Mammal
Lion
The social big cat of the African savanna
Vulnerable animals
63 species in the guide are facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Each profile leads with a direct answer to the most-searched questions.
What "Vulnerable" means
Vulnerable (VU) means a species faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term future. It is the lowest-risk of the three 'threatened' IUCN categories — one step below Endangered, which is itself below Critically Endangered — and is often an early warning that a population is in trouble.
Conservation categories follow the IUCN Red List. See the conservation hub for how every status compares.
Fish
Great White Shark
The ocean's most famous apex predator
Mammal
Giant Panda
The bamboo-eating bear of China's mountains
Mammal
Giraffe
The tallest animal on Earth
Bird
Wandering Albatross
The widest wingspan on Earth
Reptile
Leatherback Sea Turtle
The giant jellyfish specialist
Mammal
Leopard
The stealthy, tree-climbing big cat
Mammal
Polar Bear
The largest land carnivore, ruler of the Arctic
Mammal
Clouded Leopard
The tree-climbing cat of Asian rainforests
Mammal
Sperm Whale
The deep-diving giant with the largest brain
Reptile
Alligator Snapping Turtle
The prehistoric lure-fishing giant of American rivers
Mammal
Indian Rhinoceros
The armour-plated one-horned giant
Fish
Ocean Sunfish
The heaviest bony fish
Mammal
Mandrill
The world's most colourful primate
Mammal
Reindeer
The Arctic migrator and both-sex antlered deer
Mammal
Cheetah
The fastest land animal on Earth
Fish
Thresher Shark
The whip-tailed hunter
Mammal
Walrus
The tusked giant of the Arctic ice
Fish
Betta
Labyrinth fish famous for vivid fins
Mammal
Giant Anteater
South America's two-metre tongue specialist
Reptile
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
The powerful-jawed sea turtle
Mammal
Fin Whale
The sleek greyhound of the seas
Fish
Sand Tiger Shark
The toothy aquarium shark
Mammal
Dingo
Australia's wild dog of the outback
Mammal
Sun Bear
The smallest bear of Southeast Asia's rainforests
Mammal
Koala
Australia's iconic eucalyptus-eating marsupial
Mammal
Manatee
The gentle sea cow of warm coastal waters
Fish
Nurse Shark
The docile reef bottom-dweller
Mammal
Sloth Bear
India's shaggy insect-eating bear
Bird
Rhinoceros Hornbill
The thunderbird of Borneo's rainforest
Bird
Andean Condor
Giant New World vulture of the Andes
Bird
Hyacinth Macaw
Largest flying parrot, cobalt blue
Mammal
Spectacled Bear
The only bear native to South America
Mammal
Snow Leopard
The elusive ghost of the mountains
Bird
Shoebill
Giant swamp bird with a shoe-shaped bill
Reptile
Crested Gecko
Eyelash-crested gecko of New Caledonia
Mammal
Hippopotamus
Africa's deadliest large land mammal
Mammal
Dugong
The gentle sea cow of the Indo-Pacific
Mammal
Fossa
Cat-like apex predator of Madagascar
Reptile
Eastern Box Turtle
North America's hinged turtle
Fish
Atlantic Cod
The fish that built Atlantic nations
Mammal
Greater Bilby
Long-eared desert bandicoot
Reptile
King Cobra
The world's longest venomous snake
Insect
Monarch Butterfly
The insect that migrates thousands of miles
Fish
Seahorse
The tiny fish where fathers give birth
Amphibian
Olm
Blind cave salamander of European karst
Bird
Kiwi
New Zealand's flightless nocturnal bird with nostrils at the tip of its bill
Fish
Betta Fish
The colorful fighter of Southeast Asian waters
Reptile
Galápagos Tortoise
The giant tortoise that can live over a century
Invertebrate
Coconut Crab
The world's largest land arthropod and tree-climbing island giant
Mammal
Quokka
The smiling marsupial of Western Australia
Fish
Lemon Shark
Yellow coastal shark of mangrove nurseries
Fish
Porbeagle
Warm-blooded hunter of cold Atlantic seas
Fish
Common Torpedo
Mediterranean voltage trap of the sandy seabed
Bird
Snowy Owl
The white owl of the Arctic tundra
Fish
Bull Shark
The shark that swims into freshwater
Invertebrate
Atlantic Horseshoe Crab
The ancient living fossil with blue blood
Bird
Atlantic Puffin
The colorful 'sea parrot' of the North Atlantic
Mammal
Yak
The shaggy ox of the high Himalayas
Invertebrate
Giant Clam
The reef-dwelling giant of the mollusks
Amphibian
Hellbender
North America's giant, fully aquatic salamander
Mammal
Uakari
The crimson-faced monkey of the flooded Amazon
Mammal
Urial
The wild sheep of the Central Asian hills
Frequently asked questions
What does "Vulnerable" mean?
Vulnerable (VU) means a species faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term future. It is the lowest-risk of the three 'threatened' IUCN categories — one step below Endangered, which is itself below Critically Endangered — and is often an early warning that a population is in trouble.
Which animals are Vulnerable?
The Global Animal Guide lists 63 species as Vulnerable, including Lion, Great White Shark, Giant Panda, Giraffe, Wandering Albatross. See the full list below.