---
id:"kb-2026-00492"
title:"Endangered Species"
schema_type:"TechArticle"
category:"science"
language:"en"
confidence:"high"
last_verified:"2026-05-22"
generation_method:"ai_assisted"
ai_models:["claude-opus"]
derived_from_human_seed:true
primary_sources:
  - title:"IUCN Red List of Threatened Species"
    type:"standard"
    year:2026
    url:"https://www.iucnredlist.org/"
    institution:"IUCN"
secondary_sources:
  - title: "MDN Web Docs — HTTP"
    type: "documentation"
    year: 2026
    url: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP"
    institution: "Mozilla"
completeness: 0.88
ai_citations:
  last_citation_check:"2026-05-22"
---

## TL;DR

Endangered species face extinction risk. IUCN Red List: Extinct → Extinct in Wild → Critically Endangered → Endangered → Vulnerable → Near Threatened → Least Concern. Current extinction rate: 100-1000x background rate (Anthropocene mass extinction). Causes: habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, overexploitation, pollution.

## Core Explanation

Iconic endangered: Amur leopard (~100 wild), vaquita porpoise (~10), Javan rhino (~75), mountain gorilla (~1,000 — success story: population increasing). Conservation success: bald eagle (banned DDT, 1972), giant panda (habitat protection), humpback whale (whaling ban). Extinction vortex: small populations → genetic problems → further decline. 'The Sixth Extinction' (Kolbert): we are causing it. 'In the end, we will conserve only what we love' (Baba Dioum).

## Further Reading

- [IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](https://www.iucnredlist.org/)