Endangered Species Day is May 16—Take Time to Learn and Act This Year

Kristy Jones | Last Updated: May 15, 2025

Ocelot. Credit: Getty Images

In 2006 the United States Congress designated the third Friday in May as Endangered Species Day (ESD). ESD spotlights and advances conservation efforts for endangered (and threatened) species in the U.S. and around the world. It’s an opportunity to learn about endangered species and to take action to help these vulnerable plants and animals. The Endangered Species Coalition along with several supporting partners, including the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), promote awareness and engagement opportunities around ESD each year.

For Endangered Species Day 2025, NWF is joining forces again with LG Electronics’ (LG) ongoing campaign to highlight vulnerable and endangered species. In April, LG’s Time Square display spotlighted the West Indian Manatee. The video brings to life NWF’s partnership with NBC’s The Americas, an epic 10-part nature documentary narrated by Tom Hanks, which showcases the majestic wildlife and wild places throughout North and South America, including at-risk and endangered species like the West Indian Manatee. Currently, the biggest threats to manatees are boat collisions and loss of their primary habitat—warm water coastal ecosystems that provide seagrass beds. Check out The Americas: The Gulf Coast watch kit, that features the manatee.

Test your knowledge on the mermaids of the sea

Continue reading or scroll down to our “Take Action” section to learn how you can take action on May 16 (or anytime)!

What is an Endangered Species?

An endangered species is a plant or animal facing extinction if its population numbers do not increase. In the U.S., individual states and the federal government can list a species as threatened, endangered, or a number of other designations. The U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections are enforced at the federal level by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for certain marine species.

U.S. states enforce protections for species listed at the state level. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List provides conservation status assessments for species globally that are used by governments internationally to determine protections.

Endangered Species in the U.S.

Currently, there are over 1,300 endangered or threatened species in the U.S.

Giant Redwood, or Sequoia. Credit: Getty Images

Some of the endangered wildlife in the U.S. include:

*This list does not reflect any prioritization of endangered species; it’s an attempt to show the diversity of species, both plants and animals, endangered in the U.S.

Arizona hedgehog cactus
Blue whale
Cooley’s water-willow
Georgia blind salamander
Giant sequoia
Karner blue butterfly
Loggerhead sea turtle
Ocelot
Northern long-eared bat
Red wolf
Scalloped hammerhead shark (critically endangered)
Sandhill crane
Sea otter

Celebrating Success of the U.S. Endangered Species Act

In 2023, the Endangered Species Act celebrated its 50th anniversary. “The ESA has saved hundreds of animals that once teetered on the brink of extinction. Without its protections, we might not have gray whales spouting off our coasts today or alligators roaming mangrove swamps, brown pelicans gliding above beaches or grizzly bears lumbering through western mountains.”

One of the most successful ESA stories is about the gray wolf. After the gray wolf was listed as endangered in 1974, the USFWS, the National Park Service and other agencies got together and began to plan a reintroduction into the Northern Rockies region, specifically Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming and Montana) where the wolves had been missing since 1926.

During the timeframe 1994 to 1996, the USFWS and Canadian wildlife biologists captured 41 wolves in Canada and released them in both Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. By 2008, USFWS biologists estimated that 1,639 wolves roamed through Montana, Wyoming and Idaho—five times higher than the minimum population goal in the species’ recovery plan. With the return of gray wolves the Yellowstone ecosystem is more historically complete and resilient.

Read about more ESA success stories: The Endangered Species Act at 50 & What’s Next for Wildlife and 12 Wildlife Success Stories.

Watch NWF’s 50^th anniversary celebration of the ESA video

Education and Action through NWF and LG Electronics’ Vulnerable and Endangered Species Campaign

At the heart of NWF’s mission is to educate and encourage action for wildlife, specifically threatened and endangered species. The red wolf, the most endangered wolf in the world, was the featured animal in January, as part of LG Electronics’ vulnerable and threatened species campaign. In coordination with NWF’s state affiliate, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, NWF supports red wolf recovery efforts in the Albemarle Peninsula of North Carolina.

Watch the red wolf 3D video on LG’s Times Square billboard in New York City and test your knowledge of the most endangered wolf in the world.

The monarch butterfly was spotlighted in February as part of the Life’s Good campaign. In December 2024, the USFWS proposed listing the monarch butterfly as threatened under the ESA. The rapid decline of this once-widespread species is driven by climate change, ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation, and the unnecessary and excessive use of pesticides. NWF’s Mayors Monarch Pledge and Campus Pollinator Pledge provide educational resources and action steps to help the monarch butterfly.

Watch the monarch butterfly 3D video on LG’s Times Square billboard in New York City and test your knowledge on how to identify a monarch butterfly.

Ranger Rick® Sparks Passion for Endangered Species and Other Wildlife Among Kids

NWF believes that when we share our love of wildlife with kids, we can inspire a lifelong passion to learn about, explore, and protect our natural world. Ranger Rick®, NWF’s friendly raccoon character, helps children of all ages discover and connect with nature so that they, too, become good stewards of the environment and protect endangered species and other wildlife. Ranger Rick® magazine spotlights endangered species to help educate youth about these vulnerable plants and animals, and features fun crafts, recipes, jokes, and more to make learning fun.

Check out a few of our endangered species online resources: Path for Panthers, Gray Wolves, Floating with Sea Otters, Sea Turtle Cookies (recipe), Polar Bear Snow Gauge (craft), and 50 Ways to Love the Earth! Learn more and subscribe. Looking for more ways to introduce kids to the world’s most vulnerable plants and animals? Check out these book recommendations on endangered species from NWF’s Ranger Rick® team.

Take Action: Endangered Species Cannot Recover Without the Help of Humans

Take action for Endangered Species Day, choose one or more of the following actions to support wildlife:

Create an Endangered Species Coloring Book. Research and create a coloring book on an endangered species native to your region. A great activity for at home or in the classroom! Learn about NWF’s EcoSchools program, a certification framework for sustainability action at K-12 schools.
Be a Voice for Wildlife. No matter how big or small we think we are, when we speak up together, our voices can have a huge impact! It can be as simple as talking to friends and family, writing letters, and sharing your voice on social media.
Plant Native Milkweed to support the Monarch butterfly and other pollinators. Visit your local nursery or you can shop for milkweed through NWF’s Garden for Wildlife, the native plant collections are specially curated by region.
Build a Bat Box to support the Northern long-eared bat and other bat species. Access more tips, tools and videos to turn outdoor space into a beautiful spot that supports wildlife. Watch a how-to video to build a bat box, created by Roanoke College students.
Find out what your plastic eco-score is and adopt a new habit to reduce plastic waste and help keep plastic out of the streams, rivers, and oceans. Learn about wildlife impacts from plastic pollution.
Get Creative! Enter the Endangered Species Day Chalk Art Contest. Get outdoors and create a chalk art masterpiece to spotlight a threatened or endangered species and enter to win a prize.
Urge your Congressional representatives to fully support and help pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. This historic wildlife legislation offers the best hope for addressing the nation’s wildlife crisis.