They are hunted for their bodies, trawled from the bottom of the sea, and captured for personal amusement. Although we are starting to understand the consequences of our actions, we still have a lot to do to mitigate our impact to the environment.
This is where the IUCN Red List comes in. It is a list which catalogs organisms, their conservation status, and threats to their survival. It serves as guidance for decision-makers to choose what to prioritize and what measures can be taken to conserve the species. Due to time and resource limitations the list is far from complete and it is possible that some organisms will become extinct before they are even classified.
While the IUCN Red List has multiple tiers of conservation status, this article profiles those classified as Critically Endangered – meaning that the species has a high risk of extinction in the wild. Here is a list of 16 animals that are classified as Critically Endangered in 2016 in no specific order.
16
Pangolins
Image credit: Franz Anthony
