--- title: Threatened and Endangered Animals On the Verge of Disappearing Forever description: Here's a glimpse at the threatened and endangered animals that have made headlines recently. canonical: https://time.com/48810/threatened-animals-disappearing-forever/ author: Olivia B. Waxman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-04-07T09:45:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:48:44.602Z og:title: 9 Animals That Are On the Verge of Disappearing Forever og:description: Here's a glimpse at the threatened and endangered animals that have made headlines recently. og:url: https://time.com/48810/threatened-animals-disappearing-forever/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 9 Animals That Are On the Verge of Disappearing Forever twitter:description: Here's a glimpse at the threatened and endangered animals that have made headlines recently. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # 9 Animals That Are On the Verge of Disappearing Forever  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 7, 2014 9:45 AM UTC  by [Olivia B. Waxman](https://time.com/author/olivia-b-waxman/)  ## Olivia B. Waxman Staff Writer Apr 7, 2014 9:45 AM UTC Over the weekend, the IMAX documentary _Island of Lemurs: Madagascar_ opened in theaters. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, it is an attempt to raise awareness about efforts to conserve what researchers call the most threatened mammal on Earth. Here’s a glimpse at other threatened and endangered animals that have made headlines recently. ### Lemurs of Madagascar  SCARBOROUGH, ON - MARCH 31: A general view of Lemurs during a visit by Canadian Director David Douglas to promote his new IMAX 3D documentary 'Island of Lemurs: Madagascar' at the Toronto Zoo on March 31, 2014 in Scarborough, Canada. (Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage) George Pimentel—WireImage/Getty Images Between poaching and habitat loss due to illegal logging, some researchers now say the lemurs of Madagascar are “the most threatened mammal group on Earth,” [according to](http://www.sciencemag.org/content/343/6173/842.summary) a recent article in the journal _Science_. In addition to national conservation efforts, the international research team concluded that increased ecotourism — tourists who pay to see threatened species in their natural habitats — will benefit both the lemurs and the island’s poor rural communities. These newly minted [pop culture icons](http://time.com/45828/lemurs-sloths-popularity/) can now be seen on the silver screen in _Island of Lemurs: Madagascar_, an IMAX documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman. ### Giant Panda  A photo taken on April 1, 2014 shows the giant panda Xing Hui at the Pairi Daiza animal park in Brugelette, Belgium. AFP PHOTO / BELGA / VIRGINIE LEFOUR -- BELGIUM OUT -- (Photo credit should read VIRGINIE LEFOUR/AFP/Getty Images) Virginie Lefour—AFP/Getty Images Fewer than 1,600 giant pandas are left in the world, making it the rarest bear species. During a recent trip to China, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, [feeding five approximately 18-month-old pandas](http://time.com/38504/michelle-obama-feeds-pandas/) by holding out sticks with apples at the end. In addition to the center’s [panda cams](http://www.panda.org.cn/english/ipanda/Toppicks/2013-10-12/1.html), you can also see these giant cuddly creatures on cams run by the [National Zoo](http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/giant-panda.cfm) and the [San Diego Zoo](http://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/cams/panda-cam). ### Polar Bear  MUNICH, GERMANY - MARCH 19: One of the 14 week-old twin polar bear babies is pictured with her mother Giovanna during their first presentation to the media in Hellabrunn zoo on March 19, 2014 in Munich, Germany. The male and female twins were born on December 9, 2013 in the zoo. (Photo by Alexandra Beier/Getty Images) Alexandra Beier—Getty Images Polar bears are considered a vulnerable species because their sea ice habitat, which they use to reach seals, their prey, [is melting away](http://time.com/10388/international-polar-bear-day-google-street-view/), forcing them to swim longer to find places to hunt — a phenomenon many scientists and conservationists attribute to climate change. Now you can see them without leaving your home, thanks to Google Street View, which [filmed](http://www.google.com/maps/about/behind-the-scenes/streetview/treks/churchill-canada/) polar bears in Cape Churchill and Wapusk National Park in northern Manitoba in conjunction with Polar Bear International. ### Lesser Prairie Chicken  Texas Parks and Wildlife Department / Jon McRoberts / AP Starting April 11, birders will flock to the annual Central Wisconsin Prairie Chicken Festival to see the feathered animal’s [elaborate mating dance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJBuZsj14zM). On March 27, the Obama administration [updated](http://time.com/40830/prairie-chicken-listed-as-threatened/) the lesser prairie chicken’s status to “threatened,” a step below “endangered,” after the species’ population hit [record low](http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/documents/R2ES/LPC%5FFL%5FNR%5FFINAL%5F20140327.pdf) numbers last year because its habitat has been diminished due to ranching, oil and gas drilling and the construction of wind turbines and power lines. Oklahoma, North Dakota and Kansas have filed a [lawsuit ](http://www2.ljworld.com/documents/2014/apr/02/lesser-prairie-chicken-complaint/)challenging the decision, arguing that it will be detrimental to oil, gas and wind-energy businesses, dealing a blow to the states’ economies. ### West African Lion  Jonas Van de Voorde In January 2014, researchers found that lions in West Africa are nearly extinct, with only about 400 left altogether and about half at breeding age, according to Panthera, a non-profit that spent six years tracking them in 17 West African countries. As Philipp Henschel, co-author of the report, [told the BBC](http://time.com/3245/lions-are-almost-extinct-in-west-africa/), “we are talking about some of the poorest counties in the world — many governments have bigger problems than protecting lions.” Some of the last of these lions can be seen at Pendjari National Park-Biosphere Reserve in Benin. ### Pygmy Elephant  Three-month-old baby pygmy elephant "Joe" stands inside a temporary holding cage at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park in Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia's Sabah state on February 6, 2013\. Malaysian authorities will offer a 50,000 ringgit (16,000 USD) reward for information on 14 rare Borneo pygmy elephants found dead last month if it is confirmed they were poisoned, officials said on February 6\. AFP PHOTO / MOHD RASFAN (Photo credit should read MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images) Mohd Rasfan—AFP/Getty Images Found on the northeastern tip of Borneo in the Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Malay peninsula, the [endangered](http://www.worldlandtrust.org/education/species/bornean-pygmy-elephant) pygmy elephants are the “world’s smallest known sub-species of elephant,” [according to](http://www.wwf.org.my/about%5Fwwf/what%5Fwe%5Fdo/species%5Fmain/elephant/) the World Wildlife Fund. The biggest threats to their habitat are logging and the construction of palm oil plantations, which has led to confrontations between humans and elephants. This conflict was widely speculated to be the cause of 14 pygmy elephants deaths, likely caused by poisoning, that [made headlines](http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2013/02/05/palm-oil-poisoning-pygmy-elephants/) in January 2013\. People who want to see them can “[adopt](http://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Pygmy-Elephant.aspx)” one through the World Wildlife Fund, which will send them photos. ### Galápagos Penguin  GALAPAGOS ISLAND, ECUADOR - UNDATED: EXCLUSIVE. Galapagos penguin feeding underwater on small baitfish in the Galapagos Island Archipelago, Ecuador. These incredibly rare pictures show one of the world's most endangered penguins hunting to survive. This fully grown 16-inch long penguin may look cute, but the little fellow is focussed on one thing only - the hunt. He cleverly darts into the shoal of fish to break up and confuse his prey. The tiny population of 1,000 Galapagos penguins that remain in the the wild live a precarious existence on the very edge of nature's most unforgivable contest - the battle for survival. If they manage to catch enough bait fish to raise the two or three eggs they will raise each year, one or two of their offspring could make it to adulthood and continue the legacy of their parents. If they fail the continuation of their species could be at stake. The penguins live only on the Galapagos, the islands made famous by legendary British scientist, Charles Darwin's studies of the unique creatures that live there - and helped him formulate his world changing theory of the survival of the fittest. (Photo by Specialist Stock / Barcroft Medi / Getty Images) Specialist Stock/Barcroft Medi/Getty Images The Galápagos penguin has been listed as endangered partly because its survival is threatened by [El Niño](http://www.cnn.com/TECH/science/9805/29/el.nino.penguins/index.html?eref=sitesearch) events, in which the water becomes too warm and causes food shortages. Found in the Galápagos Islands off Ecuador, it is also the only species of penguin found on the equator. ### Snow Leopard  <> on September 17, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson—Getty Images Snow leopards in the mountains of Central Asia have been recognized as an endangered species since 1972 because of poaching and the [illegal trading](http://www.wwf.org.uk/what%5Fwe%5Fdo/safeguarding%5Fthe%5Fnatural%5Fworld/wildlife/snow%5Fleopard/) of fur and body parts, which are used in traditional Asian medicine. Fun fact: their white and gray fur helps them blend into their natural surroundings, and they have extra-large paws to prevent them from sinking into the snow, according to the [Snow Leopard Trust](http://www.snowleopard.org/learn/cat-facts/physical-features). ### Humpback Whale  A Humpback whale jumps in the surface of the Pacific Ocean at the Uramba Bahia Malaga natural park in Colombia, on July 16, 2013\. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate annually from the Antarctic Peninsula to peek into the Colombian Pacific Ocean coast, with an approximate distance of 8,500 km, to give birth and nurse their young. Humpback whales have a life cycle of 50 years or so and is about 18 meters. AFP PHOTO/Luis ROBAYO (Photo credit should read LUIS ROBAYO/AFP/Getty Images) Luis Robayo—AFP/Getty Images Found in the oceans of the Southern Hemisphere as well as the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the humpback whales that flock to breeding grounds in Hawaii belt out a 20-minute mating song that can be heard as far as 20 miles away. While they can get tangled in fishing gear and struck by ships, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is in the middle of reviewing a petition to remove the North Pacific population of the whales from the endangered species list because their numbers have rebounded since the international community banned commercial whaling [nearly 50 years ago](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/feds-study-humpback-whale-endangered-list-removal). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/48810/threatened-animals-disappearing-forever/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/48810/threatened-animals-disappearing-forever/"},"headline":"9 Animals That Are On the Verge of Disappearing Forever","datePublished":"2014-04-07T09:45:35.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:48:44.602Z","description":"It's almost too late","url":"https://time.com/48810/threatened-animals-disappearing-forever/","keywords":["Newsfeed","animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia B. 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