Carps Minnows and Relatives: Cypriniformes

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists seventeen species of minnows, carps, and loaches and their relatives as Extinct, one as Extinct in the Wild, forty-two as Critically Endangered; thirty-seven as Endangered; 116 as Vulnerable; seven as Lower Risk/Conservation Dependent; and thirty as Lower Risk/Near Threatened. Extinct means no longer alive at all; Extinct in the Wild means no longer alive except in captivity or through the aid of humans. Critically Endangered means facing extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. Endangered means facing very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. Vulnerable means facing high risk of extinction in the wild. Lower Risk/Near Threatened means at risk of becoming threatened with extinction in the future. Lower Risk/Conservation Dependent means that if the conservation program were to end, the animal would be placed in one of the threatened categories. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists twenty-six species as Endangered, or in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, and nineteen species as Threatened, or likely to become endangered in the near future.