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Butterflies at Risk
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
DRASTIC DECLINE: The migratory monarch butterfly population in North America is at risk of extinction.
This past July, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) officially classified the North American monarch butterfly as an endangered species. This population of butterflies is known for their epic annual migration, or seasonal movement, from Canada and the U.S. to Mexico.
The insect’s numbers have been dropping for decades. “The main reasons for monarch declines are habitat loss and climate change,” says Karen Oberhauser, a conservation biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She hopes that the IUCN’s new classification will bring attention to the monarch’s plight and encourage people to help protect the species from extinction.
The IUCN has classified about 16,700 animal species as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. Species in all three categories are threatened with extinction. The circle graph below shows how the species under threat break down by animal group. Which group makes up the largest percentage of threatened species?
SOURCE: IUCN RED LIST, 2022
Mammals: 8%; Birds: 8%; Reptiles: 11%; Amphibians: 15%; Fish: 20%; Invertebrates: 38%