Critically Endangered Animals

Yangtze Finless Porpoise

• Distribution: China
• Scientific name: Neophocaena asiaeorientalis ssp. asiaeorientalis
• Number of animals: 500-1,800

Interesting Facts

The Yangtze finless porpoise is a small freshwater whale that lives in the Yangtze river in China. It doesn’t have a dorsal fin, which is why it’s called the Yangtze “finless” porpoise. Usually, the Yangtze finless porpoise forms groups of three to six animals. They could recover their numbers, so their status changed from "critically endangered" to just “endangered”. But how long will it stay that way? According to an estimate from 2017 there are 500-1,800 Yangtze finless porpoises left (as of November 2023; no more recent data available).

Threats to the Yangtze Finless Porpoise

• Boats on the Yangtze
• Fishing nets
• Lack of prey

Yangtze Finless Porpoise - Photo: ori2uru [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

• Table of Contents:
• 0. Introduction
• 1. Amur Leopard
• 2. Mountain Gorilla
• 3. Hawksbill Sea Turtle
• 4. Black Rhinoceros
• 5. South China Tiger
• 6. Sumatran Orangutan
• 7. Yangtze Finless Porpoise
• 8. Javan Rhinoceros
• 9. Sumatran Tiger
• 10. Cross River Gorilla
• 11. Sumatran Rhinoceros
• 12. Sumatran Elephant
• 13. Angonoka Tortoise
• 14. Saola
• 15. Summary