The Extent of Endangered Species - Essay Example

For the various groups of endangered species such as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, mollusks, and plants, the number of endangered species has generally been greater than that of the critically engendered species, except fish and mollusks. In the case of the endangered mammals, there was a gradual development in the number of critically endangered species from 169 in 1998 to 188 in 2008, except for the period 2004-2007, and in the number of endangered species from 315 in 1998 to 448 in 2008.

Similarly, there were a gradual but essential change in the number of critically engendered species in the categories of birds (from 168 in 1998 to 190 in 2008), reptiles (from 41 in 1998 to 86 in 2008), and insects (from 44 in 1998 to 70 in 2008). However, the increase in the number of critically engendered species belonging to the categories of amphibians and fish was much more drastic. In the case of the latter, the increase was from 157 in 1998 to 289 in 2008, while it was from merely 18 in 1998 to 475 in 2008 in the case of the former.

Thus, except for the case of the categories of amphibians and fish, the increase in the number of endangered species was gradual and the most alarming change in the number of endangered species is that of the amphibians. In an analysis of the various countries with the highest number of threatened species, one recognizes that Indonesia, India, China, and Mexico have the major share of the engendered species belonging to the category of mammals, while Ecuador records the lion's share for the countries with the highest number of threatened plants.

In the US, the number of engendered species in the category of fish, mollusks, and other inverts is the highest in the world, while Ecuador, Mexico, and Columbia report most of the cases of engendered species in the category of amphibians. In the case of engendered species in the category of birds, Brazil, Peru, Indonesia, and Columbia have the most number of threatened species. In countries like Australia and China, the number of engendered species in the category of reptiles is the highest.

Therefore, analyzing the data of engendered species belonging to various categories and countries, it becomes lucid that there is an essential increase in the number of engendered species and certain countries are especially vulnerable to the changes in the number of engendered species.