
Ordovician–Silurian
A sudden ice age locked the planet's water into glaciers and drained the shallow seas where almost all life lived. When the ice melted just as fast, the survivors drowned in the rebound.
Biodiversity Intelligence Platform
Real-time intelligence from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Monitoring 12,518 critically endangered, 21,356 endangered, and 20,792 vulnerable species worldwide.
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Threatened
CR + EN + VU
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Critical
CR
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Endangered
EN
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Vulnerable
VU
Global Overview
Total Threatened
54,666
CR + EN + VU
Critically Endangered
12,518
Highest extinction risk
Endangered
21,356
Very high risk
Vulnerable
20,792
High risk
Declining
47%
25,449 species

Platycleis albopunctata
Mediterranean's Grey Bush Cricket vanishing from shrinking habitats
Learn more →
Total species classified as threatened per taxonomic group
Growth of IUCN-listed threatened species (CR + EN + VU) by assessment year
Note: Increases partly reflect expanded assessment coverage. Source: IUCN Red List

Earth's Mass Extinctions

A sudden ice age locked the planet's water into glaciers and drained the shallow seas where almost all life lived. When the ice melted just as fast, the survivors drowned in the rebound.

Over millions of years the oceans lost their oxygen. The great reef systems suffocated, and the warm shallow waters that had cradled early marine life turned into dead zones.

Known as the Great Dying. Colossal volcanic eruptions across Siberia poisoned the air and acidified the seas. Nearly all life on Earth vanished — the closest the planet has ever come to sterile.

As the supercontinent tore itself apart, carbon dioxide flooded the atmosphere and temperatures soared. The collapse cleared the stage for the dinosaurs to inherit the Earth.

A city-sized asteroid struck what is now Mexico. Dust and soot blotted out the sun for years, and the 165-million-year reign of the dinosaurs ended in cold and darkness.

For the first time, a single species is the cause. Habitat loss, climate breakdown and exploitation are erasing wildlife up to 1,000 times faster than nature ever did. We are the asteroid.
54,666 species are threatened right now.
The sixth extinction is not a prediction. It is a measurement — tracked species by species, in real time.
Explore threatened speciesSpecies Under Threat
Number of species classified as threatened (CR + EN + VU) on the IUCN Red List, from 2000 to 2025
48,646
threatened species in 2025
+340%
since 2000
11,046
Threatened in 2000
48,646
Threatened in 2025
+37,600
Increase over 25 years
Note: Increases partly reflect expanded assessment coverage, not only worsening status
Source: IUCN Red List
Critically Endangered

Parinari parvifolia
Parinari parvifolia faces severe threats from agricultural expansion, particularly soybean cultivation and cattle ranching that have converted vast areas of native Cerrado habitat. Mining activities targeting iron ore and other minerals in rocky outcrop areas directly destroy the specialized microhabitats where this species occurs. Frequent anthropogenic fires, often set to clear land for agriculture, disrupt the natural fire regime that Cerrado species depend upon, preventing successful reproduction and seedling establishment in remaining populations.
Aphanius transgrediens
Based on the provided information, the threats to the Aci Göl Killifish have not been assessed, so the specific dangers facing this species are currently unknown. Without a proper threat assessment, scientists cannot determine what factors might be putting this fish at risk or how severe those risks might be. It is therefore impossible to determine whether threats to this species are increasing, stable, or decreasing.

Vipera berus
Adder populations face severe pressure from habitat fragmentation as agricultural intensification and urban development destroy the mosaic of heathland, grassland, and woodland edge habitats essential for their survival. Climate change poses a particularly acute threat to this cold-adapted species, with warming temperatures disrupting hibernation patterns and shifting suitable habitat northward faster than populations can naturally disperse. Human persecution remains a significant factor, as fear-driven killing continues despite the species' generally docile nature and important ecological role.
Nicrophorus interruptus
The specific threats to Ådselgraver (Nicrophorus interruptus) have not been assessed or documented by researchers. Without this threat assessment data, it's impossible to determine what particular dangers this species faces or how human activities might be affecting its survival. The status of threats to this species - whether they are increasing, stable, or decreasing - cannot be determined without proper scientific evaluation.

Walckenaeria alticeps
The primary threat to Walckenaeria alticeps stems from the conversion and fragmentation of old-growth coniferous forests, which eliminates the stable moss layer communities essential for the species' survival. Climate change poses an additional significant risk, as rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns disrupt the precise moisture conditions required for both the spider and its springtail prey. Intensive forestry practices, including clear-cutting and soil compaction from heavy machinery, destroy the delicate forest floor structure that supports the species' web-building behavior and hunting success.

Selenodes karelica
The primary threats to Selenodes karelica stem from habitat degradation and loss of its specialized microhabitats within the boreal ecosystem. Climate change poses a significant risk to this northern species, as warming temperatures may shift suitable habitat zones beyond the moth's current range or alter the phenology of its host plants. Forest management practices and land use changes in its limited distribution area further threaten the delicate ecological balance required for the species' survival.
Most At Risk
Classification
SpeciesRadar tracks species assessed as threatened (CR + EN + VU) by the IUCN Red List. Additional categories are included where available from national red list sources.
Biodiversity data has been locked in specialist databases for too long. SpeciesRadar makes conservation intelligence accessible to everyone who needs it — from researchers and policymakers to educators and citizen scientists. This is the platform I wished existed when I started my career in ornithology three decades ago.
Dr Hem Sagar Baral
Co-founder, SpeciesRadar · Co-author, Field Guide to the Birds of Nepal (Helm) · Former ZSL Nepal Country Director
Data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Methodology · Citation guide