IUCN Study: One in Six Mediterranean Mammals Threatened with Extinction

Mediterranean mammals

The majority of mammals in the Mediterranean area is comprised of rodents, bats, shrews, hedgehogs and moles. However, eight species from the following groups are already extinct in the Mediterranean region:

• Ungulates
• Primates
• Carnivores
• Lagomorphs

Mammalian diversity: Top five countries

In descending order, the countries most rich in mammalian diversity are:

• Turkey
• Morocco
• Italy
• Israel
• France

Concentration of species

Turkey has an especially wide diversity of species, spanning many biogeographic areas. Also notable are Northwest Africa and the Levant. And while the diversity of species in the Sahara is low, the proportion of threatened species is particularly high.

Seven Mediterranean mammal species now extinct

As a result of human activity, seven mammal species are now considered Regionally Extinct in the Mediterranean.

• Lion (Panthera leo)
• Tiger (Panthera tigris)
• Addax ( Addax nasomaculatus )
• Hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus )
• Scimitar-horned Oryx (Oryx dammah )
• Persian Fallow Deer (Dama mesopotamica)
• Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius)

It is also likely that the African Wild Ass (Equus afaricanus) is extinct n the Mediterranean.

Will humans ever learn?

This study has given us historical context and concrete examples of extinction; the excuse of ignorance is no longer acceptable.

The question is: Are humans actually smart enough to learn from past mistakes?

To learn more, visit the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Download the IUCN study “The Status and Distribution of Mediterranean Mammals” for further information.

Barbary macaque image: flickr.com / CC BY-SA 2.0

Hedgehog image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/travellingred/ / CC BY-ND 2.0