Know Your Endangered Species?

The adorable snow leopard has been on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List since 1972; these cats also lack the ability to roar. Researchers estimate that there are between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards left in the wild. No one has an exact count because snow leopards are so elusive and inhabit such a harsh and remote habitat that they are rarely seen.

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Cutest Endangered Animals

AP Reports Proposal to Drastically Alter Endangered Species Act

Why Doesn't British Columbia Protect Endangered Species?

The Nulpuzha river, which runs through a narrow corridor, is the sole water source for these elephants for between 3 and 4 months each year. A major interstate highway linking Bangalore with Calicut, which passes through the corridor, has long hindered the annual migration of these magnificent creatures. The highway currently runs along the western edge of the migratory corridor. Recently, however, the decision was made to relocate a number of highway checkpoints into the center of the corridor. This move would completely cut the elephants off from the river, which, in turn, would threaten their annual survival migration.

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Killing Rare Animals Funds Terror

Buy This Tote, Save an Elephant

According to new research published in the conservation journal Oryx, rapid declines in the orangutan population are directly attributable to habitat loss and continued declines could make the orangutan the first of the great apes to become extinct.

In 2004, the orangutan population on the Indonesian island of Sumatra was revised downwards from 7,501 to 6,600. The revision was necessary after the discovery that a large area of Aceh, which was thought to contain orangutans, did not contain any of these great apes. According to researchers, the 2004 estimated population on the island of Borneo, which is thought to contain around 54,000 orangutans, has probably declined as a result of a 10 percent loss in habitat between 2004 to 2008.

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UN says Palm Oil Industry is Wiping out the Orangutan

Orangutan Caught Red-Handed Using Technology, Fishing with a Spear

The President recently upheld the Bush Administration's ruling that the North American gray wolf is no longer an endangered species, even though there are only 1,650 gray wolves left in existence. Now many farmers are gearing up to kill hundreds of the species which poses virtually no threat to humans but makes off with their livestock.

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First Wolves, Now Polar Bears: Obama Issues Strike Two for Endangered Species?

Conservation Groups Fight to Get Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves Back on the Endangered Species List

All of these factors played a role. The population of belugas has decreased from around 1,300 in the 1970's to somewhere around 375 today. Reasons for this notable decline include hunting, killer whale predation, underwater noise, and the loss of a significant part of their diet, salmon.

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Free Willy and Friends From Pollution

Sarah Palin's Record On the Environment: A Closer Look

According to National Geographic, 1,411 Bengal tigers remain in India. It's estimated that the population of tigers was 100,000 at the turn of the century, so the population has declined by about 99 percent during that time. In 2005, entire populations of tigers began to mysteriously disappear in India where hunting them is now illegal. The disappearance was later linked in large part to poaching as a result of a resurgence in demand for tiger skins, which are used as clothing and décor. The persistent demand for tiger bone, which is used in traditional Asian health remedies, also likely contributed to the decline.

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Fading Tiger, Climate Dragon

It's Official: Only 1,411 Tigers Left In India's Forest Reserves

The American Pika could be the first mammal in the lower 48 (U.S.) states to make the endangered species list primarily because of climate change. The pika is a tiny relative of the rabbit and lives in mountainous regions throughout the western United States. Rising temperatures caused by global warming have shortened the pikas' food-gathering period, changed the types of plants available, and shrunk the alpine meadows where they feed.

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Help Protect the American Pika

Know Your Endangered Species Before You Travel

In Florida, scientists from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimate that around 3,000 manatees occupy much of the same space as 1 million registered boats and thousands of out-of-state vacationing boats. Lately, the consequences have been grim. In 2006, a near-record 86 manatees were killed by errant boat propellers, while many more had their bones broken or skins sliced.

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Sunrise Earth: Manatee Springs

Can manatees see underwater?

Blue sharks sometimes become by-catch, but since U.S. and Canadian consumers tend to not like the shark's taste, commercial fisherman haven't gone after the blue shark for its meat.

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How Many Sharks Get Killed for their Fins Every Year?

10 Tips For Avoiding a Shark Attack

According to The World Wildlife Fund, the Atlantic bluefin tuna will be wiped out completely by 2012 if we don't halt fishing for it. The spawning population of the western Atlantic bluefin has declined 80 percent in the past 40 years. Last year the combined national fleets of Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain exceeded their international catch quota for bluefin by 25 percent—driven in part by the lucrative Japanese market, where a single 600kg fish can fetch $100,000.

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Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Will Be Gone in 3 Years At Current Fishing Rates

New Bluefin Tuna Quota Levels Are A "Mockery of Science"