The list of endangered species has not turned smaller, rather has enlarged. Most critically endangered animal species on the planet are on the verge of disappearing completely.

One of the most critically endangered species of the world is the ivory billed woodpecker, which can or could be found in the southeastern region of the US and as well in Cuba. This large woodpecker was considered extinct until 2004, when many people reported to to have spotted the bird in Arkansas and Florida. However the existence of the ivory bill still remained questionable and if a bird population were to exist most likely is very small and highly vulnerable. The main cause for the disappearance of the ivory billed woodpecker it is due to the its habitat loss but also because of the exploitation of humans, as the bird was hunted for its feathers.

Another endangered and very rare species is the Amur leopard (Panthera padres orientalist), which is an extremely rare subspecies of leopards that lives only in the isolated and snowy parts of the northern forests of east of Russia’s Primorye area. It used to be found in Korea and the north of China, but the Amur leopard has completely disappeared from those countries.

In 2007 there have been counted only between 14 to 20 adults and 5/6 cubs. What is provoking the extinction of this animal is the habitat loss caused by logging, road building, and trespassing of civilisation but as well the illegal huntings and changing climate happening on the planet.

The Javan rhinoceros scientifically known as Rhinoceros sondaicus, is among the five most endangered rhinoceros species of the world. There have remained only between 40 to 60 animals living in the Ujung Kulon National Park, located on the western area of the Indonesian Island of Java.
The last animal belonging to another small population in the Cat Tien National Park from Vietnam, was killed in 2011 by poachers.The Javan rhinoceros has been hunted for its horn, used to make Asian traditional medicine. Even though now it is under protection, its population might not be large enough from preventing the species from extinction.

There are around 100 species of lemurs living on the planet, and all of them live on the southeastern coast of Africa, on the Isle of Madagascar. Practically their population is declining rapidly main reasons being again, human activities and poaching. Many species of lemur have been listed as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

So far on top of the list has been the greater bamboo lemur, with less than 100 animals remaining, but most recently its place has been taken by the sportive lemurs, with less than 20 individuals remaining in the wild. This species lives only around the surroundings of one small mountain found on the northern part of Madagascar. This species of lemur is very small with a weight of around two pounds or less. It has very large eyes for better vision at night.

Out of all the world whale species, the most endangered one is the northern right whale with around 350 animals left, which travel the Atlantic coasts of the U.S. and Canada. During the whale hunting taking place in the 19th century, the mammal received its name as it was considered the “right” whale to hunt, as it has plenty of whale oil and was floating after its death which made it very easy to capture and process.

This lead to the extinction of the species. The right whale is now under wildlife protection but its small remaining population keeps diminishing due to getting trapped in fishing nets. If they get trapped in the nest, whales drown as they can no longer reach surface and breathe. The warming of the planet could affect the population of the small crustaceans which serve as food for right whales, and this could be another threat for the continuity of this species.

South China tigers(Panthera tigris amoyensis) are found in the smallest amount of all the tiger subspecies and have reached a critical level of extinction. It is not known the exact number of the remaining animals but is believed to be around 20 tigers. Some would state that this estimate is to high and that the South China tiger does no longer exist in the wild. Statement which could be true, as no tiger has been seen in the wild for the past 20 years.

The South China tiger is original from the provinces Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, from the south of China. The remaining tigers on the planet, under 100 individuals, can be found exclusively in Chinese zoos. The South China tiger was classified as a critically endangered species.

Another endangered species is the bluefin tuna, has been on the endangered list for several years and is the main fish Japanese sushi lovers eat. This species of fish has suffered a terrible decline in the north of the Pacific Ocean, over 96% of the population has disappeared. What is concerning is the fact that around 90% of the caught fish were young fish which didn’t arrive yet to reproduce, meaning they might have been the last generation of bluefin tuna.

The endangered species list continues with the grey wolf, which has been readied to the list of endangered species after being removed in 2012. Since their federal protection was removed there have been killed over 1,500 Great Lakes Wolves. The new law bans the hunting and trapping of wolves in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Image Source: the smoking gun, Daily Mail, Biodiversity Warriors, animal-kid, performancemultisports.com, The Tiger Domain, mother nature network, Daemons and analyses