Human beings are the greatest threat to the survival of endangered species through poaching, habitat destruction and the effects of climate change.
Hello! This post will be about the top 7 (not in order) endangered species and some information about them. (IUCN- International Union for Conservation of Nature) It will also include some shocking facts and statistics.
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and invasive species.
1. Amur Leopard
Since 1996, the Amur Leopard has been classified as Critically Endangered with less than 70 of them alive today! This is because it is hunted and killed for its fur. Its territory is being destroyed for housing, farming development and human induced forest fires.
2. Gorillas
Cross River Gorillas and Mountain Gorillas are both classified as Critically Endangered and Endangered by the IUCN since 1996 – that is two out of five gorilla subspecies. There are currently only 200-300 Cross River Gorillas left in the wild, and 900 Mountain Gorillas.
3. Hawksbill Sea Turtle
The Hawksbill sea turtle is amongst the most endangered species in the world. In the last 100 years, it has lost 90 percent of its population, 80 percent of which has been lost in the past 10 years! As of 1996, the IUCN classified it as a critically endangered species.
4. Orangutan
The Sumatran Orangutan has been classified by the IUCN as Critically Endangered with approximately 80% of the population lost in the past 75 years mainly as a result of mass deforestation.
5. Sumatran Elephant
In the past 25 years, the Sumatran Elephant has lost an astounding 70% of its habitat to deforestation for palm oil plantations, agriculture and housing. Less than 2000 are estimated to exist and in 2011, the Sumatran Elephant was classified by the IUCN as Critically Endangered.
6. Saola
In 1992, the discovery of this creature, sometimes referred to as the Asian Unicorn, in Vietnam was hailed one of the most spectacular zoological discoveries of the 20th century. Yet already, this beautiful animal been deemed by the IUCN to be Critically Endangered due to hunting and habitat destruction. The Saola is one of the rarest large mammals to exist on Planet Earth, with estimates suggesting that there are under 100 of them!
7. Vaquita
The Vaquita is critically endangered with roughly 15 thought to exist in the wild and a decline rate of 50% per year!!! Mainly because of illegal fishing of totoaba. The Vaquita is the rarest marine mammal in the world.
Here are some facts and statistics:
As many as 30 to 50 percent of all species are possibly heading toward extinction by mid-century.
99% of currently threatened species are at risk from human activities, primarily those driving habitat loss, introduction of exotic species, and global warming.
The current rate of extinction is 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.
There are between 200 and 2,000 extinctions every year.
In 2019, the IUCN Red List included 30,178 species that are threatened with extinction.
Plants are going extinct almost 500 times the natural rate.
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Hunters kill almost 200,000 animals for trophies every year.
There are 3,890 tigers in the entire world.
By 2050, the number of polar bears will decline by 30%.
Over 40% of all amphibians are threatened by human activity.
Six out of seven sea turtle species are in some way endangered or threatened.
Thank you for reading this post, we hope you enjoyed it and have learned something new about the tragedy of endangered species. Comment any questions or other facts and endangered animals you know!
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Stay safe,
The Eco Sisters xxx