Endangered Species Criteria

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The Question:

What qualifies an animal to be listed as "endangered"?

An endangered species is one in danger of becoming extinct. For the exact legal definition, you can check out the Endangered Species Act of 1973, but that's what it boils down to.

We have some statistics about endangered and threatened species worldwide, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has a complete list of endangered and threatened species.

—The Editors