I was a little surprised that I have over 30 threatened species… just goes to show how many species are threatened now days.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&threatened&user_id=teellbee&view=species
1 Like
This is a good point for everyone to be aware of.
And conversely, when local statuses are included for a species, it will be included by the threatened filter even if the species is globally secure. For example, in my version of the filter (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&threatened&user_id=jdmore&view=species), alongside many truly threatened or endangered species, common sagebrush is listed, because it has a local Imperiled status at the edge of its range in Alberta, Canada.
1 Like
Also note that the Threatened/Status info on iNat includes a mix of definitions related to the concept of being threatened. There’s information from NatureServe for Global, National or State rarity that is independent of any legal status. IUNC as previously mentioned. There are also Federal and State legal statuses listed. I’m not sure how complete any of this is in iNat.
Usually when I hear threatened or endangered, it the federal legal status they’re talking about. Sometimes the true rarity and legal status align. But there are many cases where species are somewhat secure and have federal protections. There are many more cases where species are very very rare and have no protection at all. Taxonomic bias, charismatic megafauna, venomous, etc all play into legal status.
Glancing at my own list… Bald Eagle is federally listed, Coral Bean is rare in NC but pretty common further south, Roanoke Bass is only native to 2 river basins, and Northern Barrens Tiger Beetle is pretty rare across it’s entire range.
“Precautionary” and “wildly inaccurate” may be synonyms here. :-)
Merlin are an odd case testing how iNat treats these status issues. (Or perhaps how NatureServ does…) There may be old nesting records (I’m not sure), but they’ve never stopped being spring and fall migrants – we expect to see several hundred each fall at Illinois Beach. They’re actually increasing as a winter resident as well, which is new at least in N. Illinois. And, there have been 2-3 nesting attempts in recent years, including one out in Rockford that was documented as being successful. If there are old nesting records, then the Extirpated status would make sense (as a breeding species, of course), until the recent records.
1 Like
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/107409146
Waynad bush frog ( Pseudophilautus wynaadensis )
1 Like
Yes. I got this from petpedia:
“The data gathered by the IUCN includes 30% of all sharks and rays, 14% of birds, 25% of mammals, 34% of conifer trees, and 27% of all selected crustaceans. In other words, 27% of all assessed species are endangered.”
The same source says that in 2020, 65 North American plants went extinct, as did 15% of the world’s mite fauna. Mites! And between 2 and 20 extinctions every day. I have not been able to find data on how many undiscovered species have gone extinct.
My above list in Hawaii, I limited only to those designated EN or CR. It would have been a longer list if I had also included TH and VU. I think it would upset me too much if I looked at my global observations.
2 Likes
endagered/vulnerable list according to the iNat filter (plus a few I don’t have up on here)
Gray bats Myotis grisescens
Alabama Cave Shrimp Palaemonias alabamae
TN Cave Salamander Gyrinophilus palleucus
A cave shrimp yet to be described but should/would be
cave bristletail in process of being described but should/would be
…really a lot of cave life I see probably should be, if it isn’t.
Tellico Salamander Plethodon aureolus
Junaluska Salamander Eurycea junaluska
Long-tailed Salamander Eurycea longicauda
American Chestnut Castanea dentata
1 Like
Reading about your seal reminded me that many years ago (and long before I was interested in identifying things around me) I saw a seal on a deserted beach on Kauai - so I went and found my old pictures and uploaded the seal one to inaturalist and turns out it also was a Hawaiian Monk Seal. So now I know I have seen one endangered species myself as well!
I apparently also got lots of “threatened” or “vulnerable” plants but this seal is the only one that is “globally endangered”.
1 Like
Checking the Red Book of Russia, here, without Crimea, I have 28 species, only 8 of them are shown in iNat search for rare taxa.
Plus there’re local Red Books: Leningrad Oblast - 34 species (5 in search), Saint-Petersburg - 30 species (none in search), Moscow - 56 species (2 in search), Moskow Oblast - 34 species (3 in search), Altai Republic - 10 species (3 in search), and for Ryazan Oblast - 6 species (none in search).
p.s. created a needed project
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.