Top 10 Most Endangered Animals 2012 and Animals extinct this century

1 Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

A North American bird so endangered it may actually be extinct

2 Amur Leopard

The world’s rarest cat: Only 40 left in Russia’s Far East

3 Javan Rhinoceros

No more than 60 of these swamp-dwelling Asian rhinos exist

4 Greater Bamboo Lemur

Here’s the scarcest of Madagascar’s fast-dwindling lemur species

5 Northern Right Whale

Hunted to near extinction, 350 right whales still swim the Atlantic

6 Western Lowland Gorilla

Disease and illegal hunting are taking an alarming toll on this gentle giant of a primate

7 Leatherback Sea Turtle

The population of the world’s largest turtle is dropping at an alarming rate

8 Siberian (or Amur) Tiger

The world’s biggest cat weighs as much as 300 kilos (660 pounds)

9 Chinese Giant Salamander

Humans are eating the world’s largest amphibian into extinction

10 Kakapo Parrot

So few of these flightless parrots remain that the survivors all have names

 

These animals have gone extinct since the start of the 21st century. Most of the pictures are public domain or released under a GNU or Creative Commons license (the majority are from Wikipedia). The descriptions are derived from the database maintained by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and from press releases. PIants and inverterbrates which became extinct haven't been included.

21st century extinctions:

• The IUCN Red List of threatened species: www.iucnredlist.org

The Baiji Dolphin

Functionally extinct by 2006.
IUCN: database entry.
Scientific name:
Lipotes vexillifer.
Picture source (Wikipedia).

An expedition organized by The Baiji Foundation in late 2006 sought evidence that Baiji white dolphins still existed in their only habitat, the Yangtze river in China. Scientists from six nations on two research vessels travelled for almost 3500 kilometres to the Yangtze Delta, and then retraced their route. They were equipped with sophisticated optical instruments and underwater microphones, but were unable to detect any surviving dolphins. The Foundation published a report on the expedition and declared the species functionally extinct. What does functionally extinct mean? It means too few potential breeding pairs remain to ensure that the species will survive.

West African Black Rhino

Probably extinct by 2006.
IUCN: database entry.
Scientific name:
Diceros bicornis longipes.
Photo source (Wikipedia).

In 2006, intensive surveys were conducted to locate any surviving West African black rhinos in their last refuges in northern Cameroon. After 48 field missions, no signs were found of their continued presence, although evidence of earlier poaching remained. The IUCN issued a news release in which the chairman of the African Rhino Specialist Group stated: "As a result this subspecies has been tentatively declared as extinct."

The Golden Toad

Extinct by 2007.
IUCN: database entry.
Scientific name:
Incilius periglenes.
Photo source (Wikipedia).

The Golden Toad is sometimes referred to as the Monteverde Toad or the Orange Toad. It was only known to exist on a high altitude ridge in Monteverde, Costa Rica. The IUCN database entry states: "Formerly a common species, no specimen has been seen since 1989. It last bred in normal numbers in 1987, and its breeding sites were well known." Its demise is attributed to a combination of factors, including airborne pollution and, due to its restricted range, global warming.

Craugastor escoces

Extinct by 2007.
IUCN: database entry.
Scientific name: Craugastor escoces.

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This species of frog in the Leptodactylidae family does not have a widely accepted common name. It inhabited the volcano slopes of Barva, Irazú, and Turrialba in Costa Rica. Although it has been well studied and collected, and was formerly abundant throughout its range, it has not been recorded despite extensive surveys since 1986. There have been no new records as of August, 2007.

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Holdridge's Toad

Extinct by 2007.
IUCN: database entry.
Scientific name:
Incilius holdridgei.
Photo source:
Dr. Robert Wayne Van Devender. Reproduced with permission.

This species lived in the lower montane rainforest around the Barva volcano in Costa Rica (altitude range: 200-2,200m). It has not been seen since 1986 despite 7 consecutive years of intensive searching to August 2007. It was formerly easy to find during the breeding season - at the onset of the rainy season. In 1975, observers recorded 2,765 males visiting two pools in an 8-day period.

Spix's Macaw

Extinct in the wild by 2004.
IUCN: database entry.
Scientific name:
Cyanopsitta spixii.
Photo source (Wikipedia).

This species of Macaw was native to Brazil. The IUCN database entry says the last known individual in the wild disappeared at the end of 2000, and that the species may well have gone extinct, primarily through trapping for trade and from habitat loss. "Any remaining population is likely to be tiny, and for these reasons it is treated as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild)."

Po'o-uli

Functionally extinct by 2004.
IUCN: database entry.
Scientific name:
Melamposops phaeosoma.
Photo source (PIERC).

The Po'o-uli, sometimes referred to as the Black-faced Honeycreeper, was first discovered in 1973 on the north-eastern slopes of Haleakala on the Hawaiian island of Maui. By mid-1997, only three individuals could be found. A few unlocated individuals may exist in the wild, but the current wild population is functionally zero since the three known birds occur in separate, non-overlapping home ranges and no breeding is probable without intervention.

Kama'o

Extinct by 2004.
IUCN: database entry.
Scientific name: Myadestes myadestinus.

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The Kama'o was the larger variety of thrush on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i (the smaller variety, Myadestes palmeri, is Critically Endangered). No sightings of this bird have been recorded since 1989, despite numerous intensive surveys.

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Hawaiian Crow

Extinct in the wild by 2004.
IUCN: database entry.
Scientific name:
Corvus hawaiiensis.
Photo source (Wikipedia).

The last Hawaiian crows were found only in one part of the Hakalau National Wildlife Refuge in Hawaii. The IUCN database entry states: "The last two known wild individuals of this species disappeared in 2002, so the species is now classified as Extinct in the Wild."

Pyrenean Ibex

Subspecies extinct by 2000.
IUCN: database entry.
Scientific name:
Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica.
Photo source (Wikipedia).

The Pyrenean Ibex was one of four subspecies of Spanish Ibex. The last known sighting of a Portuguese Ibex was in 1892, and the last Pyrenean Ibex died in January 2000. The two remaining subspecies, the Gredos Ibex and the Beceite Ibex, are classed as "Least Concern"