44 Species Declared Extinct in 2025!
Madrid, Jan 31 (EFE).-
A total of 44 animal, fungal, and plant species were declared extinct in 2025, according to scientific assessments by experts worldwide included in the list of a global scientific authority on the status of species.
Among the species declared extinct in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, which is updated daily, are several birds, mammals and invertebrates whose loss has been classified by experts as “irreversible.”
One of the most notable is the slender-billed curlew (Numenius tenuirostris), a migratory bird that for centuries crossed the skies of Eurasia and northern Africa and was closely related to the whimbrel, a species still found in parts of Spain.
Another species lost in 2025 is Conus lugubris, a small marine snail native to the coasts of Cape Verde. Although potentially dangerous to humans due to its venomous sting, scientists consider it crucial to marine biodiversity.
Mammals have also been affected, including the Christmas Island shrew (Crocidura trichiura), a small Australian insectivore measuring about 15 centimeters, which is now considered extinct after last being recorded in the 1980s.
Australia has also witnessed the permanent disappearance of three species of bandicoots, small omnivorous marsupials with elongated snouts, large ears and furry tails, which had adapted for centuries to extreme environments but were unable to survive human impact.
Nearly 48,600 species at risk
The IUCN warns that more than 48,600 species are currently at risk of extinction, representing 28 percent of all species assessed.
The most threatened groups include cycads (71 percent), corals (44 percent), amphibians (41 percent), and sharks and rays (38 percent).
“Species are evaluated using quantitative criteria that measure their risk of extinction, such as population size and trends, geographic range, degree of fragmentation, rate of decline and estimated probability of extinction,” Catherine Numa, coordinator of the Species Programme at the IUCN Mediterranean Cooperation Centre, told EFE.
These criteria, applied across all biological groups, allow species to be classified from “Least Concern” to “Extinct.”
“The extinction rate is much higher today”
According to IUCN data, a total of 310 species have been moved to the “Extinct” category over the past five years.
Numa noted that this figure is partly influenced by ongoing research projects, as the publication of major studies can cause sudden increases in the number of species declared extinct.
Even so, the IUCN warns that “the extinction rate is much higher today,” with clear and recurring drivers including habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, over-exploitation, emerging diseases and, increasingly, climate change.
All of these pressures are linked directly or indirectly to human activity. Nevertheless, Numa stressed that humanity still has time to prevent further losses.
“The Red List is not just a diagnosis, but also a tool to guide decisions and priorities. We know which species are at risk and why; what is lacking is action with the necessary speed and ambition,” she said. EFE
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