The Endangered Species List 2013: Top 10 Most Endangered Animals
1. Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
This exquisite but elusive bird was said to be extinct in 2004, but some miraculous sightings in Florida and Arkansas have confirmed the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker to be alive and well. But the danger of extinction still looms overhead, due to habitat loss and overhunting.
2. Amur Leopard
Panthera pardus orientalis is a very rare subspecies of leopard that only lives in the chilly forests of Primorye, a region in Eastern Russia. Its former habitat included parts of Korea and Northern China, but in those areas, this majestic feline has gone extinct. A census count in 2007 shows that only 14-20 adult leopards live, with only 5-6 cubs. This is due to poaching, global warming, and habitat loss caused by logging, road construction, and development.
3. Javan Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros sondaicus is the most endangered species of rhinoceros in the world. There are roughly 40-60 rhinos left in on Java, Indonesia. The last of the population left in Cat Tien National Paek (Vietnam) was killed by poachers in 2011. This rhinoceros used to populate Southeast Asia and Indonesia, but has been hunted for its supposedly magical horn. Although protected, its current population may be too small to be able to repopulate. . . .
Sadly, at least as of this posting, it appears as if the Ivory-billed woodpecker sightings were a bit too 'miraculous.' But let's not give up hope.
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