservation efforts exist to stabilize the population. Most likely so we can keep eating it.
6. Second, only the Blue Whale, the Fin Whale, is named due to its prominent dorsal fin. Another victim of years of whaling activity would require a large scale operation to conserve this species due to the difficulty of containing such an immense animal.
7. The Galapagos Penguin is the only species of penguin found above the equator. The already small population of the species suffers heavily from fishing accidents and oil spills.
8.  Hector's Dolphin is a species of dolphin found around New Zealand named after Sir James Hector. This species suffers from many accidental deaths due to fishing equipment, with many regulations today to preserve this dolphin breed.
9. The Green Turtle can be found in many tropical ocean habitats around the world. Often caught in fishing nets and harmed by litter and other pollutants, they are also greatly affected by the over-harvesting of their eggs.

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