27 Animals That Are About To Go Extinct

Okay guys, you know me and you know that I am a wildlife biologist who has dedicated his life to animals on the edge of extinction. So today, I found a tier maker that categorizes whether or not I think animals will be around for the long run. I'm going to rank them based on my opinions. Let's get into it. All right, so up first here we have the Ganges River shark. So Ganges River shark, if you don't know about it, it's a shark similar to a bull shark that is anadromous, meaning it will come into freshwater systems. The problem is this shark lives in central India where the rivers are relatively polluted and a lot of fishing goes unreported. Now there are around 250 individuals of the species allegedly reported out there and I think most catches go unreported. So sharks are very, very resilient and they're very good at finding new habitat and moving when they're in trouble. But given the limited protections in place, I'm going to sadly put this guy in 70 to 84% risk of extinction in our lifetime, which is pretty darn high and pretty darn sad. Next up we have the Addax, a beautiful ungulate species that lives in Chad, Mauritania, Niger and that area. And sadly, there are only some 30 to 100 or so individuals left in the wild. However, there are great breeding programs. There's one at Ventara, there are ones in country and it's keeping that species going and there has been successful reintroduction. So although it's not out of the woods yet, I'm going 20 to 50% chance of extinction. I don't think we're going to lose this one in our lifetime. I think people were reactive enough to keep them around. However, the next up is the Yangtze giant softshell turtle. Now sadly, this guy is going at the very top and sadly, that is because of a geopolitical issue. Now there are two potentially three known individuals of the species left, two in the Dongmo region of Vietnam and one in a zoo in China. The last known female died and one of the only remaining males has a broken penis. However, I know it sounds ridiculous, one of those two individuals is sitting in a zoo in China and the other is sitting in a lake in Vietnam. Unless we can bring those species together, at this point in time, that species is sadly headed towards extinction. Next up, the Javan rhino, a beautiful rhino species that lives in Indonesia. Only around 70 or so individuals of this species left in the world, especially after a big poaching ring was busted a few years ago where they killed 30 or so, which is a huge percentage of that population. So sadly, given what's going on and the fact that they're not really being bred in captivity, I'm going to say these guys are slipping away at a 50 to 70% risk of extinction. There are good conservation efforts underway. There is protection in the park. There is remote camera monitoring. We've seen a couple babies in the last few years, so you never know, but it is, it is slipping away. Fernandina island giant tortoise. Well, what can I say? A species that you guys know is near and dear to my heart. I was part of the team. In fact, I led the team that found the only known individual after losing them for 114 years, a female that we affectionately named Fern. A couple of conservation efforts, a couple of search parties have gone back to Fernandina island to look for other individuals. But candidly, they didn't find him for 114 years. Then I was lucky enough to find one and nobody's found one since. So I'm giving that one a 98 to 100% risk of extinction. Next up, a species that I am desperate to go looking for. Jeremy Wade, if you're watching, let's team up. Let's go get it. It is the Mauritanian false shark ray. So the species was only officially described in 2016 and only discovered for the first time in 1998. In that period of time, there's only been two or three specimens ever located. And those specimens have been preserved and they're decomposing. But this animal lives in a dirty, shallow estuarine habitat. And so it's impossible to dive for it. You'd have to fish for it. My guess is that these animals are captured somewhat regularly and it goes completely unreported because nobody knows about it. Nobody's looking for it. And it's lost to science, sadly, and believed to be extinct. Currently classified as critically endangered. I think that there's a decent chance that this animal is not as endemic as we think and that it may end up surviving and doing better than we think in the long run. However, it is in serious trouble at risk of extinction due to overfishing and gill netting in those habitats. So I'm putting that in the 70 to 84% risk of extinction category. Speaking of animals, I absolutely love the Rhodey Island snake neck turtle. This is one of the coolest species. If you've been to your local zoo, you've probably seen it because these animals are thriving in captivity due to the fact that they were overharvested from Rhodey Island in Indonesia where they occurred. These beautiful, crystal clear, beautiful pools where these animals were once abundant. Snakehead fish were brought in. Snakeheads are highly aggressive fish. They ate up all the babies. What were left were basically collected for the pet trade because these Rhodeys are such interesting, cool turtles. And now this species of turtle is in major trouble where it lives. However, I don't think it's going extinct. I would say it's not out of the woods yet with a 20 to 50% chance of extinction. But because it breeds so readily in captivity, we have insurance colonies. We just have to figure out active habitat restoration and conservation ways to reintroduce it to Rhodey Island so we can have it back in its natural habitat. So next up is the African forest elephant. So this is an incredible species. It's the only species of African elephant that lives deep in the jungles. And sadly, due to over poaching, this animal has been driven towards extinction with estimated less than 25,000 of these left in total. The number is likely far, far lower. The sad thing is due to how elusive they are, due to how remote it is where they live, the likelihood of active proper protections on this species is pretty slim. So it's not gone by any means, and there's still a decent population. Not so few that there's genetic bottlenecking, but they are slipping away with a 50 to 70% risk of extinction, at least according to me. Next up, the Yangtze finless porpoise. Now, if you haven't seen this animal, it is one of the most adorable, cutest marine mammals in the entire world. Sadly, it lives in the Yangtze River, which is over polluted and overfished, and there are only around an estimated 500 individuals of this species left. Now, the problem is these guys are super susceptible to boat strikes. They're susceptible to nets. They're susceptible to noise pollution from tons of boats on the rivers. Luckily, an institute in Wuhan, yep, the very same Wuhan that you're thinking of, has successfully bred these guys. So I think they're in big trouble. Nobody's going to do mass breeding efforts of a finless porpoise because it takes tons of space. It's really hard to manipulate those environments. So I think these guys are in pretty big trouble. I'm going to put them on the edge with an 85% to 97% risk of extinction. Next up, the large-toothed sawfish. Such a cool, unbelievable species. Sadly, it is extinct in the U.S., but these guys once had a massive global distribution. They were found throughout the tropics. However, that range has been reduced by 90%, and they only now occur in a couple isolated locations around the world, one of them being Australia, where they're actually doing relatively well, but they are critically endangered. They are declining. And because all of the large sawtooth around the planet seem to be in big trouble from spinning disease, from overfishing, from bycatch, from nets, I'm going to say this guy is also in big trouble and on the edge with an 85% to 97% risk of extinction. However, there are really great tagging efforts. There are a couple individuals in captivity. I don't know if they bred them in captivity, but there are a few positive signs for this species, but I think it's on the edge. Next up, the northern white rhino. What a sad story the northern white rhino is. There are only two females left and no males of this distinct subspecies, but there are a couple organizations like BioRescue and Colossal that are working on de-extinction through IVF, through genetic modification. They are desperately trying to come up with breakthroughs to save this unbelievably endangered species with only two individuals left. There are armed guards constantly guarding those two individuals, so because of that, I'm going to land somewhere in the middle. I think they are slipping away with a 50% to 70% risk of extinction. I'm going to put them in that category, but there is hope. Ah, the northern hairy-nosed wombat. What an incredibly cool animal, but sadly, there are only around 300 individuals of this species left in two isolated populations. These guys have been absolutely hammered. However, there are conservation efforts. There are predator-proof fences going in. They are being bred in captivity, and I think that Australia is so reactive because they've lost so many species that they are working tirelessly to conserve the species, and while we're not out of the woods yet, I'm going to put them in that bottom category of 20% to 50% likelihood of going extinct, and I think there's a good 50% chance that we'll be able to save that species and keep it around. Hey, speaking of keeping things around, you know what you want to keep around is a good looking wardrobe, and you can do that with Huckberry. I know it sounds ridiculous, but Huckberry is the ultimate one-stop men's shop. They have absolutely everything. Everything I'm wearing head to toe comes from Huckberry. They make everything a guy could ever want. Seriously, there's accessories. There's clothing. There's hats. There's wallets. There's belts. There's watches. There's sunglasses. They got it all. I love it. It makes shopping for me so easy because I go to one place. 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And now there are active protections trying to predator-proof these areas, keep dingoes and cats and things out from coming in. I think these guys are in trouble for sure. Going to put them in the not out of the woods yet. But like I said about the Northern Hairy Nosed Wombat, I think that these guys have a pretty good shot of hanging on because people are working so tirelessly to try and save them. Ah, the Red Panda. Is there anything cuter than a gosh darn red panda? Well, I sure hope they're not going extinct. But while these guys are known to live in Myanmar, India, Nepal and all of these high areas in Bhutan, there are actually only around 2,500 individuals left in the wild. However, they're in tons of zoos. There are movies about them. And so I don't think these guys are going extinct. They might go extinct in the wild. Hopefully not because they're incredible places like Habre's Nest where I went. But I think that these guys are going to hang on. I'm going to give them about a 50% chance of staying around. I think they'll do all right. So I'm going to put them in the not out of the woods yet category. Next up is such an interesting little bird, the Stresselmann's Bristlefront. So this is a Brazilian native bird that there are only around 50 known individuals left of the species in this Brazilian park. However, they are being protected, but you can't protect them against all the native predators of which there are many. So hard to say. It seems like the population has been stable for a while. I'm not the most knowledgeable on this. I'm going to say they're in serious trouble just knowing that there's 50 of them. That means one disease, one flood, anything could wipe out the entire population. I'm going to put them in the 70 to 85% chance of extinction category. Next up, the Devil's Hole Pupfish. So this is an interesting animal. Beautiful little desert fish that lives in one wet cave system in Nevada and nowhere else in the entire world. They're completely endemic. And because of that, because they're in this one little hole and nowhere else, they're super inbred. So much so that it's said that something like 90% of their genes are now identical because they've been reproducing so much with the same individuals. They are being managed by people who are very seriously committed to their conservation. But that said, I'm going to say they're in serious trouble, 70 to 85% risk of extinction. Next up, the Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth. There's only around 150 individuals of this species left. They're completely endemic to that island in an area that is very susceptible to hurricanes. And one hurricane could wipe out that entire island. So regardless of the fact that I think people are doing a tremendous job, EDGE is working tirelessly to conserve the species, I feel like it's one storm away from losing them. So with that, I'm going to say they're right on the edge, 85 to 95% chance of extinction. Next up, the Mogwin Skate. This is a very interesting animal. It's a skate. It's a type of flatfish or stingray-like creature. And these guys only live in two estuaries in Tasmania. Now, sadly, those estuaries are fantastic for salmon farming. Now, when you bring in salmon farming, you bring in antibiotics, you bring in bacteria, bring in disease. You're putting all these fish together. There's crazy worm outbursts. There's dead zones underneath the salmon farms. But because of that, the Mogwin Skate's population only living in those two known estuaries has been driven all the way down to a mere estimated 40 to 100 or so individuals, adults of the species left. So this animal is in serious trouble. And even now, as salmon farming is pulled back from that region and they're trying to protect it, I'd say these guys are in big, big trouble. I'm going to put them up in that 85 to 97% on the EDGE category. Next up, my favorite animal. Anytime a kid asks me, what is your favorite animal? I say it's the gharial, this weird crocodilian with this elongated snout and this bulbous thing. I went on my first trip to India ever just to find this incredible creature, and we managed to in the Chambal River. However, it's said that there are only 400 or something like that individuals in that river, which I think is complete shenanigans. I would say there are thousands. The problem is there's no more habitat for the gharials because there's so many cities along that river and there's so much development, industry, agriculture. Gharials, however, are breeding quite readily in captivity. Like most crocodilians, they're a relatively simple creature. You put them in the right conditions, they create babies. They protect those babies on their backs. It's magnificent. I think that the gharial is not going to go extinct. I think we're doing a good job breeding them. I've seen firsthand the conservation efforts taking place on the Chambal River, the protections taking place. I'm going to say these guys are not out of the woods, but I think they're going to stick around for a while, putting them in that 20% to 49% category. Next up, the northern right whale, North Atlantic right whale. These guys are kind of a sad story. They range from Florida all the way up to Canada, but they're slow moving. They're relatively limited in population, and they're super susceptible to boat strikes. Because of that, the populations have plummeted. I'm not really sure what the entire population estimate is now, but I know they're said to only be around 70 or so mature, breeding-capable females, and there's already been something like three or four boat strikes this year. That being said, they are working to enforce speed limits for ships. They're working to make no-go zones where ships can't move through. Problem is, it's a whale. You can't tell a whale, hey, this guy's going to slow down. Watch out, or hey, don't swim over there. So with that, I kind of sadly, very sadly, think it's imminent. Putting it in the top with the Yangtze and the Fernandina Island tortoise, I just don't think it's going to be as quick as the other two species in that category. Next up, the mountain gorilla. So the mountain gorilla is interesting. It's one of two subspecies. There are 1,600 or so individuals of the species left, which is a good thing because there was only 1,300 or 1,400 some few years ago during one of the last population estimates, and now that number has actually climbed up. In addition to that, there's ecotourism around it. There are gorilla doctors. So all these things compounding make me think that we are going to hang on to these mountain gorillas. They're so iconic. Everybody wants them to be around. I'm putting them in the not out of the woods yet category, but I don't think we're going to lose them. The big eye sand tiger. This is an interesting species. So it's somewhat globally distributed, but there's so little information on them because they're a deep water shark. They're super rare. They're super elusive, which is why I think it's the Taiwanese government is putting practices into place to try and assess their population, and I think they're more widely distributed and their population is probably higher than we think it is, and it's just a relatively low populous species to begin with. So I'm putting them in that not out of the woods yet category. Next up, the saola, another one of my favorite animals, worked on by a good buddy of mine, Bill Robichaud. He saw Martha, the only known living individual of a saola that was ever documented by Western science. He got to see her. He saw her before she died. And since then, only once in 2013 was a saola captured on trail camera in the Annamite mountains where they're endemic to. The Asian unicorn. It's a beautiful, incredible species. It deserves to be on this planet. But seeing as we haven't seen one since 2013, regardless of the hearsay reports, sadly, and I hate to do this, I think it goes in the extinction is imminent category. Next up, the spix macaw. We're going to cut in some footage of me with a spix macaw from Ventara in India because it was such an incredible experience to get this close and personal with this animal that at one point in time was down to 11 individuals in the world. And then crazy stories. I've heard all kinds of rumors. But this gangbanger and the chic, they got together. They collected these 11 birds illegally. They flew them around in private jets. All I know is there were down to 11 individuals. And now there are several hundred, if not several thousand individuals. And a big credit is to the ACTP, which stands for something, something, parrot something, which is a group that is working on breeding and reintroducing the beautiful spix macaw into the wilds of Brazil in northern Brazil, where they're from. Ventara is one of their breeding partners. I'm very lucky I've got to work with them there. And what's interesting about the spix macaw is the nail in the coffin for them was bringing goats into their habitat where the goats would eat the small trees as the trees would grow up into nesting areas. But I think that this one is fully bounced back. It's not out of the woods yet, but I don't think we're losing it. I think we're saving it. Next up, the animal that literally inspired the creation of my show Extinct or Alive, the Lord Howe Island stick insect. This animal is so cool. So get this. These guys were out rock climbing. Everybody thought this giant stick insect was completely extinct. These guys are rock climbing this Lord Howe Island, these crazy spires of jagged rocks shooting out of the ocean. And all of a sudden, this guy puts his hand on a rock and down climbs this bug this big that looks like a stick. And he's like, what the hell is that? Collects it, takes it back. Now, today, the zoo in Melbourne is actively breeding these animals. They have plans to reintroduce them into the wild once rats are fully eradicated. I don't think these guys are going extinct. And they're just freaking rad. So I'm putting these guys in not out of the woods yet category. I think they're going to make it. Next up, a pretty interesting and sad story, the vaquita. The world's smallest porpoise, an animal that lives in the northern Sea of Cortez that, as accidental bycatch, has been driven to extinction. While mafioso people have been trying to fish for tortuaba to get their swim bladders to send for Eastern medicine. The whole story is so complex. Excellent documentary on it called The Sea of Shadows. I strongly recommend it. But the vaquita is now estimated to be down to nine or 10 individuals total left in the entire world. Nobody has ever successfully captured one alive. Nobody has ever successfully bred one in captivity. And they're dwindling at such a fast rate. But, and I can't say a lot more than this, myself and an incredible team of scientists are working so much. We've been working on this for two and a half years. It's the first time I've ever said anything publicly about it to try and stop the extinction of the vaquita. It's totally different to anything that's ever been attempted for this species before. The likelihood of success is slim. But if we don't try, no one else will. Nobody else is. So instead of putting it in 98 to 100 percent, I'm going to give the scientists and myself that are working on this a slim sliver of hope. Maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to do something about it. I'm going to put them in the 85 to 97 percent risk of extinction category. Hey, I love breaking down extinct animal stuff. I hope you guys love it as much as I do. I love bringing awareness to this. Do me a favor, like, comment, subscribe. Do all those things that help the channel, that help bring awareness to extinct species because it's so important that we fight it together. Take care.