Of the 44,838 species assessed worldwide using the IUCN Red List criteria, 905 are extinct and 16,928 are listed as threatened to be extinct. Millions of species still need to be assessed to know their status. As a result, the number of extinct and threatened species is definitely much higher than the current estimate. A species of plant or animal is classified Extinct when scientists have concluded the last individual has died. Usually exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times throughout its historic range failed to record an individual, and the species is listed as extinct.
Number of extinct species by regions of world.
Move your mouse curser over each geographical region below and learn more about extinct species.
Data from IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
www.iucnredlist.org
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