admin There are about 50,000 species that are on the IUCN Red List. Some of these are the Loggerhead Turtles, Siberian Tiger, Mountain Gorilla and the Blue Whale. 16,306 of them are endangered species threatened with extinction. This is up from 16,118 last year. This includes both endangered animals and endangered plants.
The species endangered include one in four mammals, one in eight birds, one third of all amphibians and 70% of the world’s assessed plants on the 2007 IUCN Red List are in jeopardy of extinction. The total number of extinct species has reached 785 and a further 65 are only found in captivity or in cultivation. In the last 500 years, human activity has forced over 800 species into extinction.
In 2010, a total of 47,978 species were evaluated, so let’s break it down a little further. Most mammal, bird and amphibian species were completely or almost completely evaluated. According to the results, birds are doing the best: only 12 percent of them are vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. Mammals come in next at 21 percent. Amphibians are struggling the most: 30 percent are in trouble.
How many endangered species are there in the US?
There are about 400 animals in the United States who are listed as endangered, and about 130 that are threatened. Worldwide, there are about 500 animals listed as endangered and 39 listed as threatened.
IUCN Red List refers to a specific category of threatened species, and may include critically endangered species. The IUCN Red List uses the term endangered species as a specific category of imperilment, rather than as a general term. Under the IUCN Categories and Criteria, endangered species is between critically endangered and vulnerable. Also critically endangered species may also be counted as endangered species and fill all the criteria
The more general term used by the IUCN for species at risk of extinction is threatened species, which also includes the less-at-risk category of vulnerable species together with endangered and critically endangered.
IUCN categories, and some animals in those categories, include:
Extinct: Examples: Atlas bear, Aurochs, Bali Tiger, Caribbean Monk Seal, Carolina Parakeet, Caspian Tiger, Dinosaurs, Dodo, Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Elephant Bird, Golden Toad, Great Auk, Haast’s Eagle, Japanese Sea Lion, Javan Tiger, Moa, Passenger Pigeon, Pterosaurs, Saber-toothed cat, Short-faced bear, Steller’s Sea Cow, Thylacine, Toolache Wallaby, Western Black Rhinoceros, Woolly Mammoth, Woolly Rhinoceros, Yangtze River Dolphin
Extinct in the wild: captive individuals survive, but there is no free-living, natural population. Examples: Barbary Lion (maybe extinct), Catarina Pupfish, Hawaiian Crow, Northern White Rhinoceros, Scimitar Oryx, Socorro Dove, Wyoming Toad
Critically endangered: faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future. Examples: Addax, African Wild Ass, Alabama Cavefish, Amur Leopard, Arakan Forest Turtle, Asiatic Cheetah, Axolotl, Bactrian Camel, Brazilian Merganser, Brown Spider Monkey, California Condor, Chinese Alligator, Chinese Giant Salamander, Ethiopian Wolf, Gharial, Hawaiian Monk Seal, Iberian Lynx, Island Fox, Javan Rhino, Kakapo, Leatherback Sea Turtle, Mediterranean Monk Seal, Mexican Wolf, Mountain Gorilla, Philippine Eagle, Red Wolf, Saiga, Siamese Crocodile, Spix’s Macaw, Sumatran Orangutan, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Takhi, Vaquita
Endangered: faces a very high risk of extinction in the near future. Examples: African Penguin, African Wild Dog, Asian Elephant, Asiatic Lion, Blue Whale, Bonobo, Bornean Orangutan, Chimpanzees, Dhole, Giant Otter, Giant Panda, Goliath Frog, Gorillas, Green Sea Turtle, Grevy’s Zebra, Hyacinth Macaw, Japanese Crane, Lear’s Macaw, Malayan Tapir, Markhor, Persian Leopard, Proboscis Monkey, Pygmy Hippopotamus, Rothschild Giraffe, Snow Leopard, Steller’s Sea Lion, Scopas tang, Tiger, Volcano Rabbit, Wild Water Buffalo
Vulnerable: faces a high risk of extinction in the medium-term. Examples: African Elephant, Clouded Leopard, Cheetah, Dugong, Far Eastern Curlew, Fossa, Galapagos Tortoise, Gaur, Blue-eyed cockatoo, Golden Hamster, Whale Shark, Crowned Crane, Hippopotamus, Humboldt Penguin, Indian Rhinoceros, Komodo Dragon, Lion, Mandrill, Maned Sloth, Mountain Zebra, Polar Bear, Red Panda, Sloth Bear, Takin, Yak
Near threatened: may be considered threatened in the near future. Examples: African Grey Parrot, American Bison, starry blenny, Asian Golden Cat, Blue-billed Duck, Eurasian Curlew, Jaguar, Leopard, Magellanic Penguin, Maned Wolf, Narwhal, Okapi, Solitary Eagle, Southern White Rhinoceros, Striped Hyena, Tiger Shark
Least concern: no immediate threat to the survival of the species. Examples: American Alligator, American Crow, Indian Peafowl, Baboon, Bald Eagle, Brown Bear, Brown Rat, Brown-throated sloth, Cane Toad, Common Wood Pigeon, Cougar, Emperor Penguin, Orca, Giraffe, Grey Wolf, House Mouse, Palm cockatoo, cowfish, Mallard, Meerkat, Mute Swan, Platypus, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Pigeon, Scarlet Macaw, Southern Elephant Seal Milk shark Red howler monkey
