African Penguin
In 2024, the African penguin became the first penguin species to be listed as Critically Endangered, after its numbers fell below 10,000 breeding pairs.
Critically Endangered
Axolotl
Axolotls can regrow lost limbs, parts of their spinal cord, heart and even parts of their brain without scarring.
Beluga Sturgeon
The beluga sturgeon is one of the largest bony fish ever recorded; a female caught in the Volga in 1827 was reported at over 7 metres and about 1.5 tonnes.
Bengal Florican
In the breeding season, male Bengal floricans leap high above the grass in spectacular display flights, flashing their white wings against their black bodies.
Black Rhinoceros
Black rhinos fell by about 98 percent between 1960 and 1995, to around 2,400 animals, and have since more than doubled thanks to intensive protection.
Bornean Orangutan
Orangutan mothers raise each infant for about seven to eight years, one of the longest childhoods of any animal apart from humans.
California Condor
In 1987, the last 27 California condors were captured for captive breeding. Today there are more than 500, over half flying free.
Chinese Giant Salamander
The Chinese giant salamander is the largest amphibian in the world, and genetic studies suggest it is actually several distinct species.
Coelacanth
Coelacanths were known only from fossils and thought extinct for about 66 million years until one was caught off South Africa in 1938.
European Eel
European eels swim about 5,000–6,000 km across the Atlantic to breed in the Sargasso Sea, yet no one has ever seen them spawning.