List of Top Endangered Marine Animals

The ocean is the largest ecosystem in the world. As it spans over 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, it acts as a home to millions of different marine animals. In fact, the ocean is so vast that a lot of different underwater creatures are still unknown! Unfortunately, due to man-made issues, such as hunting and climate change, a lot of those marine animals are on the list of endangered species. At the top of the endangered species list is different types of whales. 

Unlike the whales we see, there are numerous unique breeds that marine biologists are working to discover so that we can save as many as possible. During this research, they have been able to uncover and account for even the most unimaginable, rarest whale species. Check out our list below to find out what the rarest whale in the world is and what is causing there to be so few of its population left.

1. Spade-Toothed Whale

The spade-toothed whale is thought to be the rarest whale of all. It is located in the South Pacific Ocean. They were originally thought to be Gray’s beaked whales until two were washed up on the shore of a New Zealand beach, which provided the opportunity to study them more closely. Before this moment, nobody had even seen one before! Their polka dots give them a unique physical appearance, and their long beaks give them the ability to dive into deep waters to feed on squid.

2. North Pacific Right Whale

There are actually four different types of right whales in the world; unfortunately, there are only about 50 of the right whales located in the  North Pacific left. They were primarily wiped out during the hunting crisis. They were nicknamed the “right whale” after hunters discovered that they swam close to the shore and floated to the top of the ocean after they were killed, which made them the “right whale” to go after.

3. Western Gray Whale

 Located in the Sea of Okhotsk in the summer and the South China Sea during the winter, the western gray whale is one of the rarest whale species with only 120 remaining. They almost went completely extinct during the hunting crisis. In fact, they were thought to be extinct until a small pack of them was found in eastern Russia during the 1980s. They are still at a high risk of extinction with many found to be killed by being caught in fishing nets and their feeding grounds now a main location for oil and gas rigs.

4. True’s Beaked Whale

This population of whales is unknown since they have only been able to be positively identified a handful of times over the years. However, when they have been spotted, it’s been in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Although we don’t have a ton of information on them, this whale is known to be one of the rarest whale species as a result of being caught in gillnets and victims of noise pollution and climate change.