Threatened mammals of Europe Facts for Kids

Threatened mammals are amazing animals that need our help! They live in or visit different parts of Europe, the East Atlantic Ocean, and nearby islands. This includes places like Iceland, the Mediterranean Sea, and even parts of Russia.

This list comes from the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species (IUCN). The International Union for Conservation of Nature is a group that helps find animals and plants that are in danger of disappearing forever. They work hard to protect these species before it's too late.

Animals on this list are grouped by how much danger they are in:

Vulnerable (VU): These animals are likely to become endangered if we don't protect them.
Endangered (EN): These animals are at high risk of disappearing from the wild.
Critically Endangered (CR): These animals are in extreme danger and could disappear very soon.
Extinct (EX): Sadly, these animals have already disappeared completely from Earth.

A Barbary sheep, also called an aoudad.

The southwestern water vole.

A giant blue whale swimming in the ocean.

A fin whale coming up for air.

A European bison in a park.

An old painting of an aurochs.

A hooded seal pup on the ice.

Wild horses running.

A North Atlantic right whale mother and her calf.

The Pyrenean desman.

A Chinese water deer.

An Iberian lynx.

A Barbary macaque.

A Mediterranean monk seal.

A European mink.

A long-fingered bat.

A sperm whale.

A Sardinian long-eared bat.

Polar bears in the snow.

A marbled polecat.

Critically Endangered Mammals

These animals are in the most danger. They need urgent help to survive.

Bavarian Pine Vole

Scientific name: Microtus bavaricus
This small rodent lives in Austria. It used to live in Germany too.
It's critically endangered because its home is shrinking.

European Mink

Scientific name: Mustela lutreola
This furry animal lives in parts of France, Romania, Russia, Spain, and Ukraine.
It has disappeared from many other European countries.

Mongolian Saiga

Scientific name: Saiga tatarica
This unique antelope lives in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, and other Central Asian countries.
It's critically endangered due to hunting and habitat loss.

Endangered Mammals

These animals face a very high risk of disappearing in the wild.

Sei Whale

Scientific name: Balaenoptera borealis
This large whale lives in oceans all over the world, including parts of the Atlantic.
It was heavily hunted in the past.

Blue Whale

Scientific name: Balaenoptera musculus
The blue whale is the largest animal on Earth. It lives in all oceans.
Like the sei whale, it was hunted a lot, making it endangered.

Fin Whale

Scientific name: Balaenoptera physalus
This is the second-largest whale. It lives in oceans worldwide.
It's endangered due to past whaling.

Przewalski's Horse

Scientific name: Equus ferus przewalskii
This wild horse used to live across many parts of Europe and Asia.
It was once extinct in the wild but has been reintroduced to Mongolia.

North Atlantic Right Whale

Scientific name: Eubalaena glacialis
This whale lives in the North Atlantic Ocean, near Canada and the United States.
It's one of the most endangered large whales.

Canarian Shrew

Scientific name: Crocidura canariensis
This tiny shrew is found only on the Canary Islands in Spain.
Its small home makes it very vulnerable.

Iberian Lynx

Scientific name: Lynx pardinus
This beautiful wild cat lives in Spain and possibly Portugal.
It's one of the most endangered cat species in the world.

Barbary Macaque

Scientific name: Macaca sylvanus
This monkey lives in Algeria and Morocco. There's also a group in Gibraltar.
Their numbers are decreasing due to habitat loss.

Mediterranean Monk Seal

Scientific name: Monachus monachus
This seal lives in parts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic coast of Africa.
It's one of the rarest marine mammals.

Azores Noctule

Scientific name: Nyctalus azoreum
This bat is found only on the Azores islands, which belong to Portugal.
It's endangered because it lives in a very small area.

Madeira Pipistrelle

Scientific name: Pipistrellus maderensis
This small bat lives on the Madeira and Canary Islands.
It's endangered due to its limited habitat.

Tenerife Long-eared Bat

Scientific name: Plecotus teneriffae
This bat is found only on the Canary Islands, specifically Tenerife.
Its small population and specific habitat make it endangered.

Vulnerable Mammals

These animals are likely to become endangered if conservation efforts don't continue.

Barbary Sheep

Scientific name: Ammotragus lervia
Also known as Aoudad, this wild sheep lives in North Africa. It has been introduced to Spain.
It's vulnerable in its native range.

Southwestern Water Vole

Scientific name: Arvicola sapidus
This vole lives in France, Portugal, and Spain.
Its wetland habitats are threatened.

European Bison

Scientific name: Bison bonasus
This large animal lives in forests in Belarus, Poland, Russia, and other European countries.
It was once nearly extinct but has been brought back through conservation.

Cretan White-toothed Shrew

Scientific name: Crocidura zimmermanni
This shrew is found only on the island of Crete in Greece.
Its small island home makes it vulnerable.

Hooded Seal

Scientific name: Cystophora cristata
This seal lives in the North Atlantic Ocean, around Canada, Greenland, and Norway.
It's vulnerable due to hunting and climate change affecting its ice habitat.

Pyrenean Desman

Scientific name: Galemys pyrenaicus
This unique, semi-aquatic mammal lives in the Pyrenees mountains of Andorra, France, Portugal, and Spain.
It's vulnerable due to pollution and habitat changes in its rivers.

Chinese Water Deer

Scientific name: Hydropotes inermis
Native to China and Korea, this deer has been introduced to France and the United Kingdom.
It's vulnerable in its native range.

Broom Hare

Scientific name: Lepus castroviejoi
This hare is found only in Spain.
Its specific habitat makes it vulnerable.

Corsican Hare

Scientific name: Lepus corsicanus
This hare lives in Italy (Sicily) and possibly Corsica, France.
It's vulnerable due to habitat loss and hunting.

Roach's Mouse-tailed Dormouse

Scientific name: Myomimus roachi
This small rodent lives in Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey.
It's vulnerable due to habitat changes.

Long-fingered Bat

Scientific name: Myotis capaccinii
This bat lives around the Mediterranean Sea in many countries.
It's vulnerable due to habitat loss and disturbance in its caves.

Sperm Whale

Scientific name: Physeter macrocephalus
The largest toothed whale, it lives in all deep oceans worldwide.
It's vulnerable due to past whaling and current threats like ship strikes.

Sardinian Long-eared Bat

Scientific name: Plecotus sardus
This bat is found only on the island of Sardinia, Italy.
Its very limited range makes it vulnerable.

Mehely's Horseshoe Bat

Scientific name: Rhinolophus mehelyi
This bat lives in many countries around the Mediterranean and into Asia.
It's vulnerable due to habitat loss and human disturbance.

European Ground Squirrel

Scientific name: Spermophilus citellus
This squirrel lives in Central and Eastern Europe.
Its grasslands are shrinking, making it vulnerable.

Polar Bear

Scientific name: Ursus maritimus
These iconic bears live in the Arctic regions of Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia, and the United States.
They are vulnerable because climate change is melting their sea ice home.

European Marbled Polecat

Scientific name: Vormela peregusna
This polecat lives across Eastern Europe and parts of Asia.
It's vulnerable due to habitat loss and changes in its prey.

Extinct Mammals

These animals have sadly disappeared forever.

Aurochs

Scientific name: Bos primigenius primigenius
This was a very large type of wild cattle that lived across Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
The last known aurochs died in Poland in 1627.

Sardinian Pika

Scientific name: Prolagus sardus
This small rabbit-like mammal lived on the islands of Corsica (France) and Sardinia (Italy).
It became extinct around the late 1700s or early 1800s.

Threatened mammals of Europe facts for kids

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