Near Threatened animals

NT · IUCN Red List data, updated August 9, 2026

400 of the 6036 mammal species mapped on Animal World Map are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List — 7% of the dataset. They are recorded across 7 continents, most of them in Africa.

The species does not qualify as threatened today, but it is close to the thresholds and likely to cross them soon. It is the category that most often changes at the next assessment.

Where Near Threatened sits on the scale

Near Threatened species by continent

A species is counted on every continent where its Red List range description places it, so a wide-ranging animal appears more than once. The totals below therefore add up to more than 400.

How many are left

Population estimates are quoted as the assessments word them, hedges included. Most species in this category have no reliable count at all, and the ones that do are usually stated as a bound rather than a figure — which is why they are not turned into a ranking here.

African Buffalo Syncerus caffer
Approximately 400,000-900,000 individuals continent-wide, with population trends varying by region—generally stable in major protected areas but declining outside them
African Clawless Otter Aonyx capensis
No reliable global census exists.
American Bison Bison bison
Approximately 500,000 bison exist today, but the vast majority are managed as livestock on private ranches.
Andean White-fronted Capuchin Cebus yuracus
No precise global population estimate exists, but the population is considered to be declining due to continued habitat destruction across its range.
Antarctic Minke Whale Balaenoptera bonaerensis
Estimated at approximately 500,000 individuals in the Southern Ocean, though estimates vary.
Argali Ovis ammon
Estimated global population of 100,000-140,000 individuals, with an overall declining trend, though some populations under strict protection (e.
Argentine Tuco-tuco Ctenomys argentinus
Population size is not precisely quantified, but is believed to be declining due to habitat fragmentation.
Asiatic Wild Ass Equus hemionus
Estimated global population is around 55,000 individuals, with the Mongolian population being the largest (~50,000) and showing a stable to increasing trend, while other subspecies remain critically low.