10. Baiji Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer)
The baiji dolphin, also known as the Yangtze river dolphin, inhabited China’s Yangtze River for millions of years. Tragically, by 2006 it was declared functionally extinct, the victim of pollution, overfishing, and relentless habitat destruction. The baiji’s disappearance is a stark warning of the precarious fate of freshwater species in our rapidly developing world. Its loss continues to resonate as a call for urgent conservation efforts in freshwater ecosystems.
