An endangered species is defined by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as "an animal or plant species in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range." In the United States, these animals can be listed under and protected by the Endangered Species Act. Endangered Species in the United States include the black-footed ferret and the California red-legged frog. The International Union for Conservation of Nature also keeps a Red List of Threatened Species, the most widely recognized list of endangered and threatened species. On this list, for example, are all the surviving subspecies of tiger, which range from endangered to critically endangered.
Latest about endangered species
10 times humans messed with nature and it backfired
History is peppered with times when our patchy knowledge of natural systems has led to questionable interventions with unintended — and sometimes disastrous — consequences.
Every year, dozens of female hammerhead sharks mysteriously convene in French Polynesia under the full moon
Every austral summer, Rangiroa and Tikehau atolls in French Polynesia host a mysterious assembly of female great hammerhead sharks — a critically endangered and typically solitary species.
Orcas rip rudder off boat and follow it all the way to port, in 1st known attack of its kind
Previous reported interactions between orcas and sailboats followed a clear pattern, with the animals losing interest and swimming away once they had broken the rudder.
Crocodiles and gharials are getting bizarre orange 'tans' in Nepal. Here's why.
Researchers think it could be down to where these crocs are hanging out.
Largest freshwater turtle species doomed to extinction after last female washes up dead
The known population of the Yangtze giant softshell turtle is now just two males. Experts said that if the female had survived, she could have "laid a hundred eggs or more a year."
The Devils Hole pupfish is so inbred that it shouldn’t be alive
New research reveals exactly how inbred the Devils Hole pupfish is.
Tigers: The world's largest cats
Tigers are the biggest cats in the world, but their populations are struggling. With only 3,200 left in the wild, there are now more living in captivity than in the wild.
Snow Leopard Moms & Cubs Captured in First-Ever Video
Observations of elusive creature in the wild could aid conservation efforts.
