* These are species that are facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. There are currently 1,260 critically endangered species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
* Some examples of critically endangered species include:
* The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis): There are only about 90 Amur leopards left in the wild, all of which live in the Russian Far East.
* The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei): There are only about 880 mountain gorillas left in the wild, all of which live in the Virunga Mountains of Central Africa.
* The Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii): There are only about 14,000 Sumatran orangutans left in the wild, all of which live in the forests of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Endangered species
* These are species that are facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. There are currently 4,081 endangered species listed by the IUCN.
* Some examples of endangered species include:
* The African elephant (Loxodonta africana): There are only about 415,000 African elephants left in the wild, all of which live in sub-Saharan Africa.
* The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris): There are only about 2,500 Bengal tigers left in the wild, all of which live in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
* The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca): There are only about 1,864 giant pandas left in the wild, all of which live in the mountains of central China.
Vulnerable species
* These are species that are facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. There are currently 11,541 vulnerable species listed by the IUCN.
* Some examples of vulnerable species include:
* The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus): There are only about 10,000 blue whales left in the world's oceans.
* The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus): There are only about 7,100 cheetahs left in the wild, all of which live in Africa and Iran.
* The green anaconda (Eunectes murinus): There are only about 10,000 green anacondas left in the wild, all of which live in the tropical rainforests of South America.
Near Threatened species
* These are species that are close to becoming threatened. There are currently 15,679 Near Threatened species listed by the IUCN.
* Some examples of Near Threatened species include:
* The American bison (Bison bison): There are only about 30,000 American bison left in the wild, all of which live in North America.
* The gray wolf (Canis lupus): There are only about 150,000 gray wolves left in the wild, all of which live in North America and Eurasia.
* The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea): There are only about 23,000 leatherback sea turtles left in the world's oceans.