13 Threatened Animals Of The Ocean (PHOTOS)

There are currently 620 species of marine animals designated as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List. These animals are in danger of becoming extinct, and are an important reminder as to why we humans need to clean up our act and work to protect our oceans from pollution and overfishing. Because of our destructive ways, there are innumerable others inhabiting the oceans that are quickly on their way to joining these 620 species, threatened with extinction.

We've compiled 13 of the many beautiful, amazing, and awesome ocean animals that are in trouble.

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Hawksbill Turtle

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Spread all across the world, the Hawksbill Turtle is listed as critically endangered with approximately 8,000 nesting females remaining. The loss of coral reef communities is a global threat to the turtles, as they rely on them for food and habitat. In many countries they are hunted for food, leather, oil, perfume and cosmetics. In addition, their shells are the primary source of "tortoise shell" material.

Sharks!

London Beekeepers Protest -- April 2013

Least Environmental Senators

Texas Tornadoes 5/15/2013

Hybrid Cars

Shell Drill Ship

Spread all across the world, the Hawksbill Turtle is listed as critically endangered with approximately 8,000 nesting females remaining. The loss of coral reef communities is a global threat to the turtles, as they rely on them for food and habitat. In many countries they are hunted for food, leather, oil, perfume and cosmetics. In addition, their shells are the primary source of "tortoise shell" material.

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I think they'll be OK. Really Serious

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Comments

[PhilipTaylor]

03:03 AM on 04/11/2010

Here is WHY 01L COMPANIES (AND REPUBLICANS) WANT GLOBAL WARMING:

THEY CAN DRILL AT THE NORTH POLE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9UgvEDzcso&feature=player_embedded

[Charlie King]

04:29 PM on 03/31/2010

Dude. Coral is totally an animal. It's a cnidarian, just like anemones and jelly fish.

[LucieLee]

08:34 AM on 03/31/2010

We need to care more.......

[bleedingheart9]

12:55 AM on 03/31/2010

They are not "Our Oceans," they are the world's oceans, and if anything, we are very poor stewards of the seas. We should stop acting like we own this planet and everything on it and determine that it, in fact, owns us. If the earth really is our garden, must we not tend to it correctly in order merely to survive?

[CH0001]

10:44 PM on 03/30/2010

Funny. I noticed that there is no mention on this site about Obama approving an offshore drilling plan...

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62T06520100330

[sparky73]

10:58 PM on 03/30/2010

Obama sells us out again.

[IsisCat]

06:06 AM on 03/31/2010

Upsetting. For sure.

[QueenCeleste]

05:50 AM on 03/31/2010

I know, just unbelievable. "Drill baby drill" indeed.

[Louis Leo IV]

07:59 PM on 03/30/2010

I wonder how long it will be before humans make the list?

[IsisCat]

05:58 AM on 03/31/2010

At the rate at which our population is growing... a very very very long time.

[Crass Innuendo]

12:22 PM on 03/31/2010

You're not considering a rapidly increasing human population and its effects on available resources. And that's not even taking into account how we've s##t our own nest.

It could happen quickly and sooner than we think.

If it helps set things aright, I gladly welcome even my own death.

[TidalShadow]

05:55 PM on 03/30/2010

Coral aren't technically animals? They most certainly are. While the calcium carbonate structure of staghorn corals isn't alive, the polyps that live inside are both alive and animals. If one wishes to argue that coral aren't animals because of their symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic bacteria, then giant clams shouldn't be considered animals either.

Coral are cnidarians, related to jellyfish. They may not exactly be the most complex life on the planet, but that doesn't preclude them from being animals. Do a little research next time!

[leshirley]

11:08 PM on 03/30/2010

THANK YOU... You beat me to it! As an invert nerd, I'm always amazed and disappointed by how many people make this mistake over and over and over again!

[edva]

03:53 PM on 03/30/2010

Let's see, humans approaching ten billion, with no limit in sight, and gentle souls of the sea down to a mere few thousand. How horribly, horribly wrong we have gone. Humans ARE the problem, and all of the heroic, noble efforts of the few real environmentalists only possibly reduce the speed at which the problem grows. Which is of course better than doing nothing. But until humans can control themselves, the end result is inevitably the same.

[FredKnowsBest]

04:45 PM on 03/30/2010

If the human population grows too large, the population will crash at some point.

[edva]

05:22 PM on 03/30/2010

If?

[TrueLiberty]

09:51 PM on 03/30/2010

Maybe you supported the efforts of Mao, Stalin and Pol Pot to get rid of them pesky humans?

[Crass Innuendo]

12:31 PM on 03/31/2010

And the first "wow, I'm fantastically stupid" award of the day goes to...

[EHarold]

01:39 PM on 03/31/2010

I think that we've turned evolution on it's head and screwed up the entire system. It's ok though, soon a nasty virus will PWN us all and kitties will rule the world.

[pclayton]

02:43 PM on 03/30/2010

I got the message from the Mediterranean Monk Seal: people, go away. These poor animals have to hide in caves to get away from us. What man has wrought.

[TrueLiberty]

09:48 PM on 03/30/2010

That's right, get rid of all the people. Animals first.

[IsisCat]

06:04 AM on 03/31/2010

How about life first. What do you think the planet would be like for you and yours if we completely destroyed all the ecosystems on which we depend.

Grow a brain.

[Just4theHalibut]

01:59 PM on 03/30/2010

Nope, got it partly wrong about Steller sea lions. Gulf of Alaska (Eastern) stocks are doing ok.
Western (Bering sea, Aleutians) stocks are in trouble. Overfishing is one of many, not all mutually exclusive, hypotheses. See official site
http://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/alaska/sslhome/decline.php

[Uosdwis]

12:11 PM on 03/30/2010

Star Trek IV wasn't kidding..

[smallberries]

10:47 AM on 03/30/2010

The manatee, cousin of the dugong should have been listed.

[QueenCeleste]

04:08 AM on 04/01/2010

Completely agree.

[OneConservative]

10:09 AM on 03/30/2010

We cannot let these critters go extinct. Those are some tasty critters listed up there.

[LeFlaneur]

10:55 AM on 03/30/2010

I am very impressed by how tough you are. It is clear you are no sissy and don't let your clear thinking get clouded by emotion and sentimentality. Nothing gets in the way of you doing what you gotta do, and getting what you want. All in all that is very manly.

Did I get it right? Is that what you wanted to hear?

[doodlebug2]

04:25 PM on 03/30/2010

don't worry, there are always one or two&%k's like this when an article like this is posted.
They are so cool, andso he manly to mention it, plus a real dork as a icon.

[MagicalPossibilities]

01:40 PM on 03/30/2010

I wonder if the Great White would find you tasty?

[pclayton]

02:33 PM on 03/30/2010

I second your response to the "critter" guy. Thank you!

[FredKnowsBest]

04:46 PM on 03/30/2010

Nope, great whiles prefer sea lions.

[DavidF07]

09:45 AM on 03/30/2010

Sea Otters, whose numbers were once estimated at 150,000–300,000 between 1741 and 1911, and the world population fell to 1,000–2,000 individuals in a fraction of their historic range. Today only about 2,200 otters can be found off California's central coast.

The southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) is listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act.

There are between 64,600 and 77,300 northern sea otters residing in Alaska, Canada and Washington. There are approximately 15,000 in Russia and less than a dozen in Japan.

For more information: www.seaotters.org.

[QueenCeleste]

06:01 AM on 03/31/2010

"...less than a dozen in Japan." No surprise there! Such butchers.