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APES - Endangered Species (Extra Credit)


 * What is an endangered, or threatened species?**

An endangered, or threatened species, is a species that is at risk of extinction because it has a declining population or is threatened by a changing environment (with or without human influence). One of the most common causes is habitat destruction. According to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), approximately 40% of all organisms are threatened (based on their criteria).

**What is the IUCN Red List?**

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the "world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. This list categorizes species based on status. The nine categories are:
 * Extinct (EX) - no individuals remaining
 * Extinct in the Wild (EW) - known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range
 * Critically Endangered (CR) - Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild
 * Endangered (EN) - High risk of extinction in the wild
 * Vulnerable (VU) - High risk of endangerment in the wild
 * Near Threatened (NT) - Likely to become endangered in the near future
 * Least Concern (LC) - Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category
 * Data Deficient (DD) - Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction
 * Not Evaluated(NE) - Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria

***All information acquired from wikipedia.org or iucnredlist.org


 * All photos link back to original source (must click on photo).**