How Many Species?

You will Never See
These Animals Alive

They are extinct, victims of human activities.

Since 1500 CE, some 80 mammal species and 216 bird species have gone extinct. Extinction rates are increasing, due to human-caused influences such as habitat loss, the introduction of invasive species, and climate change.

The mammal pictured on the left (photo from Nkensei, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons) is/was a Japanese sea lion. These docile creatures were likely driven to extinction by over-hunting. The bird on the right is/was a Guam Flycatcher (© 1981 Anne F. Maben). It was a victim of inadvertent introduction of the Brown Tree Snake which decimated Guam’s bird populations.

Many species have gone extinct due to human activities like habitat destruction, invasive species, and climate change. Biodiversity—the variety of life on Earth—is essential for food security, human health, and thriving ecosystems. Protecting species is critical for our future. Our question is, How Many Species do we have to lose before we realize that it’s a problem that we need to collectively address? Explore our site to learn more about species loss, conservation efforts, and how you can help.

Species in Decline

All groups of animals, whether mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and insects are seeing declines, both in the number of species with living representatives and in the number of members remaining in a given species.

For instance, North Atlantic right whales are among the world’s most endangered whale species. Their numbers declined from an estimate of more than 20,000 before the advent of modern whaling in the North Atlantic to about 100 in the early 1920s (1). Over the subsequent century, reduction in whaling led to a population increase to about 400. However, more than 140 of the whales have been killed or injured since 2017. Now only 370 North Atlantic whales, including 70 breeding females, remain on Earth (2).

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Why Protecting Species Is Critical Today

Protecting What’s Left!

There are many organizations sponsoring programs that try to address these problems from many angles. Most people have some affinity for some type of life other than human that they would like to see preserved. Whatever your interests, its likely that somebody has created an organization to advocate for it, and would be thrilled to have you as a supporter.

Find your Advocacy Niche!