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endangered species
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
giant panda
A pangolin walks through grass with a blue circle around it and the word endangered written in white across the image.
Edith's checkerspot butterfly with orange and black patterned wings rests on a rock surrounded by moss and small plants. Cabbage on a Stick Plant (Brighamia insignis) with a thick, pale stem topped by a cluster of broad green leaves and yellow flowers, surrounded by other garden plants.
Britannica editor John Rafferty holds a microphone in front of an illustrated background showing two axolotls and the headline Ask an Editor: Are axolotls real?
mountain gorilla (Gorilla gorilla beringei)
Axolotl wearing a green paper hat in the style of Peter Pan, with speech bubble reading “I'll never grow up!”
A pale pink albino axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum f. leucistic, with feathery red external gills, stands on a dark rock against a black background. Brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) in Guam
Which bee species really need saving?
At a Glance
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endangered species summary
Quizzes
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
13 True-or-False Questions from Britannica’s Easiest Science Quizzes
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endangered species: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • Holly Dublin
    Chair, Species Survival Commission, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Contributors

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Media added. Sep 11, 2026
Article revised and updated. Jul 30, 2026
Added section that describes the ways in which species can be removed from the endangered species list. Jul 23, 2026
Replaced media. Jan 30, 2026
Add new Web site: IOPscience - Environmental Research Letters - What is an endangered species?: judgments about acceptable risk (PDF). Dec 06, 2025
Media added. Aug 28, 2025
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Protecting Endangered Animal Species. Jul 30, 2025
Media added. May 29, 2025
Media added. Apr 07, 2025
Questions and answers added. Mar 21, 2025
Media added. Mar 12, 2025
Media added. Jun 07, 2024
Noted that the IUCN had assessed more than 157,000 species by 2024. May 10, 2024
Links added. Jun 01, 2023
Added a cross-reference to overharvesting. May 09, 2023
Link added. Apr 19, 2023
Added cross-references. Mar 15, 2023
Add new Web site: Biology LibreTexts - Approaches for Preserving Endangered Species and Ecosystems. Dec 09, 2022
Removed media. Nov 16, 2021
Deleted videos. Nov 22, 2019
Added images of endangered plants and insects. May 16, 2019
Article revised and updated. Mar 12, 2019
Added photographs of the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and the Svalbard Seed Vault; added a diagram depicting the different categories used in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Jun 14, 2018
Changed species assessment counts for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species from "44,838" to "more than 79,000" and for CITES from "over 5,000 animal and 28,000 plant species" to "over 5,800 animal and 30,000 plant species." Jun 14, 2018
Add new Web site: Idaho Public Television - Endangered Species: Facts. Dec 09, 2016
Add new Web site: Wildscreen Arkive - Endangered species. Oct 18, 2016
Add new Web site: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Threatened and Endangered Species. Oct 18, 2016
Add new Web site: Audubon - Rethinking the Endangered Species List. Oct 14, 2016
Add new Web site: The Canadian Encyclopedia - Endangered Animals in Canada. Oct 14, 2016
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Education - Endangered Species. Oct 14, 2016
Add new Web site: US Environmental Protection Agency - Endangered Species: Save Our Species Information. Sep 20, 2016
Add new Web site: Livescience - Facts About the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Aug 23, 2016
Added video that describes some of the ways in which endangered species protection efforts are prioritized. Dec 02, 2015
Media added. Apr 22, 2013
Add new Web site: Fact Monster - Science - Endangered Species. Dec 21, 2012
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Endangered Species. Dec 21, 2012
Replaced the photograph of an axolotl. Sep 28, 2012
handled for the cross-ref removal 12 - 19 clusters Jun 28, 2011
Clarified that the European Community has been succeeded by the European Union. Dec 28, 2009
Article thoroughly revised. New material added to describe the IUCN Red List, the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and CITES. Jun 15, 2009
Added new Web site: Enchanted Learning - Endangered Animal. Mar 10, 2008
Media added. Oct 08, 2007
Article revised and updated. Mar 16, 2007
Added new Web site: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources - Red List of Threatened Species. Nov 09, 2006
Added new Web site: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources - Red List of Threatened Species. Nov 09, 2006
Added new Web site: United States Fish and Wildlife Service - Endangered Species Act of 1973. Oct 19, 2006
Added new Web site: National Marine Fisheries Service - endangered species. Oct 03, 2006
Added new Web site: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - The Endangered Species Program. Sep 28, 2006
Added new Web site: Center for Biological Diversity - Endangered Species. Aug 31, 2006
Added new Web site: ARKive - Images of Life on Earth. Aug 03, 2006
Added new Web site: Animal Info - Information on Endangered Mammals. Jul 24, 2006
Added new Web site: Endangered Species. May 11, 2006
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
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