Peacock tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica)
War, civil unrest, and military exercises in western India have led to the steep decline of this the only blue species in its genus; it’s also actively collected for the pet market. No one’s sure how many of these spiders remain in the wild (although whatever the number, it’s presumed to be low). IUCN’s Red List entry for the species specifies that research, assessment, and a whole slew of conservation measures are needed to help the Peacock tarantula remain extant.
Discover how a tiny spider became a biologist’s hobby of a lifetime.
Rusty-patched Bumblebee (Bombus affinis)
On the brink of extinction for years, with its numbers depleted by 90 per cent, this bumblebee species once common in over half of US states was officially listed as endangered in 2017. It was the first-ever American bumblebee to achieve this unfortunate status, according to National Geographic; it joined seven species of Hawaiian yellow-faced bees in receiving federal protection.
Dama gazelle (Nanger dama)
With Saharan grassland populations fractured and struggling to find enough to eat in order to persist, this small African antelope is represented by an estimated 100 individuals in the wild. The Sahara Conservation Fund, along with a number of zoos, is working to protect the animal in Chad, Niger, and Mali while running breeding programs with an eye towards reintroducing this large gazelle into the wild.