Countries With The Most Threatened Mammal Species

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released its latest report on the Red List of Threatened Species on July 19, 2012. It shows an additional threatened species of about 2,000, of which 25% are mammals. The IUCN classifies the species according to such criteria as population size, decline, geographic distribution, distribution of fragmentation, and degree of population. The title classifications are as follows: extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened, least concern, data deficient, and not evaluated. Changes of these conditions may affect data every time a new report is issued by the IUCN.

10. Peru (55 threatened mammal species)

Peru has a list of 55 threatened mammal species living in its forests and mountains. Deforestation, logging, and poorly planned human development have all led to the problem of loss of Peruvian habitats. These losses have largely resulted in native mammal endangerment. Some of the threatened mammals in Peru are opossums, chinchillas, spiny rats, Andean cats, giant armadillos, giant otters, marine otters, tapirs, and Amazonian manatees. Peru has a long list of threatened mammal species, though the country is taking proactive steps to protect its habitats for future conservation, and working to facilitate its endangered mammals' efforts to bounce back.

9. Australia (56 threatened mammal species)

Australia has about 56 threatened mammal species within its national borders. Over the last 200 years, Australia has seen one in ten of its indigenous mammals go extinct. Part of the cause has been said to be predatory, due to the introduction of the feral cat and the red fox from Europe. Habitat loss was also credited for this calamity, caused by setting large scale bush fires for agricultural land management. Some of the threatened species in Australia are the brush-tailed rabbit-rat, spotted and northern quolls, and the dugong. The Tasmanian tiger became extinct in 1936.

8. Colombia (56 threatened mammal species)

Colombia has a list of 56 threatened mammal species in its mountains and forests. Overdevelopment , denuded forests, logging, and bad agricultural practices all have contributed to Colombian mammals losing their native habitats. There are four species of manatees that are on the endangered list there, as well as sloths, anteaters, and tamanduas. Colombia's nine-banded armadillo and the capybara are also on the list. Other mammals on the list are the jaguarundi, spectacled bears, coatis, long-tailed weasels, and the monk seal.

7. Malaysia (70 threatened mammal species)

Malaysia is beset by its prevalence of 70 threatened mammal species, which are mostly listed as such as a result of denuded forests and logging activities. According to statistics, a fifth of Malaysia's mammals are endangered. This makes the country seventh in the world ranking of countries with the most threatened species. Among the endangered mammals in Malaysia, many of the mammals in the list number only in the hundreds, such as the Malayan tiger, Sumatran serows, rhinos, and dugongs.

6. China (74 threatened mammal species)

China has its own set of 74 threatened mammal species in its denuded forests and mountains. The most famous of these are the giant panda and the red panda. Some of the endangered mammals are gibbons, macaques, monkeys, langurs, loris, bears, wolves, tigers, leopards, civets, martens, otters, seals, dugongs, elephants, and the ibex. The list goes on and on. Most of the endangered species of mammals in China are on the list only due to the discretion of the local government.

5. Brazil (82 threatened mammal species)

Brazil has about 82 threatened mammal species throughout its own territories. The country has a large biodiversity in its rainforests, which has perpetually been plagued by deforestation and logging for some time. The endangered mammals in the country are opossums, giant anteaters, giant armadillos, sloths, vesper bats, black lion tamarins, Southern muriquis, golden-bellied capuchins, jaguars, maned wolves, Amazon river dolphins, and the Southern white whale.

4. India (93 threatened mammal species)

India has its own problems with its forests and wildlands, which have resulted in 93 Indian mammals being put on threatened lists. Some of the critically threatened mammals are the Asiatic cheetah, flying squirrel, Himalayan wolf, shrews, rhinoceros, pygmy hog, civet, pangolin, and the Kashmir stag. Those that are endangered are lions, tigers, whales, hare, gibbon, elephant, wild ass, macaque, marten, langur, swamp deer, yak, tree shrew, and the red panda. The endangered Indian Rhino is pictured above.

3. Mexico (101 threatened mammal species)

Mexico has about 101 threatened mammal species. Slash and burn agriculture, deforestation, and logging are the three main culprits that affect mammal survival in Mexico. The continued habitat loss of the threatened mammals will likely result in more endangered species in the future. The current endangered mammals include the black howling monkey, the kangaroo rat, bats, shrews, Baird's tapir, rabbits, whales, and the West Indian manatee. Some of these mammals are endemic to Mexico, and would be gone from the world forever if they were to go extinct in Mexico.

2. Madagascar (119 threatened mammal species)

Madagascar lists its number of threatened mammals at about 119 species. It has been established that 90% of Madagascar's forests are gone due to deforestation and logging. Threatened mammals in Madagascar including the only surviving of the three species of otter shrew, four species of dugongs and manatees, 24 species of lemurs, the Fossa mongoose, and the giant jumping rat.

1. Indonesia (185 threatened mammal species)

Indonesia has about 185 threatened mammal species across all of its territories. Indonesia's forests contain an enormous biodiversity that, if denuded, would affect a large percentage of the world's species. Twelve percent of the world's mammal species are found in its forests. Big business interests will continue to affect this trend of extinction in the coming decades. The Sumatran tiger, orangutan, Javan rhinoceros, and Sumatran elephants are just some of the endangered mammals in Indonesia. Extinct mammals formerly found there include the Balinese and Javan tigers.