Sharks Chimaeras Skates and Rays: Chondrichthyes

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists eight species of sharks and skates and rays as Critically Endangered, seventeen as Endangered, thirty-two as Vulnerable, sixty-four as Lower Risk/Near Threatened, and one as Lower Risk/Conservation Dependent. Critically Endangered means facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. Endangered means facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. Vulnerable means facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. Near Threatened means at risk of becoming threatened with extinction in the future. Conservation Dependent means that if the conservation program were to end, the animal would be placed in one of the threatened categories.