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'Extinction Crisis' Threatens 40% of Species
Watchdog group sees serious danger to one in four mammals
By Jonas Oransky
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Posted Sep 12, 07 1:46 PM CDT
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(Newser)
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More than 16,000 species are in serious danger of extinction, including one in four mammals and one in three amphibians being monitored by a global conservation group. With 40% of 40,000 surveyed species facing the highest levels of threat, “We’re at code red,” a top conservationist says of the World Conservation Union's annual list, the Guardian reports.
The list includes 180 new species. Just one animal—the Mauritius echo parakeet—saw its status improve, and only from “critically endangered” to merely “endangered.” Climate change and El Nino are major threats, though the full story is more complicated: The western lowland gorilla, for example, has suffered from Ebola, the bushmeat trade, and spreading oil palm plantations.