Threatened Species - Wildlife

Many plant and animal species are threatened by the possibility of extinction. However, the seriousness of the threat varies. For example, a species with fewer than 50 known survivors living in one small area is in much more critical condition than another with 5,000 individuals living in several areas. The Survival Service Commission (now called Species Survival Commission) of International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has established four categories of threatened species. These describe the degree to which a species is threatened with extinction. These categories are:

• Endangered
• Rare
• Depleted, and
• Indeterminate