Answer: A, Pangolin

Face to face: Found in Africa and Asia, pangolins ride on their mothers' tails for the first three months of life. Pangolins are the only mammals completely covered in scales.

Threats: Though they face habitat loss, populations are declining largely because of illegal trade. Some of the eight species of pangolins are considered critically endangered.

Conservation partnerships: The United States and 180 other countries are parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a global treaty whose aim is to ensure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of species. In 2016, parties banned international commercial trade in pangolins. The U.S. supports efforts to identify pangolin communities for protection, monitoring, anti-poaching efforts, and training of local customs officials.

Answer: B, Otters float on their backs so they can use their bellies like a dinner table.

Face to face: By eating sea urchins that graze on kelp, otters restore biodiversity, helping other species survive.

Threats: Thick fur that helps otters stay warm — and afloat— makes them a target for hunters. Southern sea otters, or California sea otters, face threats from pollution and loss of the kelp critical to their diet.

Conservation partnerships: The 1911 North Pacific Fur Seal Treaty protects otters and seals from overhunting. In 1911, otters lived along Alaska’s coast but were believed to be extinct in California. But in 1914, 50 otters were discovered along California's central coast.

Though southern sea otters remain endangered, public and private sector recovery efforts have increased the otters' numbers to 3,000.

Answer: D, All of the above

Face to face: Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the world’s smallest sea turtle and make their home in the Gulf of Mexico and the U.S. Atlantic seaboard.

Threats: The sea turtles face threats from predatory animals, are harmed by fishing gear and other marine debris, and face loss of nesting habitat.

Conservation partnerships: Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are critically endangered. In the 1970s, the U.S. and Mexico started the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Recovery Program at the Padre Island National Seashore near Corpus Christi, Texas. The National Park Service publishes annual nesting data for Padre Island, where between 2004 and 2023, nests increased from 22 to 137.

Answer: B, Sweeping land with their trunks, spreading seeds and encouraging biodiversity

Face to Face: Savannah elephants weigh 200 pounds at birth and can grow to 15,000 pounds as adults.

Threats: Savannah elephants face threats from the illicit ivory trade, habitat loss and water shortages resulting from climate change.

Conservation partnerships: A 2022 aerial survey, supported by the U.S., shows stable or slightly increasing elephant populations across Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The U.S. has worked with countries including South Sudan to map wildlife populations, train park rangers and educate communities on conservation.

Other partnerships use DNA testing to track ivory to improve enforcement or deploy smartphone technology to map elephant populations.

Answer: C, A naturally occurring microbe

The saiga antelope neared extinction in the early 2000s when a naturally occurring microbe caused mass die-offs in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and Uzbekistan.

Threats: In addition to the disease threat, saiga antelopes have been hunted for their horns, and development has blocked migratory routes.

Conservation partnerships: The U.S. government has supported saiga antelope conservation since 2000. Collaborative efforts through CITES spurred a dramatic 20-year recovery, with populations surpassing 1.9 million. Efforts include anti-poaching measures, habitat restoration and population monitoring.

Answer: A, In 1982, only 22 California condors remained in the wild. Over the next five years, all California condors were captured for breeding and reintroduction to save the species

Face to Face: Condors live to age 60, have a 9-foot wingspan and can fly for hours without beating their wings. Some can fly at 55 mph.

Threats: Condors face threats from environmental contamination, including fragments of lead bullets left in animal carcasses, and development.

Conservation partnerships: The California condor was listed as endangered in 1967, and in 1982 only 22 condors remained. After their capture in 1987, condors were bred in captivity. By 2023, California condor populations have grown to 560, with 350 living in the wild.

Answer: B, Since both black and white rhino species are actually gray, black rhinos can be distinguished by a hooked upper lip that allows them to graze on bushes and trees.

Face to Face: Native to eastern and southern Africa, adult black rhinos can grow to 3,000 pounds.

Threats: Hunting and wildlife trafficking brought black rhinos near extinction in the late 20th century. A 96% decline left a mere 2,300 surviving in the wild, according to the International Rhino Foundation.

Conservation partnerships: Anti-poaching and conservation efforts, including relocations, have doubled black rhino populations to more than 6,000 over 20 years. The U.S. partners with the World Wildlife Fund and Namibia to protect rhinos and expand habitat. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supports anti-trafficking measures to protect black rhinos and elephants in Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.