iucn red list - 50 fascinating facts

In the 2013 Red List update, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus borealis) was

downlisted from Vulnerable to Near Threatened, thanks to successful conservation efforts including habitat management, nest-site provision, and translocation of birds by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It inhabits fire-sustained open pine forest, nests in cavities of living old-growth trees (100+ years old) and lays its eggs from late April to early June.

850 FASCINATING FACTS

© Tim Benson

There are currently 828 species classified as Extinct on The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. An example of a recently extinct species is the Lesser Bilby (Macrotis leucura), a small marsupial that was endemic to the deserts of central Australia. It has not been located

since the last specimen was collected in 1931. Aboriginal records indicate populations possibly survived into the 1960s, but there is no evidence that the species still persists. Predation from introduced cats and foxes, competition with rabbits for food, as well as habitat degradation are thought to have caused the animal’s extinction. Below is an illustration of the Lesser Bilby, next to a photograph of its extant relative, the Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis), listed as Vulnerable.


© R. Hucke-Gaete (CBA UACH)

The Critically Endangered Franklin’s Bumble Bee (Bombus franklini) is restricted to northern California and southern Oregon. Its numbers have decreased precipitously since 1998 and the species may now be extinct. The commercialization of some

bumblebee species for greenhouse crops in North America over the past two decades is thought to have caused a pathogen spillover that has devastated wild populations. Habitat loss and widespread pesticide use as a result of agricultural intensification further endanger the future of bumblebees and other crucial pollinators globally.


© Pete Schroeder

There are 32 animal species currently classified as Extinct in the Wild on The IUCN Red List. This includes Scimitar-horned Oryx (Oryx dammah), Père David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus) and Wyoming Toad (Anaxyrus baxteri). Thirty-one of these species are

actively bred in zoos, aquariums and other animal propagation facilities, which prevent their outright extinction. All existing populations of Scimitar-horned Oryx (pictured left) are maintained in fenced enclosures of varying sizes and are subject to different degrees of management. All populations of Père David’s Deer (pictured right) are still under captive management; the captive population in China has increased in recent years, and the possibility remains that free-ranging populations can be established in the near future.


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Staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) is listed as Critically Endangered on The IUCN Red List. The species has declined by more than 80% over the past 30 years due to disease, climate change, and other anthropogenic factors. Staghorn coral is particularly

susceptible to ‘bleaching’, a response to environmental stress. Most reef-building corals contain symbiotic zooxanthellae, single-celled algae that supply the coral with nutrients derived from photosynthesis. Bleaching occurs when zooxanthellae are expelled and/or the algal pigments are degraded, giving the coral a white or pale appearance.


© J E N Veron

Did you know? Despite being considered a pest species in areas where it has been introduced (in purple), the European Rabbit

(Oryctolagus cuniculus) is classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. European Rabbit populations in their natural range (in yellow) have declined by an estimated 95% since 1950, and by 80% in Spain since 1975, due to disease, habitat loss, and human-induced mortality. This large decline has detrimentally affected the predators that depend on the rabbit, such as the Critically Endangered Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus), of which only 84-143 adults remain in the wild.


© JJ Harrison

© Iberian Lynx Ex-situ Conservation Programme/A.Rivas

All great apes (Hominidae) have been assessed on The IUCN Red List. Unfortunately, all but one species are either Endangered or Critically Endangered. Humans (Homo sapiens) are the exception, being classified as Least Concern because of their wide

distribution, adaptability, and increasing population. Humans have the widest distribution of any terrestrial mammal and live in a wide variety of habitats, largely thanks to their ability to use technology to adapt to and modify their environment. A small group of humans has even been introduced to space, where they inhabit the International Space Station.


© NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Cycads are one of the most threatened taxonomic groups on the IUCN Red List: 63% of cycad species are threatened with extinction. Cycas micronesica occurs in Micronesia, the Marianas Group and the western Caroline Islands. The species is

listed as Endangered because it has suffered huge declines across it range, largely due to habitat loss and an introduced insect pest, the Cycad Aulacaspis Scale. Trade in C. micronesica is regulated through its listing on CITES Appendix II.


© Thomas Marler

All commercial sea cucumbers have been assessed on the IUCN Red List. These animals are harvested for Asian markets, where they are valued as food and traditional medicine. Warty Sea Cucumbers (Apostichopus parvimensis) are listed as Vulnerable

due to their 30-40% decline over the past 3 generation lengths as a result of overexploitation. Most impressively, they are able to regenerate lost body parts. When forcefully handled or when exposed to environmental stress, they expel their internal organs and grow new ones.


© Richard Ling / www.rling.com

Did you know that Przewalski’s Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), the only surviving wild horse, used to be classified as Extinct in the Wild? Thanks to successful reintroductions, the species was downlisted to Endangered in 2011. It is now legally protected in

Mongolia and hunting has been prohibited since 1930. The entire reintroduced range in Mongolia is within protected areas and the species is listed on CITES Appendix I, which prohibits trade.


© Daniela Hartmann

There are eight species of pangolin in the world, four in Asia and four in Africa. In 2014, the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group re-assessed all eight species for the IUCN Red List, which confirmed that all pangolins are now threatened with extinction.

Pangolins are one of the most poached animals, largely due to demand for the Asian market where their meat is considered a delicacy and their scales are used in traditional medicine. Pictured is a Ground Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii), listed as Vulnerable.


© Scott & Judy Hurd www.h4urd.co.uk

Everybody knows about tigers, lions, and other big cats, but did you know that most wild felids are small cats? Many of these

fascinating and understudied smaller cousins are in danger of extinction but small cats receive less than 1% of the total conservation funding for wild cats! Like their larger relatives, small cats are threatened by loss of habitat and prey, poaching, and conflict with humans and livestock. Pictured are (clockwise from top): the Endangered Flat-headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps), the Endangered Andean Cat (Leopardus jacobita), and the Vulnerable Guiña (Leopardus guigna).


© Jim Sanderson & Fernando Vidal©

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Spot the geckos! Leaf-tailed geckos in the genus Uroplatus are masters of camouflage endemic to Madagascar and surrounding islands. All 14 described Uroplatus species have been assessed for the IUCN Red List, which revealed that half of them are

threatened with extinction, mainly due to ongoing destruction of their forest habitat. Unfortunately, leaf-tailed geckos are also harvested for the international pet trade.


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iucn red list - 50 fascinating facts

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