What Is the Most Endangered Animal in the World?

Determining the most endangered animal in the world isn't as simple as counting up how many of each species is alive. Remaining available habitat, how well or poorly a species breeds in captivity and how many young a species produces with each birth also affect how an endangered a species is. However, the five animals discussed here almost always show up on conservation group's list of the most endangered animals.

Giant Panda

The number of giant pandas alive in the wild is estimated to be between 1,600 on the high end and 700 on the low end. The destruction of bamboo forests in China threatens their survival.

Mountain Gorilla

The mountain gorilla population in the wild is about 700. They are threatened by poaching and habitat destruction.

Tigers

According to the World Wildlife Fund and other conservation groups, the number of individual South China Tigers alive in the wild is probably just a handful, and many consider the species "functionally extinct." The Siberian Tiger is also endangered, with a population of about 700.

California Condor

The Zoological Society of San Diego's Center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species estimated the California Condor population at just over 300 in 2008, but more than 100 of them are in zoos, with just over 200 in the wild.

Rhinos

Several species of rhinoceros in Asia and Africa are threatened. The smallest, most endangered population is the Javan Rhino, with about 70 individual animals alive in the wild.

Resources

• The World Wildlife Fund's page on endangered species
• Information on endangered species from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service