So, 61,900 species down (review by the IUCN) and 8,638,100 to go? According to a recent study published, that would be just about right.
In continuing to look for information about the number of endangered species, more and more fascinating material keeps showing up. The latest is a new study published in the journal PLoS Biology which goes directly to the question of 'How Many Species Are on Earth'?
The authors estimate there are 8.7 million species on the planet (plus or minus 1.3 million).
A New York Times article about the paper says some scientists have accepted this as a breakthrough piece of work, while others have said their number falls 'short' of the actual number, and the true diversity of life on Earth is 'far greater.'
Early on in the paper, the authors quote Robert May saying, "Robert May recently noted that if aliens visited our planet, one of their first questions would be, “How many distinct life forms—species—does your planet have?” He also pointed out that we would be “embarrassed” by the uncertainty in our answer.
If you'd like to read more work by Robert May, Google has a book he co-authored online 'Theoretical Ecology: Principles and Applications.'
Some of the highlights of the paper include:
* The number of species for all kingdoms of life: 8.7 million (plus or minus 1.3 million).
* Marine mammals number 2.2 million (plus or minus .18 million).
* 86% of the species on Earth still await description.
* 91 % of the species in the Ocean still await description.
So, this paper does lead to some measure of answer to the question of 'How Many Species Are There on Earth.' And that number is, of course, the first question needing to be answered when trying to find out 'How Many Species Are Endangered' on Earth.
And this means....more research.
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For more information about endangered species go to www.Bagheera.com
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