What is the most endangered iconic animal?
Tigers, lions, rhinos, orangutans and the vaquita all sit somewhere on the endangered list. Vote for the species whose survival you think matters most.
1TigerEndangered, but the population has climbed from its 2010 low.
2LionVulnerable, down to roughly 24,000 from an estimated 200,000.
3Giant PandaConservation's poster animal, and one of its clearest wins.
4Black RhinoPoached to the brink for a horn made of keratin.
5Sumatran OrangutanLosing forest faster than almost any other great ape.
6Mountain GorillaOne of the few great apes whose numbers are rising.
7Snow LeopardAlmost impossible to count, let alone protect.
8African Forest ElephantCritically endangered, and long mistaken for one species with the savanna elephant.
9Blue WhaleThe largest animal that has ever lived, still recovering from whaling.
10VaquitaThe world's rarest marine mammal, down to a handful of individuals.
11Amur LeopardAmong the rarest big cats on Earth.
12Polar BearThe species that became shorthand for a warming Arctic.
13Hawksbill TurtleHunted for a shell sold as tortoiseshell.
14Red PandaNot a panda, and quietly disappearing.
Comments
Wild tigers bottomed out near 3,200 in 2010 and the IUCN range now runs to 5,578, while lions sit one label safer at about 24,000: https://youpick.best/articles/lion-vs-tiger-ranked
