IUCN Now Says That 32,441 Species Of Plants And Animals Are At Risk Of Extinction

The IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature), has released a new report saying that 32,441 species of plants and animals are now at risk of extinction.

There are different species now classed as critically endangered by the IUCN, and therefore, these species are now at risk of extinction in the future.

Amongst the species now at risk of extinction, is the European Hamster.

Which are also known as the Common Hamster.

These cute little animals are not thought to be so common anymore, as they have gone from being of least concern to wildlife conservationists (which means that they are animals which are the furthest and safest from being at risk of extinction) to now being extremely at risk of extinction - as they have now been reclassified as a species which is critically endangered.

European Hamsters are not the only wild animals that are now at risk of extinction.

Another wild animal which is now at risk of extinction is the North Atlantic Whale.

North Atlantic Whales were already in a vulnerable position. Before the IUCN reclassified them, these animals were an endangered species. Now though, the IUCN has reclassified these wild animals from being an endangered species to being a critically endangered species.

North Atlantic Whales are now very near extinction, as there are now only 250 mature individual North Atlantic Whales existing in the wild today.

Lemurs are other animals which are at risk of extinction. These adorable animals are only found on the island of Madagascar.

But they are in trouble.

According to NASA, Madagascar has already lost 90% of its original rainforest. This is a threat to species like Lemurs, because, if the Madagascan rainforest is destroyed, it means that they lose their forest home and their numbers dwindled in size.

Now a third of Lemurs are critically endangered, and therefore, as a result, a third of Lemurs are now on the brink of extinction. A total of thirteen new species of Lemurs are now critically endangered; there are 33 species of Lemur in total that are threatened with extinction.

Finally, a species of plant known as Caterpillar Fungus is now also at risk of extinction.

Caterpillar Fungus is only found within Tibet. The plant has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for a few thousand years now. It is a plant that has been reclassified by the IUCN as vulnerable; which means that this plant species is now vulnerable to extinction.

Once common plants and animals - such as Caterpillar Fungus and the European Hamster - are now threatened with extinction, these species are symbolic of the nature crisis that we are in.