The current era is characterized by an unprecedented acceleration of species loss, a phenomenon often referred to as the sixth mass extinction. While the search for “what animals are going extinct in 2024” suggests a simple list, the reality is a complex and ongoing crisis where numerous species hover on the brink of collapse. The fate of countless plants and animals is being decided not over centuries, but within a single generation. This urgency reflects the immense pressure human activity places on the planet’s ecosystems.
Defining Imminent Extinction
The conservation status of a species is formally tracked using the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, which provides a standard framework for assessing extinction risk. The public often uses the phrase “going extinct” to refer to species in the Critically Endangered (CR) category. A species is classified as CR when it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, often having suffered a population reduction of 80 to 90% over the last ten years or three generations.
Two higher categories signal a species’ final loss: Extinct in the Wild (EW), meaning the species only survives in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range, and Extinct (EX), which is the absolute end, declared when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. For a species to move from CR to EW or EX, exhaustive surveys across its known and expected habitat must fail to record any individuals over a time frame appropriate to its life cycle. Therefore, the species most likely to “go extinct” in any given year are those already classified as CR.
Species Recently Declared Extinct
Official declarations of extinction are rare and follow years of failed searches and scientific review, meaning the species declared extinct in 2024 often vanished decades ago. In late 2023, for instance, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially removed 21 species from the Endangered Species Act list due to extinction. These included the little Mariana fruit bat, which was once common on Guam, and the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, a Hawaiian honeyeater bird last seen in 1987.
Another significant recent declaration came from the IUCN, which assessed the Java stingaree (Urolophus javanicus) as Extinct. This small ray, known only from a single specimen collected in 1862, became the first marine fish extinction attributed to human causes. The Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris), a migratory wading bird, was also assessed as extinct by the IUCN in 2024 after years of failed searches across its vast range in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
The Most Critically Endangered Species
The species facing the most immediate threat of extinction in 2024 are those with extremely small populations and severe, ongoing pressures. The Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), the world’s smallest marine mammal, is perhaps the most imperiled, with a population thought to be fewer than ten individuals remaining. These porpoises are endemic to a small area in the Gulf of California, where they are accidentally caught and drowned in illegal gillnets set for the totoaba fish.
The Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), one of the rarest large mammals on Earth, has fewer than 75 individuals surviving. This entire population is confined to a single protected area, Ujung Kulon National Park in Indonesia, making it uniquely vulnerable to disease, natural disaster, or poaching. The Hainan Gibbon (Nomascus hainanus) is the world’s rarest primate, with fewer than 45 individuals left.
These critically low numbers mean that even a single disease outbreak or localized environmental shift could wipe out an entire species. The Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), another highly threatened animal, has a population of only about 100 individuals in Russia and China. While its numbers have stabilized due to focused conservation, the population suffers from low genetic diversity and remains highly susceptible to poaching and habitat fragmentation.
Primary Factors Driving Modern Species Loss
The loss of species is driven by a few dominant human-induced factors acting synergistically across the globe. Habitat destruction remains the single largest cause of biodiversity loss, as natural areas are cleared for agriculture, logging, and urban expansion. This land conversion directly removes the living space and food sources for countless species, often leaving behind fragmented, isolated populations.
Climate change is rapidly emerging as a major threat, altering ecosystems faster than many species can adapt. Rising global temperatures are shifting species’ ranges, changing the timing of seasons, and expanding the reach of disease vectors like mosquitoes into new areas. For species already stressed by habitat loss, these shifts can push them beyond their capacity to survive.
The introduction of invasive species also devastates native populations, particularly on islands and in freshwater systems. Non-native species can outcompete native animals for resources, introduce novel diseases, or act as new predators. These factors do not act in isolation; rather, habitat loss weakens a species, making it more susceptible to the pressures of a changing climate or the introduction of a new competitor.