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.
72 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
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingBlack Abalone
Haliotis cracherodii
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingBowmouth Guitarfish
Rhina ancylostoma
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingElkhorn Coral
Acropora palmata
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingEuropean Eel
Anguilla anguilla
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingGiant Sea Bass
Stereolepis gigas
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingGreat Hammerhead
Sphyrna mokarran
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingGreen Sawfish
Pristis zijsron
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingHawksbill 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
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingLargetooth Sawfish
Pristis pristis
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingMaugean Skate
Zearaja maugeana
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingNassau Grouper
Epinephelus striatus
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingNorth Atlantic Right Whale
Eubalaena glacialis
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingOceanic Whitetip Shark
Carcharhinus longimanus
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingSakhalin Sturgeon
Acipenser mikadoi
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingSand Tiger Shark
Carcharias taurus
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingScalloped Hammerhead
Sphyrna lewini
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingSmalltooth Sawfish
Pristis pectinata
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingStaghorn 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
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingTristan Albatross
Diomedea dabbenena
- Group
- Birds
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Index record onlySource review pendingVaquita
Phocoena sinus
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
A porpoise endemic to the northern Gulf of California; widely reported as one of the world's most threatened marine mammals.
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingWaved Albatross
Phoebastria irrorata
- Group
- Birds
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Index record onlySource review pendingWest Indian Ocean Coelacanth
Latimeria chalumnae
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
A deep-water 'living fossil' lineage once thought extinct until rediscovery in 1938.
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingWhite Abalone
Haliotis sorenseni
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingAmerican Eel
Anguilla rostrata
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingBasking Shark
Cetorhinus maximus
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingBlue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
The largest animal known to have lived.
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingBoulder Star Coral
Orbicella annularis
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingDusky Shark
Carcharhinus obscurus
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingDwarf Sawfish
Pristis clavata
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingGiant Manta Ray
Mobula birostris
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingGreen 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
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingHector's Dolphin
Cephalorhynchus hectori
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
The Maui dolphin sub-population is assessed at even higher risk.
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingHumphead Wrasse
Cheilinus undulatus
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Also called the Napoleon wrasse; a large, slow-growing reef fish.
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingMountainous Star Coral
Orbicella faveolata
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingNorth Pacific Right Whale
Eubalaena japonica
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingNorthern Rockhopper Penguin
Eudyptes moseleyi
- Group
- Birds
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Index record onlySource review pendingNorthern Royal Albatross
Diomedea sanfordi
- Group
- Birds
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Index record onlySource review pendingRound Island Keel-scaled Boa
Casarea dussumieri
- Group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, reptile-database.reptarium.cz
Index record onlySource review pendingSea Otter
Enhydra lutris
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingSei Whale
Balaenoptera borealis
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingShortfin Mako
Isurus oxyrinchus
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingSouthern Bluefin Tuna
Thunnus maccoyii
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingWhale 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
- Last verified
- Verified
Down-listed from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable in 2018.
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingAtlantic Puffin
Fratercula arctica
- Group
- Birds
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingBigeye Tuna
Thunnus obesus
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingBumphead Parrotfish
Bolbometopon muricatum
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingDugong
Dugong dugon
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
Globally Vulnerable, but several regional sub-populations are assessed at higher risk.
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingFin Whale
Balaenoptera physalus
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingFranciscana
Pontoporia blainvillei
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingGreat 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
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingLoggerhead Turtle
Caretta caretta
- Group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingMacaroni Penguin
Eudyptes chrysolophus
- Group
- Birds
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Index record onlySource review pendingOlive Ridley Turtle
Lepidochelys olivacea
- Group
- Reptiles & Amphibians
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingPillar Coral
Dendrogyra cylindrus
- Group
- Invertebrates
- 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
Index record onlySource review pendingPorbeagle
Lamna nasus
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingReef Manta Ray
Mobula alfredi
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pendingRough Cactus Coral
Mycetophyllia ferox
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries
Index record onlySource review pendingShort-tailed Albatross
Phoebastria albatrus
- Group
- Birds
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Index record onlySource review pendingSilky Shark
Carcharhinus falciformis
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingSmooth Hammerhead
Sphyrna zygaena
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingSpiny Dogfish
Squalus acanthias
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingTotoaba
Totoaba macdonaldi
- Group
- Fish
- Last verified
- Verified
Endemic to the Gulf of California; its swim-bladder trade also drives vaquita bycatch.
Sources: IUCN Red List, NOAA Fisheries, FishBase
Index record onlySource review pendingWandering Albatross
Diomedea exulans
- Group
- Birds
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, BirdLife International
Index record onlySource review pendingWest Indian Manatee
Trichechus manatus
- Group
- Mammals
- Last verified
- Verified
Sources: IUCN Red List, Animal Diversity Web
Index record onlySource review pending
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:

