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Sunday, 12 July 2026

Global Animal Guide

Most Endangered Animals

These are the most at-risk animals in our guide, ranked from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Each faces serious threats in the wild, and each guide ends with a way to help fund their protection.

Pangolin curled into a defensive ball showing keratin scales

Critically Endangered

Mammal

Pangolin

The world's only scaly mammal

Adult silverback gorilla sitting in a green rainforest clearing in dappled sunlight

Critically Endangered

Mammal

Gorilla

The largest living primate

Hawksbill turtle on coral reef

Critically Endangered

Reptile

Hawksbill Sea Turtle

The tortoiseshell turtle

Black rhinoceros with hooked lip browsing on acacia scrub

Critically Endangered

Mammal

Black Rhinoceros

Africa's hook-lipped browser in crisis

Javan rhinoceros browsing in tropical rainforest undergrowth

Critically Endangered

Mammal

Javan Rhino

The rarest rhino on Earth

Pink axolotl with feathery external gills underwater

Critically Endangered

Amphibian

Axolotl

The salamander that never grows up and can regrow body parts

Hammerhead shark with its distinctive wide flat head swimming in blue water

Critically Endangered

Fish

Hammerhead Shark

The shark with a head like a hammer

Orangutan with shaggy reddish-orange hair hanging from a rainforest tree branch

Critically Endangered

Mammal

Orangutan

The great ape of the Southeast Asian rainforest

European eel swimming in clear water showing its long snake-like body and smooth skin

Critically Endangered

Fish

European Eel

The 100-year reproductive mystery that baffled scientists from Aristotle to the 21st century

Gharial with a long thin snout resting on a sandy river bank

Critically Endangered

Reptile

Gharial

The fish-eating crocodilian with a long, narrow snout

Vaquita porpoise with dark eye and lip markings surfacing in blue-green sea

Critically Endangered

Mammal

Vaquita

The world's most endangered marine mammal

Bengal tiger walking through tall green grass, staring directly forward

Mammal

Tiger

The largest cat species on Earth

African elephant with large tusks and ears walking across a dusty savanna

Mammal

African Elephant

The largest land animal alive today

Asian elephant with smaller ears walking through tropical forest

Mammal

Asian Elephant

The smaller cousin of Africa's giant

Mountain gorilla silverback in misty cloud forest

Mammal

Mountain Gorilla

The gentle giant of Rwanda's volcanoes

Blue whale swimming near the ocean surface seen from above, dwarfing the surrounding water

Mammal

Blue Whale

The largest animal that has ever lived

Aye-aye with large eyes and elongated finger

Mammal

Aye-aye

Madagascar's nocturnal oddity

Tasmanian devil with wide open jaws showing powerful teeth

Mammal

Tasmanian Devil

Australia's feisty marsupial scavenger

Red panda perched on a mossy branch in a misty Himalayan forest

Mammal

Red Panda

The fiery-furred resident of the Himalayas

Okapi with striped legs standing in Congo rainforest understorey

Mammal

Okapi

The forest giraffe of the Congo

Gibbon swinging through rainforest canopy

Mammal

White-handed Gibbon

The singing ape of the canopy

Bonobo resting in lush Congo rainforest canopy

Mammal

Bonobo

The peaceful ape of the Congo Basin

Chimpanzee sitting in a lush rainforest with a thoughtful expression

Mammal

Chimpanzee

Our closest living relative

Proboscis monkey with large nose in mangrove

Mammal

Proboscis Monkey

Borneo's big-nosed swimmer

African wild dog with mottled coat in savanna

Mammal

African Wild Dog

Africa's cooperative pack hunter

Malayan tapir with black and white coat in tropical rainforest

Mammal

Malayan Tapir

The black-and-white forest gardener

Sea otter floating on its back on calm ocean water

Mammal

Sea Otter

The tool-using keystone of the kelp forest

Chinchilla with dense grey fur sitting on a rock

Mammal

Chinchilla

The soft-furred rodent of the Andes

Water buffalo wallowing in muddy pool

Mammal

Water Buffalo

The wallowing bovine of Asia

Ring-tailed lemur sitting on a branch in a Madagascar forest, showing its grey body and black-and-white striped tail

Mammal

Ring-Tailed Lemur

Madagascar's striped-tailed, sun-bathing primate

Komodo dragon walking across dry ground with its forked tongue out

Reptile

Komodo Dragon

The largest lizard on Earth

Green sea turtle gliding through clear blue water over a coral reef

Reptile

Green Sea Turtle

The gentle, long-lived grazer of tropical seas

Massive spotted whale shark swimming near the ocean surface

Fish

Whale Shark

The largest fish in the world

Shortfin mako shark with a sleek metallic-blue body swimming through open blue ocean water

Fish

Shortfin Mako Shark

The fastest shark in the ocean

African grey parrot with pale grey feathers and a bright red tail perched on a branch

Bird

African Grey Parrot

One of the most intelligent talking birds

Large manta ray gliding through blue ocean water with wings spread

Fish

Manta Ray

The gentle giant that flies through the sea

Enormous Goliath frog resting on a wet rock beside a fast-flowing rainforest river

Amphibian

Goliath Frog

The largest frog on Earth

Griffon vulture with broad wings and pale bald head perched on a rocky crag

Bird

Vulture

Nature's clean-up crew on broad soaring wings

Adult male lion with a full mane resting on the African savanna at golden hour

Mammal

Lion

The social big cat of the African savanna

Great white shark swimming in clear blue ocean water, showing its grey back, white underside, and powerful body

Fish

Great White Shark

The ocean's most famous apex predator

Giant panda sitting and eating a stalk of bamboo in a green forest

Mammal

Giant Panda

The bamboo-eating bear of China's mountains

Giraffe standing among acacia trees on the African savanna at golden hour

Mammal

Giraffe

The tallest animal on Earth

Wandering albatross gliding over ocean

Bird

Wandering Albatross

The widest wingspan on Earth

Leatherback sea turtle with ridged leathery shell

Reptile

Leatherback Sea Turtle

The giant jellyfish specialist

Leopard resting on a tree branch with rosette spots in dappled light

Mammal

Leopard

The stealthy, tree-climbing big cat

Polar bear walking across Arctic sea ice under a pale sky

Mammal

Polar Bear

The largest land carnivore, ruler of the Arctic

Clouded leopard with cloud-shaped spots on a tree branch

Mammal

Clouded Leopard

The tree-climbing cat of Asian rainforests

Sperm whale with wrinkled head breaching in open ocean

Mammal

Sperm Whale

The deep-diving giant with the largest brain

Ocean sunfish basking at sea surface

Fish

Ocean Sunfish

The heaviest bony fish

Male mandrill with colourful face ridges

Mammal

Mandrill

The world's most colourful primate

Reindeer herd migrating across snowy Arctic tundra

Mammal

Reindeer

The Arctic migrator and both-sex antlered deer

Cheetah sprinting across golden grassland with legs extended mid-stride

Mammal

Cheetah

The fastest land animal on Earth

Thresher shark with extremely long tail fin

Fish

Thresher Shark

The whip-tailed hunter

Walrus with long tusks resting on Arctic sea ice

Mammal

Walrus

The tusked giant of the Arctic ice

Giant anteater with bushy tail walking on knuckles in grassland

Mammal

Giant Anteater

South America's two-metre tongue specialist

Loggerhead sea turtle swimming in ocean

Reptile

Loggerhead Sea Turtle

The powerful-jawed sea turtle

Fin whale surfacing with asymmetric jaw in cold ocean waters

Mammal

Fin Whale

The sleek greyhound of the seas

Sand tiger shark showing protruding teeth

Fish

Sand Tiger Shark

The toothy aquarium shark

Dingo with ginger coat standing alert in Australian scrub

Mammal

Dingo

Australia's wild dog of the outback

Sun bear with golden chest patch climbing in tropical forest

Mammal

Sun Bear

The smallest bear of Southeast Asia's rainforests

Koala with fluffy grey fur clinging to a eucalyptus tree trunk

Mammal

Koala

Australia's iconic eucalyptus-eating marsupial

West Indian manatee floating in clear turquoise spring water, showing its rounded grey body and paddle-like flippers

Mammal

Manatee

The gentle sea cow of warm coastal waters

Nurse shark resting on sandy seabed

Fish

Nurse Shark

The docile reef bottom-dweller

Sloth bear with shaggy black coat and long snout foraging for insects

Mammal

Sloth Bear

India's shaggy insect-eating bear

Rhinoceros hornbill with orange casque perched in rainforest canopy

Bird

Rhinoceros Hornbill

The thunderbird of Borneo's rainforest

Spectacled bear with pale facial markings in Andean cloud forest

Mammal

Spectacled Bear

The only bear native to South America

Snow leopard with thick pale spotted fur standing on a rocky Himalayan slope

Mammal

Snow Leopard

The elusive ghost of the mountains

Hippopotamus half-submerged in an African river with its mouth slightly open

Mammal

Hippopotamus

Africa's deadliest large land mammal

Dugong surfacing in clear tropical seagrass waters

Mammal

Dugong

The gentle sea cow of the Indo-Pacific

Eastern box turtle with domed shell

Reptile

Eastern Box Turtle

North America's hinged turtle

Atlantic cod with barbel on chin over sandy seabed

Fish

Atlantic Cod

The fish that built Atlantic nations

King cobra raised up with its hood spread against a blurred jungle background

Reptile

King Cobra

The world's longest venomous snake

Monarch butterfly with orange and black wings perched on a purple flower

Insect

Monarch Butterfly

The insect that migrates thousands of miles

Seahorse gripping coral with its curled tail underwater

Fish

Seahorse

The tiny fish where fathers give birth

Brown kiwi foraging at night on the New Zealand forest floor, showing its long bill and rounded body

Bird

Kiwi

New Zealand's flightless nocturnal bird with nostrils at the tip of its bill

Vibrant blue and red betta fish with flowing fins in an aquarium

Fish

Betta Fish

The colorful fighter of Southeast Asian waters

Giant Galápagos tortoise with a domed shell grazing on grass in a highland meadow

Reptile

Galápagos Tortoise

The giant tortoise that can live over a century

Coconut crab climbing a palm tree trunk at night showing its large orange-brown body and powerful claws

Invertebrate

Coconut Crab

The world's largest land arthropod and tree-climbing island giant

Quokka, a small round-faced marsupial, sitting on the ground appearing to smile

Mammal

Quokka

The smiling marsupial of Western Australia

Snowy owl with white plumage and yellow eyes perched on snow-covered ground

Bird

Snowy Owl

The white owl of the Arctic tundra

Stocky grey bull shark swimming through murky coastal water near the seabed

Fish

Bull Shark

The shark that swims into freshwater

Atlantic horseshoe crab with a domed shell and long pointed tail on a sandy beach

Invertebrate

Atlantic Horseshoe Crab

The ancient living fossil with blue blood

Atlantic puffin with a colorful orange and blue bill standing on a grassy cliff

Bird

Atlantic Puffin

The colorful 'sea parrot' of the North Atlantic

Shaggy yak with long dark hair and curved horns on a high Himalayan plateau

Mammal

Yak

The shaggy ox of the high Himalayas

Giant clam on a coral reef with brightly colored, wavy mantle tissue

Invertebrate

Giant Clam

The reef-dwelling giant of the mollusks

Large flat brown hellbender salamander with wrinkled skin on a streambed rock

Amphibian

Hellbender

North America's giant, fully aquatic salamander

Bald uakari monkey with a bright red bald face and shaggy reddish fur in a rainforest tree

Mammal

Uakari

The crimson-faced monkey of the flooded Amazon

Urial wild sheep with curved horns and a dark neck ruff on dry rocky hills

Mammal

Urial

The wild sheep of the Central Asian hills