Animals that could disappear over the next 10 years

You might be surprised to learn that some of your favorite animals are in serious danger of going extinct over the next ten years.

When we talk about extinct animals, many people still think of dinosaurs or dodos. The reality is quite different. In fact, in the next decade, many species could disappear forever. Here are the most striking examples of threatened animals.

Photo: Hannah Pemberton, Unsplash

The giraffe is in danger of extinction for various reasons. Human population growth, illegal hunting, loss of habitat and the expansion of agriculture and mining are some of the many factors.

Over the last 40 years, the population of nightingales in the UK has declined by more than 90%, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) reports.

The world's largest shorebird, the Eastern Curlew in north-eastern and southern Australia is in danger of extinction. Nature Australia says that the destruction of their habitat and the "alteration to the chain of coastal wetlands along their migratory path... by urban development, flood mitigation, agriculture and pollution" are the causes of their near-disappearance.

The extinction of vultures has gone partly unnoticed. "The Kenya Wildlife Service team was so busy trying to save elephants and rhinos, that when it was the vultures' turn, they were too tired to protect them," Darcy Ogada of the Pilgrim Fund for Research and Science says. A major cause of the disappearance of this scavenger is poaching.

Unbelievably, these mammals could disappear in the wild in the next ten years. Climate change and the emergence of new and harsh diseases are reducing the number of horses in many species.

Although the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), classifies many deer species in the category of "Least Concern," other organizations consider this animal as being on the verge of extinction. The main reason are the large changes humans make in their natural habitat.

According to 'Ecologists in Action', the native crayfish "disappeared from a large part of our rivers at the end of the 1970s due to the effects of aphanomycosis and the degradation of river ecosystems." They add that since then, the species has been "abandoned to its fate and even condemned to extinction by many administrations, scientists and specialists."

The factors that threaten the existence of the most adorable bird are mainly global warming, deforestation, agricultural chemicals and hunting.

The main problem for oceanic dolphins are gillnets trapping them and causing certain death. Other threats are overfishing and pollution of the oceans.

This animal was discovered in eastern Australia only recently, but it is now in danger due to the bush fires. Its diet of insects and spiders has already been diminishing in the past years due to rising temperatures and draught.

Photo: Wikicommons

This elephant species is rapidly disappearing due to deforestation in South Asia and the illegal practice of poaching for the sale of their teeth and tusks.

According to IUCN, this species' numbers have declined between 1990 and the beginning of the 21st century to 130,000 hippos worldwide. Illegal hunting and the loss of their natural habitat have pushed them up the list of animals in danger of extinction.

Among their kind, South American and California sea lions are the least endangered. The Steller's sea lion is very vulnerable, however, and the New Zealand sea lion is most threatened. Humans are the main cause of its possible disappearance, as they illegally kill, hurt, and hunt the sea lion.

This species of butterfly makes an annual migration of 1,900 to 4,500 kilometers from the United States and Canada to Mexico and vice versa. Its main causes of extinction are climate change and loss of habitat.

This monkey's voice can be heard over two miles away, but it is less and less heard. The cause is hunting, both for sport and for economic sustenance.

The only mammal capable of real flight by spreading its wings could disappear in a few years. The bat is linked to wetlands, so climate change is proving catastrophic for the species.

This animal species like many others is being greatly affected by climate change. However, there are other factors such as plastic in the oceans and nutritional stress that have a very negative influence on the species.

The green peacock decreased in population during the second half of the 20th century because of over-hunting and habitat destruction.

According to a study by BirdLife International and the Australian National, 28% of Psittaciformes, parrots, macaws, cockatoos, parakeets are in a critical state of conservation.

Another animal that has seen its population decline significantly is the zebra. It rose from "Least Concern" to "Near Threatened" in a short time, according to the IUCN. The reason for this situation is illegal hunting, especially in Kenya.

The giant alpine spider is in danger of extinction due to the high temperatures caused by climate change.

This species has a very low reproduction rate, which complicates its re-population after a decline.

This emblematic animal of cultures as the Chinese and the Indian is in danger of extinction for different reasons. While tigers threaten them, their main predator is the human being - hunting them, degrading the soil and deteriorating their habitat.

Photo: By Cornellier - Own work, Wikicommons

The main causes for their disappearance, according to IUCN, are incidental catches by fishermen, the ingestion of plastics, the destruction of their habitat and the illegal hunting of their eggs.

This fish is an endangered species due to our excessive tuna consumption.

This animal is threatened by deforestation, hunting and intensive agriculture.