India has a staggering variety of flora and fauna, including some of the rarest species in existence on the planet. There is so far a paucity of information for the general public on the status, biology, and major threats to the endangered species of our country. As per the latest quantitative evaluation done by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) there are 57 critically endangered species of animals in India.

Critically endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List to wild species. There are five quantitative criteria to determine whether a taxon is threatened. A taxon is critically endangered when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the following criteria:

• Populations have declined or will decrease, by greater than 80% over the last 10 years or three generations.
• Have a restricted geographical range.
• Small population size of less than 250 individuals and continuing decline at 25% in 3 years or one generation.
• Very small or restricted population of fewer than 50 mature individuals.
• High probability of extinction in the wild.

Critically Endangered Species

• White-bellied Heron: Ardea insigriis
• Spoon-billed Sandpiper: Eurynorhynchus pygmeus
• Siberian Crane: Grus leucogeranus
• White-rumped Vulture: Gyps beng alensis
• Indian Vulture: Gyps indicus
• Slender-billed Vulture: Gyps tenuirostris
• Forest Owlet: Heteroglaux blewitti
• Bengal Florican: Houbaropsis bengalensis

Critically Endangered Animals

• Mammals, Reptiles. Amphibians, Fishes: Knife tooth Sawfish-Anoxypristis cuspidata
• Four-toed Terrapin: Batagur baska
• Red-crowned Roofed Turtle: Batagur kachuga
• Namdapha Flying Squirrel: Biswamoyo pterus biswasi
• Pondicherry Shark: Carcharhinus hemiodon
• Large Rock rat: Cremnomys elvira
• Andaman White- toothed Shrew: Crocidura andamanensis
• Jenkins’s Shrew: Crocidura jenkinsi
• Nicobar Shrew: Crocidura nicobarica
• Leatherback: Dermochelys coriacea
• Sumatran Rhinoceros: Dicerorhinus sumatrensis
• Hawksbill Turtle: Eretmochelys imbricata; – Fejervarya murthii
• Fish-eating Crocodile: Gavialis gangeticus
• Ganges Shark: Glyphis gangeticus – Indirana gundia; – Indirana phrynoderma. – Ingerana charlesdarwini; Deccan Labeo – Labeo potaü; – Micrixalus kottigeharensis
• Kondana Rat: Miflardia kondana- Philautus chalazodes; – Philautus griet – Philautus ponmudi; – Philautus sanct isilvaticus; – Philautus shillongensis; -Philautus sp ‘Amboli Forest’; – Philautus sp ‘Munnar’
• Pygmy Hog: Porcula salvania
• Leichardt’s Sawfish: Pristis microdon
• Narrowsnout Sawfish: Pristis zijsron; -Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus
• Javan Rhinoceros: Rhinoceros sond aicus
• Malabar Civet: Viverra civettina