Birds
African penguin
Spheniscus demersus
The African penguin is the only penguin that breeds in Africa and is now Critically Endangered. Its looks, braying calls, colonies, diet, breeding and threats.
Conservation status · 16 species
Critically Endangered animals
Species facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, the IUCN Red List's highest threatened category.
Species profiles
Amphibians
Axolotl
Ambystoma mexicanum
The axolotl is a Mexican salamander that keeps its gills and lives in water for life. Facts on its size, colors, diet, regeneration and endangered status.
Mammals
Black rhinoceros
Diceros bicornis
The black rhino is a critically endangered, hook-lipped browsing rhino of eastern and southern Africa. Its size, diet, behavior, poaching and slow recovery.
Mammals
Bornean orangutan
Pongo pygmaeus
The Bornean orangutan is a Critically Endangered great ape found only on Borneo. Facts on its size, cheek pads, fruit diet, nightly nests, babies and threats.
Birds
California condor
Gymnogyps californianus
The California condor is North America's largest flying land bird, a bald-headed scavenger saved from extinction by captive breeding. Size, diet and threats.
Amphibians
Chinese giant salamander
Andrias davidianus
The Chinese giant salamander is one of the largest amphibians on Earth, up to 1.8 m long. Its mountain streams, diet, crying calls, farming and Critical status.
Mammals
Eastern gorilla
Gorilla beringei
The eastern gorilla, home of mountain and Grauer's gorillas, is the largest living primate. Facts on its size, diet, family groups, range and Critical status.
Fish
European eel
Anguilla anguilla
The European eel grows up in rivers from Iceland to North Africa but is born in the Sargasso Sea. Its life cycle, size, diet, lifespan and why it is endangered.
Fish
Great hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
The great hammerhead is the biggest hammerhead shark, up to 6 m (20 ft) long. Its T-shaped head, stingray diet, warm-sea range and Critically Endangered status.
Reptiles
Hawksbill sea turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
The hawksbill is a Critically Endangered reef turtle with a hawk-like beak and a richly patterned shell. Its size, sponge diet, nesting, range and main threats.
Mammals
North Atlantic right whale
Eubalaena glacialis
The North Atlantic right whale is a rare baleen whale of the western Atlantic with no dorsal fin. Its size, copepod diet, calving, threats and survival odds.
Other Invertebrates
Staghorn coral
Acropora cervicornis
Staghorn coral is a fast-growing, antler-shaped reef builder of Florida and the Caribbean. How it feeds, grows and spawns, and why it is Critically Endangered.
Mammals
Sunda pangolin
Manis javanica
The Sunda pangolin is a scaly, ant-eating mammal of Southeast Asia that rolls into a ball when threatened. Facts on its scales, diet, young and illegal trade.
Fish
West Indian Ocean coelacanth
Latimeria chalumnae
The coelacanth is a deep-water lobe-finned fish thought extinct for 66 million years until 1938. Size, caves, live birth, long life and why it is endangered.
Mammals
Western gorilla
Gorilla gorilla
The western gorilla is a Critically Endangered great ape of Central African rainforests. Facts on its size, diet, silverback-led groups, range and threats.