Almost a third of lemurs and North Atlantic Right Whale now Critically Endangered – IUCN Red List

Gland, Zwitserland, 9 July 2020 (IUCN) – Almost a third (31%) of all lemur species in Madagascar are now Critically Endangered – just one step away from extinction – with 98% of them threatened, according to today’s update of The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. This update completes a revision of all African primate assessments, concluding that over half of all primate species in the rest of Africa are under threat. This update also reveals that the North Atlantic Right Whale and the European Hamster are now both Critically Endangered.

Headerfoto: European hamster (Cricetus Cricetus) – Credit: Mathilde Tissier (IPHC – LIFE alister)

The IUCN Red List has today surpassed 120,000 species, with 120,372 species now assessed. Of these, 32,441 are threatened with extinction.