Ten (10) Animals That May Be Extinct In Our Lifetime

10. Humphead Parrotfish

Vulnerable

- The few populations of this South Pacific fish are thought to have gone extinct because of heavy fishing pressure. The fish continues to live only on the Great Barrier Reef and at Rowley Shoals in northwester Australia. The fish has a very slow reproductive process.

9. Eastern Chimpanzee

Endangered

- Chimpanzees may be the most widespread and abundant of the apes, significant recent declines in East Africa continue to rise because of mass hunting and loss of habitat. Chimpanzees also succumb to many human sicknesses because humans and chimpanzees are very similar.

8. Speke's Gazelle

Endangered

- Once widespread throughout the Somalian grasslands, the animals numbers have been decimated by drought, hunting and overgrazing of the land by domestic livestock.

7. Mauritius Parakeet

Endangered

- This bird is one of the world's rarest parrots. Successful conservation has increased their numbers, however logging and over-development of the animals habitat continue to plague the bird.

6. Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake

Critically Endangered

- These snakes are native to an island off of Mexico where it continues to be the victim of illegal hunting by collectors. The animal is threatened with extinction.

5. Egyptian Vulture

Endangered

- Overall vulture populations throughout Asia and Africa have been in significant decline. The rapid decline is driven by the drug diclofenac, which is used to treat livestock.

4. Sumatran Orangutan

Critically Endangered

- The Sumatran Orangutan is threatened by habitat loss due to forest clearance and logging.

3. Yangtze River Dolphin

Critically Endangered

- Last year, an intensive study sought to find the dolphins in China and failed to find any. Therefore, the Dolphin is thought to be extinct, however further studies need to determine if the animal is actually extinct. A possible sighting this year is being investigated. The threats to this animal are river traffic, fishing, pollution and the overall degradation of their habitat.

2. Gharial

Critically Endangered

- This crocodile species native to Nepal and India consistently faces threats from habitat loss and is critically endangered. Dams, irrigation projects, artificial embankments and sand mining have taken away the animal's habitat reducing its area to two percent of its former range.

1. Western Lowland Gorilla

Critically Endangered

- Recently the Western gorilla was added to the list as a critically endangered animal because the animal has been decimated by the Ebola virus as well as the trade in gorilla meat for human consumption.

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