Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation

Neofelis nebulosa

Clouded leopards' habitat includes Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Indochina, Sumatra, Borneo, and China. They are one of two cat species that can climb down trees head first. Unlike other cats, they can neither roar nor purr.

The cats are carnivores that prey on gibbons, macaques, deer, boars, birds, and rodents. They are considered vulnerable due to:

• Poaching for skins, bones, and meat.
• Loss of habitat.
• Deforestation.
• Human encroachment.

Equus ferus przewalskii

Przewalski's horses, extinct in the wild and considered critically endangered, were last found in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. The name comes from Russian explorer Nikolai Przewalski, who first described them scientifically in the 1870s.

The horses grazed on grass and leaves from shrubby trees. In addition to SCBI, scientists are working to re-introduce them in Mongolia, China, and Kazakhstan. They are extinct in the wild due to:

• Human encroachment.
• Changes in the environment.
• Hunting.
• Loss of habitat.

Ailurus fulgens

Red pandas are not close relatives of giant pandas, although both are native to Asia; red pandas are found in Myanmar (Burma) and China.

Their primary diet is bamboo leaf tips and shoots, but they also forage for roots, succulent grasses, fruits, insects and grubs. They have been known to kill and eat birds and small mammals. The species is considered endangered due to:

• Loss of habitat.
• Deforestation.
• In-breeding due to declining population.
• Poaching for their fur.

Oryx dammah

This oryx, which is extinct in the wild, once lived in the Sahara and Sahel regions of Northern Africa, including Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Sudan.

The animals are adapted to desert life, getting moisture from grasses, herbs, roots, buds, wild melon, twigs, and shoots. Scientists are working on re-introduction plans after non-captive populations went extinct due to:

• Human encroachment.
• Over-hunting.
• Drought.
• Loss of food due to excessive livestock grazing.

Grus japonensis

The red-crowned crane of Russia, China, Mongolia, and Japan, is one of the world's largest cranes, at about 5 feet tall. It nests in deep-water marshes with standing vegetation. Some populations are migratory.

Its diet includes fish, amphibians, rodents, reeds, grasses, heath berries, corn, and rice. The species is considered endangered due to:

• Loss of habitat.
• Deforestation.
• Human encroachment.
• Pesticide poisoning.

Chrysocyon brachyurus

The maned wolf of South America looks like a long-legged fox, but is a distinct species. Its habitat includes parts of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Peru. Instead of howling, they make loud barks or roars​.

Maned wolves are omnivorous — they eat fruits, vegetables, small animals, birds, and insects. The species is considered near-threatened due to:

• Loss of habitat.
• Susceptibility to disease.
• Poaching for their organs.
• Human encroachment.

Acinonyx jubatus

Cheetahs, which have become extinct in at least 13 countries, are most prevalent in Kenya, Tanzania, Namibia, and Botswana. The Asiatic cheetah in Iran is critically endangered.

They are carnivorous and eat a variety of animals such as small antelope (springbok, steenbok, duikers, impala, gazelles), warthogs, oryx, roan, sable, game birds, and rabbits. They are considered vulnerable due to:

• Loss of habitat.
• Human encroachment.
• Limited genetic diversity.
• Susceptibility to disease.

Lanius ludovicianus

The loggerhead shrike, which can be found throughout North America, is sometimes called the butcher bird or thorn bird because it will impale prey on sharp objects, such as thorns.

It has a varied diet that includes invertebrates, grasshoppers, beetles, rodents, frogs, turtles, small reptiles, ground squirrels, voles, mice, shrews, and small songbirds. Populations have fallen in the last century, and the birds are considered at risk due to:

• Pesticide poisoning.
• Loss of habitat.
• Human encroachment.
• Loss of prey.