List of Endangered Sea Animals

Although many sea animals have cosmopolitan distributions, the populations of many marine creatures are dwindling. As of January 2010, 620 different marine species populations are threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources's Red List of Threatened Species. These sea animals are perceived as vulnerable, endangered, critically endangered or extinct.

  1. Coelacanth

    • The coelacanth has a scientific name of Latimeria chalumnae and is a critically endangered species as of 2000. This species is known as a living fossil and is found along the coast of South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Grand Comoro and the Anjouan Islands. This is a nocturnal hunting fish that shelters in caves by day and forages at night for fish and squid.

    Southern Bluefin Tuna

    • The southern bluefin tuna has a scientific name of Thunnus maccoyii and has been considered critically endangered since 1996. Also known as the bluefin tuna and the southern tunny, this fish has a cosmopolitan distribution in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, but its population numbers are dwindling despite its large range.

    Hawksbill

    • The hawksbill has a scientific name of Eretmochelys imbricate and is a turtle species in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic oceans. This turtle species has been considered critically endangered since 2008 despite circumglobal distribution in both tropical and subtropical waters in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. They nest on sandy beaches and are a highly migratory species. The greatest threat to the Hawksbill turtle is the tortoiseshell trade, though habitat destruction also plays a role in the decline of this species population.

    Leatherback Turtle

    • The leatherback turtle has a scientific name of Dermochelys coriacea. Also known as the leathery turtle, trunkback turtle and the luth, the leatherback turtle has been regarded as critically endangered since the year 2000. The distribution of this species is worldwide, with leatherback turtles spotted both in tropical and subpolar oceans. The population was estimated at between 29,000 and 45,000 in 1979 but has dwindled over time and many populations have collapsed, leaving as little as 22 percent of the original population remaining. This species nests on sandy beaches and can fall prey to poaching and egg snatching.

    Blue Whale

    • The blue whale's scientific name is Balaenoptera musculus and it is also known as the pygmy blue whale, the sulfur-bottom whale and sibbald's rorqual. The blue whale is considered endangered as of 2008. Population reduction is largely due to commercial whaling. Blue whales have a cosmopolitan distribution and are found in every ocean but the Arctic. The blue whale population is rebuilding, and populations are no longer dwindling.