What plants and animals are becoming extinct?

Under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 "the term 'endangered species' means any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range other than a species of the Class Insecta determined by the Secretary to constitute a pest whose protection under the provisions of this Act would present an overwhelming and overriding risk to man. "A threatened species "means any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range." In other Words, an endangered species is a group of plants or animals that is in danger of becoming extinct. Many scientists say a species is endangered when its numbers are so low or its habitat so threatened that it will become extinct in 10 to 15 years unless conservation measures are used to save it.

People who study wildlife think there are at least 10 million and possibly as many as 30 million species of plants and animals on Earth. They estimate that more than one-tenth of these species are endangered. That adds up to at least one million kinds of plants and animals that could become extinct by the year 2015.

In recent years the rate of extinction has increased rapidly in many places . In the past 300 years, about 100 kinds of mammals have become extinct. Right now hundreds of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish are endangered, as well as more than 25,000 plants. The American Museum of Natural History in New York reports: "Three species become extinct every hour of every day. More than 30 species become extinct while you sleep at night. More than 20,000 species become extinct every year."