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Endangered Species Facts
According to scientists, more than one and one-half million species
exist on the earth today. However, recent estimates state that at
least 20 times that many species inhabit the planet.
In the United States, 735 species of plants and 496 species of animals
are listed as threatened or endangered.
266 of these listed species have recovery plans currently under
development.
There are more than 1,000 animal species endangered worldwide.
There are more than 3,500 protected areas in existence worldwide.
These areas include parks, wildlife refuges and other reserves.
They cover a total of nearly 2 million square miles (5 million square
km), or 3% of our total land area.
Aquatic species, which are often overlooked, are facing serious
trouble. One third of the United States’ fish species, two-thirds
of its crayfish species, and almost three-quarters of its mussel
species are in trouble.
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