Endangered Mammals

But there is hope, results have shown that conservation can bring species back from the brink of extinction. The following is the list of some mammals that are under the threat of extinction.

Certain factors such as habitat loss, disease threat, dependency of other species and current population, need to be considered before classifying a species as threatened. For a species to be considered critically endangered (CR), the reduction percentage of the species over the past 10 years (or three generations) should be at least 80%.

For a species to be considered endangered (EN), the reduction percentage must be at least 50%, and for vulnerable (VU), it's 10%.

*The IUCN conservation status has been mentioned in brackets, where CR means critically endangered, EN means endangered, VU means vulnerable, and  EW means extinct in the wild.

Member of the horse family, the African wild ass is believed to be the ancestor of domestic donkeys.

This miniature water buffalo is native to Indonesia and, like most cattle, lives in pairs rather than herds.

The true wild population of the Asian water buffalo is thought to survive only in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Thailand.

The baiji, found only in the Yangtze River in China, is a freshwater dolphin that was thought to be extinct until 2007, when a few baijis were caught on tape.

Diurnal and arboreal by nature, these New World monkeys live in the Eastern and Central Amazon in South America. Three of the four species are considered to be threatened.

Also known as American polecat, the black-footed ferret can be found in small and restricted populations in Central North America.

The black rhinoceros has a distinctive characteristic in the form of a clipped upper lip. These rhinos are native to Eastern and Central Africa, around the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The blue whale is the largest known animal to have ever existed. They can be found in all the oceans of the world.

The broad-nosed gentle lemur is the largest bamboo lemur. It is only found in South-Eastern Madagascar.

The world's fastest land animal, the cheetah can reach speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour. They can be found in Africa and parts of the Middle East.

Armadillos, found in Eastern South America, are insectivorous mammals. They can easily be distinguished by their armored plates

The golden bamboo lemur is a nocturnal primate that lives in the South-Eastern bamboo forests of Madagascar.

The Hawaiian monk seal is a species of ear-less seal, native to Hawaii. It is one of two remaining monk seal species.

The hirola is a type of antelope. Due to their large preorbital glands, they are sometimes known as four-eyed antelope. They can be found in Kenya and Somalia.

Native to the Iberian peninsula, the Iberian lynx is one of the endangered cat species in the world. They are solitary cats found in South-Western Europe.

The Indiana bat is a medium-sized bat that feeds exclusively on flying insects. This mouse-eared bat is native to North America and lives in limestone caves.

The Indus river dolphin is sub-species of freshwater or river dolphin. It can found in the rivers of Southern Asia.

The Iranian jerboa is a mouse-like rodent with large ears. This elusive creature is endemic to Iran, and is threatened by habitat loss and restricted range.

Mountain zebras are distinguished from normal zebras by their characteristic unbarred belly. The species can be found in South-Western Angola, Namibia and South Africa.

The northern hairy-nosed wombat is one of the rarest mammals in the world. It can be described as a stocky, short-legged marsupial. They can only be found in Australia.

The red wolf was thought to be extinct in the wild by 1980, but thanks to captive breeding, it was reintroduced in 1987 in North Carolina.

The scimitar-horned oryx is a species of oryx which formerly inhabited all of North Africa, but is now extinct in the wild. It has curved, sword like horns that grow several feet long.

The sea otter is a marine mammal, that spends most of its time in water. It has the densest coat of fur in the animal kingdom. They were hunted extensively for their fur, which brought them to brink of extinction. They are native to the coasts along the Pacific Ocean.

The sperm whale is the world's largest carnivore and also possesses the largest brain of any animal. It is the only living member of genus Physeter. A mature male can grow to about 20 meters (67 ft) long. The head of a sperm whale constitutes one-third of its length.

Relatively larger than other animals, the Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest and hairiest of all the rhinoceros species. They are found in peninsular Malaysia and the island of Sumatra and Borneo.

Also known as golden-bellied capuchin, the yellow-breasted capuchin is a species of New World primates. It has a small face, short limbs and a prehensile tail. Their populations are restricted to the Atlantic forest of South-Eastern Bahia, Brazil.

These were just a few endangered mammal species, it is estimated that around 20 percent of all known mammal species are either threatened or endangered. Since we are responsible for this endangerment, it is up to us to save these animals. All of us can contribute to their conservation, even a small action on your part can make a difference.

Here are some ways that you, your family, and your community, can help.
Protect the natural areas around your house, and in your community, by volunteering with an NGO
Stop Pollution! And stop people who pollute the environment. One of the biggest reasons for extinction is the damage we cause to the environment.

Recycle, reduce, reuse!
Last but not the least, make your voice heard. Today's media platforms have brought the world close, you can use this to spread awareness. It is vital that we realize that every living organism plays an important part in maintaining the ecological balance of our planet.

It's high time that we stopped ignoring the plight of nature, do your bit to save the environment.