List of endangered fishes facts for kids

Endangered (EN) species are considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

Many amazing fish species around the world are in danger of disappearing forever. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) keeps a special list, called the Red List, to track animals and plants that need our help. As of September 2016, the IUCN identified 643 different kinds of fish as endangered. This means they face a very high risk of becoming extinct in the wild.

When a fish species is endangered, it means there are not many of them left. They might be losing their homes, or facing other threats. The IUCN also tracks fish that are critically endangered, which means they are in even greater danger. In total, over 1,000 fish species are either endangered or critically endangered.

Sometimes, scientists don't have enough information about a fish species to know if it's in danger. These are called "data deficient" species. Even though we don't know their exact status, these fish often live in small areas or have small populations, so they likely need our attention too.

This article will introduce you to some of the incredible fish species that are currently endangered and need our protection.

Amazing Cartilaginous Fishes
Diverse Ray-Finned Fishes
Ancient Jawless Fishes: Lampreys and Hagfishes
- Lampreys
- Hagfishes
Learn More About Fish Conservation
Images for kids
See also

Amazing Cartilaginous Fishes

This group of fish is super cool! It includes all the sharks, rays, skates, and sawfish. Instead of bones, their skeletons are made of a flexible material called cartilage, just like the tip of your nose. The IUCN has listed 124 different kinds of cartilaginous fish as endangered.

Sharks in Danger

Many sharks are facing big challenges. Some well-known endangered sharks include:

Whale shark (Rhincodon typus) - The largest fish in the world, a gentle giant.
Zebra shark (Stegostoma tigrinum) - Known for its beautiful striped pattern when young.
Dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus) - A large, slow-growing shark found in many oceans.
Shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) - One of the fastest sharks in the ocean.
Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) - The second-largest fish, it filters tiny plankton from the water.
Gulper shark (Centrophorus granulosus) - A deep-sea shark.

Skates and Rays Needing Help

Skates and rays are flat-bodied fish that glide through the water. They are closely related to sharks. Some endangered species include:

Maugean skate (Dipturus maugeanus) - A unique skate found only in Tasmania.
Winter skate (Leucoraja ocellata) - Lives in the colder waters of the North Atlantic.
Giant manta ray (Mobula birostris) - The largest ray, known for its graceful swimming.
Giant freshwater whipray (Urogymnus polylepis) - A huge ray living in freshwater rivers.
Javanese cownose ray (Rhinoptera javanica) - Named for its distinctive snout.

Sawfish and Guitarfish

Sawfish are famous for their long, saw-like snouts. Guitarfish look a bit like sharks and rays combined. Both groups are highly endangered.

Knifetooth sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata) - One of the five sawfish species, all of which are critically endangered or endangered.
Dwarf sawfish (Pristis clavata) - The smallest sawfish species.
Shortnose guitarfish (Zapteryx brevirostris) - A type of guitarfish with a short snout.

Diverse Ray-Finned Fishes

Ray-finned fishes are the largest group of fish, making up almost all the fish species you can think of! They have fins supported by bony rays. A huge number of these fish, 592 species and ten subspecies, are endangered. This section highlights some of them.

Salmon and Trout

This group includes popular fish like salmon and trout, many of which are important for both ecosystems and people. Some endangered species are:

Huchen (Hucho hucho) - A very large freshwater trout found in Europe.
Gila trout (Oncorhynchus gilae) - A beautiful trout native to the southwestern United States.
Adriatic salmon (Salmo obtusirostris) - A unique salmon species from the Adriatic Sea basin.
Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) - Some populations of this well-known salmon are endangered.

Tiny Toothcarps and Killifish

Toothcarps and killifish are often small, colorful fish found in freshwater and brackish environments. There are 65 species and nine subspecies of toothcarp that are endangered.

Spanish toothcarp (Aphanius iberus) - A small fish from Spain.
Owens pupfish (Cyprinodon radiosus) - A desert fish from California, adapted to harsh conditions.
Red-finned killi (Aphyosemion amoenum) - A vibrant killifish from Africa.
Pecos gambusia (Gambusia nobilis) - A small live-bearing fish from the Pecos River.

Carps, Minnows, and Loaches

This is a very large group, including many familiar freshwater fish like carps, minnows, and loaches. A significant 245 species in this group are endangered.

Zebra loach (Botia striata) - A popular aquarium fish known for its stripes.
Bala shark (Balantiocheilos melanopterus) - A large, active fish, despite its name, it's a carp, not a shark.
Humpback chub (Gila cypha) - A unique fish with a distinctive hump, found in the Colorado River basin.
Red line torpedo barb (Sahyadria denisonii) - A colorful fish from India, popular in aquariums.
Black mahseer (Tor khudree) - A large, powerful carp from India, important for sport fishing.

Catfishes with Whiskers

Catfishes are known for their prominent whiskers, called barbels, which they use to find food. Many species are endangered.

Wagur (Clarias magur) - An air-breathing catfish from South Asia.
Imperial white collared yellow catfish (Horabagrus nigricollaris) - A striking catfish from India.
Mexican blindcat (Prietella phreatophila) - A rare, sightless catfish living in underground caves.
Iridescent shark (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) - A large river catfish, often farmed for food.

Perches and Cichlids

This is another huge and diverse group, including many popular food and aquarium fish. 133 species in this order are endangered.

Hong Kong grouper (Epinephelus akaara) - A valuable food fish from Asian waters.
Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) - A large, important reef fish in the Caribbean.
Bluemask darter (Etheostoma akatulo) - A small, colorful fish from North American streams.
Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) - A very large and distinctive reef fish.
Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) - A highly prized and fast-swimming ocean fish, some populations are endangered.
Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) - A beautiful aquarium fish with limited habitat.

Other Unique Ray-Finned Fishes

Many other fascinating ray-finned fish species are also endangered:

Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) - A large, ancient fish known for its caviar.
Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) - An important migratory eel species.
Cape seahorse (Hippocampus capensis) - A tiny seahorse found only in South Africa.
Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) - A very large flatfish from the Atlantic Ocean.
Pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) - A rare sturgeon from the Missouri and Mississippi River systems.

Ancient Jawless Fishes: Lampreys and Hagfishes

These are some of the most ancient types of fish on Earth, and they don't have jaws like most other fish. They are very unique!

Lampreys

Lampreys are eel-like fish. Some live in freshwater, and others migrate to the ocean. An endangered species is the Turkish brook lamprey (Lampetra lanceolata).

Hagfishes

Hagfishes are deep-sea creatures that look like eels. They are known for producing a lot of slime when threatened! Two endangered species are Myxine paucidens and Paramyxine taiwanae.

Learn More About Fish Conservation

If you're interested in learning more about fish and how we can protect them, check out these other articles:

Images for kids

Cartilaginous fish like sharks and rays have skeletons made of cartilage, not bone.
Ray-finned fish are the most common type of fish, with fins supported by bony rays.