biology

List of animals that are extinct in the wild

List of animals that are extinct in the wild is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand List of animals that are extinct in the wild rather than just read about it. In short: As of 2026, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed 41 animal species as extinct in the wild. That is approximately 0.04% of all evaluated animal species.

Key takeaways

List of animals that are extinct in the wild belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect List of animals that are extinct in the wild to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of List of animals that are extinct in the wild from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

As of 2026, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed 41 animal species as extinct in the wild. That is approximately 0.04% of all evaluated animal species. The IUCN also lists five animal subspecies as extinct in the wild. This is a complete list of wild animal species and subspecies listed as extinct by the IUCN. Some of these species, such as Partula faba, have since become entirely extinct.

Molluscs Species

Subspecies

Arthropods Oahu deceptor bush cricket (Leptogryllus deceptor) Simandoa cave roach (Simandoa conserfariam) Socorro isopod (Thermosphaeroma thermophilum)

Chordates There are 23 chordate species assessed as extinct in the wild.

Amphibians Wyoming toad (Anaxyrus baxteri) (only in captivity and within Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Wyoming) Kihansi spray toad (Nectophrynoides asperginis)

Mammals Père David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus)

Reptiles Christmas Island blue-tailed skink (Cryptoblepharus egeriae) Christmas Island chained gecko (Lepidodactylus listeri) Hoan Kiem turtle (Rafetus leloii)

Fish

Birds

See also List of plants that are extinct in the wild

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with List of animals that are extinct in the wild

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what List of animals that are extinct in the wild claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to List of animals that are extinct in the wild before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about List of animals that are extinct in the wild ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of List of animals that are extinct in the wild

In research: List of animals that are extinct in the wild appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses List of animals that are extinct in the wild in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: List of animals that are extinct in the wild is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics IUCN Red List extinct in the wild species, Lists of animals by conservation status, Lists of extinct in the wild biota, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for List of animals that are extinct in the wild outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study List of animals that are extinct in the wild in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what List of animals that are extinct in the wild means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain List of animals that are extinct in the wild out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is List of animals that are extinct in the wild in simple terms?

As of 2026, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed 41 animal species as extinct in the wild. That is approximately 0.04% of all evaluated animal species.

Why does List of animals that are extinct in the wild matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study List of animals that are extinct in the wild?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on List of animals that are extinct in the wild.