BIOtheNUMBERS

ANIMALS:  Estimated 10 million species inhabit the earth. Of this estimate, a little more than 1.3 million have actually been named and described by the scientific community.
Natural rate of extinction described as less than one species per year for every million species.  However, habitat destruction has led experts to estimate the current annual rate of extinction is between 1,000 and 10,000 per million species.

Total Known Animal Species (2008)
Invertebrates – 1.3 million
Fish – 30,300
Birds – 10,000
Reptiles – 8,200
Amphibians – 5,700
Mammals – 5,400

PLANTS:  Approximately 300,000 species of plants have been identified out of a total global number of 320,000

Total known Plant Species (2001)
Flowering plants – 270,000
Conifers – 550
Ferns – 12,000
Cycads – 145
Club mosses – 1,000
Mosses and liverworts – 16,000

There are about 80 species of cetaceans, which includes dolphins, porpoises and whales.

The great whale grouping includes all baleen whales and the toothed sperm whale, and range in size from 30 to 100 feet in length.

In 1994 the International Whaling Commission established a sanctuary in the waters around the Antarctic, which permanently bans whaling.  However, a loophole provides exemptions for “scientific research”.  As of November 2008, Japan reduced its  whale take from 945 minke whales to 750. However, they did not alter their quota of 50 endangered fin whales.

Great Whale Populations (IWC population estimates)

Minke whale – 970,800
Blue whale – 2,300
Humpback whale – 63,600
Fin whale – 33,200
Gray whale – 26,420
Bowhead whale – 11,730
Right whale – 7,800
Pilot whale – 780,000

There are 8 species of bears and numerous subspecies that have been recognized.

Bears vary in size from the 66 pound sun bear to the 1,500 pound brown bear.

Perhaps the most widely publicized symbol of endangered species, the giant panda was limited to only ~1,600 individuals inhabiting the wild bamboo forests in central China and a captive population of about 180 individuals in 2006.

Population of Threatened Bears as of 2007

Polar Bear – 22,000 to 27,000
Spectacled Bear – 18,250
Sloth bear – 10,000 to 20,000+
Asiatic Black Bear – 15,000 to 20,000
Giant Panda – 1,600
Sun Bear – Unknown (it is suspected that the global population of Sun Bears has declined by > 30% over the past 30 years)

As the fourth largest island in the world, Madagascar has a land area of approximately 226,000 square miles and a population over 20 million (with 3% per annum growth).  As such, the island has produced a variety of unique species and is susceptible to declining habitats as the population increases:

Threatened Plant Species: 2008

Vulnerable – 117
Endangered – 101
Critically Endangered – 62
Extinct – 4

Threatened Animal Species (IUCN critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable): 2008

Mammals – 47
Birds – 35
Invertebrates – 32
Fish – 21
Reptiles – 20
Amphibians – 8

39% of aridland birds are species of conservation concern, including 10 federally listed as endangered or threatened. These species are especially vulnerable because of their small ranges or restricted habitat requirements, or both.

60% of all aridland species and 76% of aridland obligate species have declined.

More than 50% of aridland birds are permanent residents of the U.S. borderlands.

174 condors are flying free, and the number is expected to grow each year.

Data: FWS

IUCN: Current estimates put the total population of Grevy’s Zebra remaining in the wild in Kenya and Ethiopia at approximately 1,966 to 2,447 (B. Lowe pers. comm. 2008; F. Kebede pers. comm. 2008).  From 1988 to 2007, the global population of Grevy’s Zebra declined approximately 55%.  The worse case scenario is a decline from 1980 to 2007 of 68%.  The number of mature individuals is approximately 750, and the largest subpopulation is approximately 255 mature individuals.