Click the countries highlighted orange to reveal the most endangered species in the world.
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Whether it's a cute and friendly quokka or a slippery and scary crocodile, we all have a favourite animal. However, the unfortunate reality is that most of us are unable to keep crocodiles as pets, instead, we have to admire them from afar. Whilst we are able to protect our precious cats with cat insurance, many other species in the wild are not so fortunate.
The number of endangered species continues to increase year after year, with current figures estimating that around 16,000 different species could become extinct in the near future. Some endangered species, such as tigers, are known across the globe but there are so many others that fly under the radar.
To find out more about the current state of endangered species, we have delved into data from the IUCN Red List to reveal everything, from the countries with the most endangered species to the wild cat breeds which are currently most at risk of endangerment, and more.
With so many reasons for the endangerment of animals, species all over the world are becoming vulnerable to extinction. Using the map below you can pinpoint which species are endangered in and around your homeland. As well as this, you can learn more about their current populations and scientific names.
Click the countries highlighted orange to reveal the most endangered species in the world.
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Species |
Scientific name |
Native location |
Population Trend |
Population |
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Different species thrive in different living conditions, meaning that if you were to visit ten different countries then it is likely that you would see ten completely different animals. Because of this, we wanted to find out which countries are home to the most endangered species. Each country’s total is made up of the number of endangered mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, molluscs, and other inverts.
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With a current total of 1,233 endangered species, Indonesia is the country to top this ranking. Aside from its stunning beaches and scenery, this Asian country is known for their production of palm oil and coffee which has been detrimental to animal species in the area, including the Javan Rhino. This animal’s population has dwindled in numbers over the years due to a loss of habitat and as a result of this, they are now one of the most endangered species on the planet with only around 60 in existence.
The United States of America is home to over 20,000 different species of animals and plants, but which states have the highest number of endangered animals, and how many of these endangered species are cats?
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Despite being the US state with the most endangered animals, California isn’t home to any endangered cat species. Among the 18 endangered animal species in this state, is the Pacific Pocket Mouse. Due to their small size, this species was believed to have been extinct in the 1990s before a small group of them were found along the California coast.
Due to their size and evolution, wild cats live very different lives compared to your average pet- they need a lot more than some open space and cat food! As a result of threats to their lifestyle, some of these wild cat species are becoming vulnerable to endangerment.
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With a decreasing population currently totalling 3,386, Snow Leopards are the cat species most at risk of endangerment. Experts have suggested that poaching and the destruction of habitats are the main threats to this population. Having said that, conservation efforts are being made to move this species out of their ‘vulnerable’ endangerment status, including sanctions for poaching in some of the areas where Snow Leopards reside.
One of the most effective ways to improve the population of endangered species is to reduce/ eliminate the things that are posing the biggest threats. Below is a list of the factors which are currently threatening the largest number of endangered species.
Annual and perennial non-timber crops are posing the biggest threat to endangered species, with 254 different animal species affected by this practice. Despite being a useful human resource, it appears that our food and fuel production is happening at the expense of other species. As we move forward, it is hoped that solutions will be developed to help combat this threat in the future before we lose some incredible species.
As well as looking at the current biggest threats to our populations, we also wanted to see which species are being impacted the most by these threats- here’s what we found.
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2022 |
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Total of threatened species |
% of species threatened |
Total of threatened species |
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With the impacts of climate change becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s society, it may come as no surprise that insects have seen a 65.8% increase in threat since 2017. Insects are vital to the decomposition of waste on our planet, and without them, there would be so many more species vulnerable to endangerment- this means that we need to protect them! Some of the biggest threats to insects include the use of pesticides and loss of habitat.
We used the IUCN Red List to find out which countries have the highest number of endangered species. We also used this source to find a list of wild cats, their most recent status of endangerment and their current population.
We used A-Z Animals to find out how many endangered species currently reside in each US state and the number of endangered cat species in each state.
We used the IUCN Red List to find the total number of species under threat in 2017 and 2022. For the purpose of this data, we have removed the following non-animal species from each total: corals, mosses, ferns, gymnosperms, flowering plants, green algae, red algae, lichens, mushrooms and brown algae.
We then subtracted the 2022 total by the 2017 total before dividing this number by the 2017 total in order to find how much more threatened each species has become in the last five years.
To find out which endangered species’ populations are increasing, decreasing and becoming stable, we used the IUCN Red List and filtered the results by ‘Animalia’, ‘Global’, ‘Endangered’, ‘2022 publication’ and ‘Species’. To find out which factors pose the biggest threat to the above endangered species, we added the ‘Threat’ filter to the above search.
