Animal species near to extinction according to Red List 2008 of Threatened Species

An extinction crisis continues to ravage the planet's animals and plants, according to the new Red List of Threatened Species. Roughly 38 percent of the world's known species are near extinction, according to a comprehensive survey done to create the 2008 Red List of Threatened Species.

There are 44,838 species on the 2008 Red List, compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Thirty-eight percent of Red List species are close to extinction, with 25 percent of all mammals on the verge of oblivion. The Red List is an annual "health check of the planet.

For the 2008 list, for the first time, every known amphibian, mammal, and bird was assessed.Species unlucky enough to make the list are grouped into eight categories, from "least concern" (low risk of extinction) to "critically endangered" (extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the near term).


Perhaps the most important basis is whether we really saved the full range of animals and plants and everything else out there.