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Sea Otters are well known for their cute faces and adorable behaviors(like holding one another's hands to keep from drifting apart). These playful mammals are also endangered, and can be threatened by climate change events, oil spills, and other oceanic threats.
There are less than 60 Javan Rhinoceri in the wild. Poached to the brink of extinction for their horns, the rhinos are very susceptible to any disease or disaster that could hit their small population. This small size also leads to a decrease in genetic diversity.
The Hawaiian Crow is extinct in the wild-- captive breeding, with the eventual hope to reintroduce them into the wild is their only hope now. This Hawaiian Crow is wearing a lei for cultural reasons ( and mostly because I think it's cute).
The Red Hills Salamander is the state amphibian of Alabama. Their preferred habitat is hardwood forest. Their range is incredibly small and restricted, and any damage to these habitats put the salamanders at risk.
The Long-tailed Woodnymph is a hummingbird species native to Brazil. Due to deforestation and fragmentation of existing populations, the species as whole is in decline.
The Guam Kingfisher is a species which now exists only in captivity. Driven to extinction by invasive predators in its native habitat, this kingfisher is kept alive through the efforts of zoos and museums. Their hope is to one day reintroduce the birds to the wild.
Like other lemur species, Ring-tailed lemurs are under major threat from deforestation. Lemurs are native to Madagascar, which has lost an estimated 90% of its original forest cover.
A distinct, narrow snouted crocodilian, the gharial is a critically endangered species found in India and Nepal. They have experience catastrophic decline due to a variety of factors, such as heavy metal poisoning, being trapped in illegal fish nets, and loss of native habitat.