What Does it Mean When a Species is “Endangered?”

DoGoodHQ.co Editorial TeamLast Updated: February 6, 2025

What Does it Mean When a Species is “Endangered?”

The database of endangered species is a list that no animal, plant, fungus, or other organic being wants to land on. You might remember learning about endangered species in biology classes as a child. The visibility of these species sadly tends to fade as children become adults and start worrying about “grown-up” things—marriage, having kids of their own, mortgage payments, and that 9-to-5 grind.
If you’re reading this article, we commend you for wanting to learn more about endangered species. You have more power than you might think to help preserve these living creatures, which we’ll get to later on in this post. We’ll also cover the criteria that need to be met for a particular species to be considered endangered, threatened, and at-risk. Let’s go!
What it Means to Be an Endangered Species
If a species of animal, plant, or other living being has been classified as endangered, its populations have been studied and determined to be at real risk of extinction.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 defines endangered in much the same way as conservation organizations, most notably the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN.
The History of Endangered Species
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is a federal law passed in 1973 that establishes key criteria for protecting vulnerable species and their habitats. The first major federal legislative action to address the conservation of vulnerable species was the Lacey Act of 1900, which targeted the dwindling passenger pigeon population.
Although the last passenger pigeon sadly passed away 14 years later in the Cincinnati Zoo, the Lacey Act spurred a number of federal laws aimed at protecting particular endangered and threatened species, such as brown pelicans and whooping cranes.
The ESA was notable for superseding all previous federal laws and establishing standards that future Congresses could build upon. The U.S. endangered species list started with 78 species and grew to over 1,600 by 2019.
Examples of Endangered Species
The number of species considered endangered is surely greater than official records currently list. Millions of species exist in the wild, and researchers have not been able to assess each species thoroughly enough to give each one a classification.
Those that have been unlucky enough to earn the endangered classification may be considered endangered, critically endangered, or even extinct in the wild.
Some notable endangered species include:
- Northern white rhino — Depending on who you ask, people may consider the northern white rhino either critically endangered or extinct in the wild. The only known living northern white rhinos, Fatu and Najin, live at a Kenyan conservancy, where they are under 24/7 watch by armed guards.
- Orangutans — These great apes are critically endangered. Their populations are somewhat challenging to measure due to the remoteness of their habitats. It’s estimated that the Bornean orangutan’s levels in the wild are less than half of what they were a century ago.
- Pangolins — All four species of pangolins, curious-looking scaled mammals living in Asia and Africa, are endangered—two of them critically.
- North Atlantic right whales — One of the world’s largest mammals, this whale species is down to a few dozen females capable of giving birth.
- Hammerhead sharks — More than half of the known species of hammerhead sharks, found in oceans worldwide, face critical endangerment.
Other Classifications for Species at Risk
Much of the attention goes to species that are classified as endangered, critically endangered, or extinct in the wild. Still, several classifications exist for species not yet considered endangered.
Threatened Species
The ESA describes threatened species as those more likely than not to become endangered in the “foreseeable future.” The IUCN does not have a threatened classification in its system.
Vulnerable Species
The IUCN instead uses vulnerable to describe species that are on a trajectory to become endangered sometime soon.
At-Risk Species
These species may not reach the definition of threatened or endangered as defined by the ESA, but they may be on the federal government’s radar due to declining populations or their inclusion on some special status.
Why There Are Still Endangered Species
Human activity, legal or illegal, has a lot to do with the majority of species’ classifications as endangered, threatened, or vulnerable. More granular causes often include:
- Poaching — This illegal practice involves hunting or capturing species, often on government or conservation-owned land.
- Habitat loss — Species can lose habitats due to a variety of reasons. Some biomes, like tropical rainforests, are disappearing because humans clear land for farming. Other times, human-caused climate change can threaten places like tundras and boreal forests.
- Introduction of invasive species — Introducing invasive species to an environment can disrupt the food chain, spread diseases, and consume resources at excessive rates.
What Can We Do?
Reading about endangered species is important, but we understand that it can bring down your mood a little bit. The best way to turn those feelings around is to spring into action! Below are some ways you can make a difference in the world:
- Reduce your carbon footprint. Buying sustainably, recycling, and composting are three simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Being environmentally friendly can reduce habitat loss for endangered creatures.
- Use fewer pesticides. Plants and animals up and down the food chain can ingest these toxic chemicals, which can reduce vulnerable populations.
- Volunteer at a nonprofit. The Action Network of the Endangered Species Coalition provides information on a plethora of opportunities for helping conserve endangered animals.
- Educate yourself and your friends. The more you know about endangered animals, the more confident you’ll feel spreading the word far and wide!
Once again, we’re so happy you’re interested in learning about and protecting species classified as endangered, vulnerable, threatened, or at-risk. Even the smallest acts can inspire others and, in turn, change the world for the better.
Featured image via Canva