Denizens of the wild are disappearing at a faster rate than previously calculated. Nearly a quarter of the world's land mammal species are at risk of extinction according to an extensive survey of global wildlife, conducted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). 1,700 experts in 130 countries took part in this massive exercise. At least 1,141 of the 5,487 known species of mammal are threatened. 188 have been listed in the critically endangered category. Among the critically endangered species is the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), with only 84 to 143 adults remaining. One in three marine mammals is also threatened. The survey, has been published by the journal Science.

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