1)The Spoon-billed sandpiper

The spoon-billed sandpiper is a small wader which breeds on the coasts of the Bering Sea and winters in Southeast Asia. This species is highly threatened, and it is said that since the 1970s the breeding population has decreased significantly. By 2000, the estimated breeding population of the species was 350–500.

This bird is critically endangered, with a current population of fewer than 2500 – probably fewer than 1000 – mature individuals.

2)The Gharial

Gharials can be found in sandy banks, rivers and riverine. Male gharials have an average length of 5.7 m (19 ft) The lifespan of the gharial is around 50 to 60 years. The top speed of gharials can be up to 28 kilometres per hour underwater.

The Critically Endangered gharial is an unmistakable crocodile on the brink of extinction. It has long, thin jaws which it uses to catch fish and males have a large, bulbous growth, known as a ‘ghara’, on the tip of their snout.

3) Tapanuli Orangutan

Everything we know about the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis) is limited to a single population remaining on the island of Sumatra, in a region called Batang Toru, south of Lake Toba. Less than 800 Tapanuli orangutans live here, restricted to the fragmented rainforests of this region’s uplands.

Before this small population was discovered in 1997, it was believed that no orangutans lived south of Lake Toba. Researchers also assumed that these newly discovered individuals must be more Sumatran orangutans, like the ones found to the north. But in 2017, following genetic and morphological research, it became suddenly apparent that the members of this isolated population represented a new species of orangutan altogether!

The discovery of a new great ape was exciting but not all good news. With less than 800 Tapanuli orangutans remaining in the wild, researchers had discovered a new species on the very brink of extinction.

4)The California condor

Thousands of years ago, California condors lived in many parts of North America, from California and other Pacific states to Texas, Florida, and New York. In recent centuries, this large vulture was found by early explorers and settlers from British Columbia in Canada to Baja California in Mexico. As people settled the West, they often shot, poisoned, captured, and disturbed the condors, collected their eggs, and reduced their food supply of antelope, elk, and other large wild animals. Eventually, condors could no longer survive in most places. By the late 1900s the remaining individuals were limited to the mountainous parts of southern California, where they fed on dead cattle, sheep, and deer.

5)The bamboo Lemur

The greater bamboo lemurs, also known as broad-nosed bamboo lemurs or broad-nosed gentle lemurs, are endemic to Madagascar. This large island, located approximately 250 miles (400 km) off the coast of East Africa, is an important biodiversity hotspot. It is home to numerous animal and plant species that do not exist anywhere else in the world.

Fossil records indicate that 90,000 years ago, there were about one million greater bamboo lemurs in Madagascar. In fact, it is the lemur species for which science has found the greatest number of fossils. These lemurs roamed the northern, northwestern, central, and eastern parts of the Great Red Island (as Madagascar is also known). Severe climate events and a growing human population impacted their habitat and contributed to their decline. By the late nineteenth century, they were restricted to the eastern rainforest, near the Bay of Antongil, and to the Southeast near Nandijhizana. Their population declined to such a degree that in the 1950s, the species was considered extinct. 

However, in 1972 two Frenchmen captured a pair of them. These two greater bamboo lemurs were placed in a zoo where they quickly died. Then, in 1986, Duke University announced the species had been rediscovered. Dr. Patricia Wright observed greater bamboo lemurs in the forests of Ranomafana and Kianjavato. She described them as “tree-dwelling creatures, the size of a large cat, but with rusty red fur and golden cheeks” and “a raucous, crow-like call.” At the time, she guessed there were no more than 200 individuals in existence.

Today, greater bamboo lemurs are mostly found in southeastern Madagascar, where bamboo is most abundant, drinking water is available, and the dry season is the shortest. Their current territory represents less than 4% of their original range. Nonetheless, there is evidence that they are more widely distributed than previously thought. The current population is estimated at about 1,000 individuals.

6)The Sumatran Tiger

The Sumatran tiger is the smallest and darkest tiger subspecies and tends to be more bearded and maned than the other subspecies. 

It is estimated that there are fewer than 400 mature individual tigers in Sumatra in isolated pockets of protected land. Three of the protected areas are classified as UNESCO World Heritage Sites but all are in danger of losing this status due to threats from poaching, illegal logging, agricultural encroachment, and planned road building. It is for these reasons the Sumatran tiger is classified in the most severe IUCN status: Critically endangered.

7) The red Wolf

American red wolves are critically endangered and the most endangered wolf in the world due to poaching, trapping and habitat loss. According to the USFWS, there are less than 20 American red wolves living in the wild in North Carolina. In addition to these, about 250 are in managed breeding programs.

The Red Wolf is a smaller, thinner cousin of the gray wolf, and is named for its distinctive reddish coat. Native to the Southeast, the Red Wolf is the world's most endangered canid and is uniquely "All-American" as its entire historical range is confined within what is now the United States.

8)Amur Leopard 

In the wild, it's estimated that only around 100 Amur leopards remain. Their historical range has diminished significantly, and they mostly live on the Russia-China border in a protected area.