Region
Endangered animals of Oceans
Marine species whose range spans ocean basins — whales, sharks, rays, turtles, and corals. Each record shows the species' global IUCN Red List category and links to authoritative sources. National legal status is separate — see the note below.
73 records · last reviewed
Data limitations
- These are educational summaries, not the official assessment. Conservation status can change as new science and threats emerge.
- We show the global IUCN Red List category. A species' national or local legal status can differ from its global category — national Red Books and protected-species laws vary by country.
- Each record shows a last-verified date and a data-confidence flag so you can see how current and how checked it is.
- Always verify the current status on the official IUCN Red List and the relevant national wildlife authority. FaunaHub does not replace conservation authorities.
Dataset last reviewed: Full data methodology →
Threatened species of Oceans
Angelshark
Squatina squatina
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewBlack Abalone
Haliotis cracherodii
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewBowmouth Guitarfish
Rhina ancylostoma
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewElkhorn Coral
Acropora palmata
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewEuropean Eel
Anguilla anguilla
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewGiant Sea Bass
Stereolepis gigas
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewGreat Hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewGreen Sawfish
Pristis zijsron
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewHawksbill Turtle
Eretmochelys imbricata
- Group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewKemp's Ridley Turtle
Lepidochelys kempii
- Group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Population trend
- Trend unknown
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewLargetooth Sawfish
Pristis pristis
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewMaugean Skate
Zearaja maugeana
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewNassau Grouper
Epinephelus striatus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewNorth Atlantic Right Whale
Eubalaena glacialis
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewOceanic Whitetip Shark
Carcharhinus longimanus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewSakhalin Sturgeon
Acipenser mikadoi
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewSand Tiger Shark
Carcharias taurus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewScalloped Hammerhead
Sphyrna lewini
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewSmalltooth Sawfish
Pristis pectinata
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewStaghorn Coral
Acropora cervicornis
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewTope Shark
Galeorhinus galeus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewTristan Albatross
Diomedea dabbenena
- Group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewVaquita
Phocoena sinus
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
A porpoise endemic to the northern Gulf of California; widely reported as the world's most endangered marine mammal.
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewWaved Albatross
Phoebastria irrorata
- Group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewWest Indian Ocean Coelacanth
Latimeria chalumnae
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
A deep-water 'living fossil' lineage once thought extinct until rediscovery in 1938.
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewWhite Abalone
Haliotis sorenseni
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewAmerican Eel
Anguilla rostrata
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewBasking Shark
Cetorhinus maximus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewBlue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
The largest animal known to have lived.
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewBoulder Star Coral
Orbicella annularis
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewDusky Shark
Carcharhinus obscurus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewDwarf Sawfish
Pristis clavata
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewGiant Manta Ray
Mobula birostris
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewGreen Turtle
Chelonia mydas
- Group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
See FaunaHub animal profile →Source review pendingHawaiian Monk Seal
Neomonachus schauinslandi
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewHector's Dolphin
Cephalorhynchus hectori
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
The Maui dolphin sub-population is assessed at even higher risk.
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewHumphead Wrasse
Cheilinus undulatus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Also called the Napoleon wrasse; a large, slow-growing reef fish.
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewMountainous Star Coral
Orbicella faveolata
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewNorth Pacific Right Whale
Eubalaena japonica
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Stable
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewNorthern Rockhopper Penguin
Eudyptes moseleyi
- Group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewNorthern Royal Albatross
Diomedea sanfordi
- Group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewRound Island Keel-scaled Boa
Casarea dussumieri
- Group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, reptile-database.reptarium.cz
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewSea Otter
Enhydra lutris
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewSei Whale
Balaenoptera borealis
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewShortfin Mako
Isurus oxyrinchus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewSouthern Bluefin Tuna
Thunnus maccoyii
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewWhale Shark
Rhincodon typus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewAtlantic Goliath Grouper
Epinephelus itajara
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Down-listed from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable in 2018.
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewAtlantic Puffin
Fratercula arctica
- Group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewBigeye Tuna
Thunnus obesus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewBumphead Parrotfish
Bolbometopon muricatum
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewDugong
Dugong dugon
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Globally Vulnerable, but several regional sub-populations are assessed at higher risk.
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewFin Whale
Balaenoptera physalus
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewFranciscana
Pontoporia blainvillei
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewGreat White Shark
Carcharodon carcharias
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Trend unknown
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewLeatherback Turtle
Dermochelys coriacea
- Group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Globally Vulnerable, but several regional sub-populations are assessed as Critically Endangered.
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewLined Seahorse
Hippocampus erectus
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
See FaunaHub animal profile →Source review pendingLobed Star Coral
Orbicella franksi
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewLoggerhead Turtle
Caretta caretta
- Group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewMacaroni Penguin
Eudyptes chrysolophus
- Group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewOlive Ridley Turtle
Lepidochelys olivacea
- Group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewPillar Coral
Dendrogyra cylindrus
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Caribbean reef coral severely affected by stony coral tissue loss disease; confirm the current category on the live IUCN entry.
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewPorbeagle
Lamna nasus
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewReef Manta Ray
Mobula alfredi
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewRough Cactus Coral
Mycetophyllia ferox
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewShort-tailed Albatross
Phoebastria albatrus
- Group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewSilky Shark
Carcharhinus falciformis
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewSmooth Hammerhead
Sphyrna zygaena
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewSpiny Dogfish
Squalus acanthias
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewTotoaba
Totoaba macdonaldi
- Group
- Fish
- Population trend
- Increasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Endemic to the Gulf of California; its swim-bladder trade also drives vaquita bycatch.
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, FishBase
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewWandering Albatross
Diomedea exulans
- Group
- Birds
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewWest Indian Manatee
Trichechus manatus
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial reviewSteller's Sea Cow
Hydrodamalis gigas
- Group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Trend unknown
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Detailed FaunaHub profile →Partial review
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this list show legally protected species in Oceans?
How were these species chosen for Oceans?
Is this a complete list of threatened species in the region?
Last updated:

