[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"question:97:en-US":3},{"metadata":4,"sys":15,"fields":35},{"tags":5,"concepts":14},[6,11],{"sys":7},{"type":8,"linkType":9,"id":10},"Link","Tag","global",{"sys":12},{"type":8,"linkType":9,"id":13},"land",[],{"space":16,"id":20,"type":21,"createdAt":22,"updatedAt":23,"environment":24,"publishedVersion":28,"revision":29,"contentType":30,"locale":34},{"sys":17},{"type":8,"linkType":18,"id":19},"Space","ghhpjogyw4x7","e5efb78a503c0e9b2bc487e6e170b512","Entry","2022-01-03T13:49:05.373Z","2025-01-20T09:07:24.185Z",{"sys":25},{"id":26,"type":8,"linkType":27},"master","Environment",640,25,{"sys":31},{"type":8,"linkType":32,"id":33},"ContentType","question","en-US",{"globalId":36,"answers":37,"answersAsImages":57,"wrongPercentage":96,"name":97,"questionText":98,"statistics":99,"veryWrongStatistics":102,"correctSentence":105,"youWereWrong":106,"youWereRight":107,"dataSourceShortText":108,"dataSourceLinkLongText":109,"extendedAnswerText":110,"headingVeryWrong":111,"youWereVeryWrong":112,"headingWrong":111},"97",[38,59,78],{"metadata":39,"sys":42,"fields":55},{"tags":40,"concepts":41},[],[],{"space":43,"id":45,"type":21,"createdAt":46,"updatedAt":47,"environment":48,"publishedVersion":50,"revision":51,"contentType":52,"locale":34},{"sys":44},{"type":8,"linkType":18,"id":19},"525a91871a71f473c0be8919e7da6b5a","2022-01-03T13:51:33.483Z","2024-09-30T09:07:16.810Z",{"sys":49},{"id":26,"type":8,"linkType":27},16,10,{"sys":53},{"type":8,"linkType":32,"id":54},"answer",{"globalId":56,"correctAnswer":57,"isVeryWrong":57,"answerText":58},"97-a1",false,"Birds",{"metadata":60,"sys":63,"fields":74},{"tags":61,"concepts":62},[],[],{"space":64,"id":66,"type":21,"createdAt":67,"updatedAt":68,"environment":69,"publishedVersion":71,"revision":51,"contentType":72,"locale":34},{"sys":65},{"type":8,"linkType":18,"id":19},"165cc063286425fcadf00ad2d5677db5","2022-01-03T13:51:38.877Z","2024-09-30T09:07:16.851Z",{"sys":70},{"id":26,"type":8,"linkType":27},17,{"sys":73},{"type":8,"linkType":32,"id":54},{"globalId":75,"correctAnswer":57,"isVeryWrong":76,"answerText":77},"97-a2",true,"Mammals",{"metadata":79,"sys":82,"fields":93},{"tags":80,"concepts":81},[],[],{"space":83,"id":85,"type":21,"createdAt":86,"updatedAt":87,"environment":88,"publishedVersion":90,"revision":51,"contentType":91,"locale":34},{"sys":84},{"type":8,"linkType":18,"id":19},"71a19fd3da385b27a5e8eed164e6a536","2022-01-03T13:51:44.466Z","2024-09-30T09:07:16.894Z",{"sys":89},{"id":26,"type":8,"linkType":27},21,{"sys":92},{"type":8,"linkType":32,"id":54},{"globalId":94,"correctAnswer":76,"isVeryWrong":57,"answerText":95},"97-a3","Amphibians",70,"Most threatened animal group","What group of animals has the highest share of threatened species?",[100,101],"uk 0.61","swe 0.7864",[103,104],"uk 0.496","swe 0.6019","The share of amphibian species that are threatened is 41%, which is a larger share than the 27% of mammal and the 12% of bird species.","Many birds are beautiful, but slimy and cold-blooded animals like salamanders and frogs are more threatened.","Many mammals are cute and beautiful and we adore them, but slimy and cold-blooded animals like salamanders and frogs are more threatened.","Source: IUCN Red List","As of January 2025, the IUCN had assessed the threatened status of 166,061 species and of those 46,337 were classified as threatened (either critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable), which gives a percentage of 28%. Of the total estimated species, only 8% have been evaluated by the Red List. Among the evaluated species, 41% of the 8,009 evaluated amphibians were threatened. Among the 5,991 evaluated mammal species, 27% were threatened, and 12% of the 11,195 evaluated birds were threatened. But the uncertainties are high.\n\nThe Red List uses a variety of criteria to assess the threatened state of an animal, and focuses on the worst-case scenario, potentially overestimating the level of threat. Some have argued that the criteria may be subjective and different biologists interpret them differently. The decisions are secretive and there are political motivations to listing a species as more or less threatened than it actually is.\n\nSome of the observed differences across the groups may be a consequence of biased selection of which species get evaluated in the different groups. The difference is still large enough to assume that amphibians are more theatened than birds and mammals. We asked five independent experts to provide feedback about this, and they all agreed that these Red List estimates are the most reliable numbers that exist.\n\n[1]  [IUCN Red List, Download table 1a](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.iucnredlist.org\u002Fresources\u002Fsummary-statistics#Tables_1_2)\n[2]  For this question we consulted five independent experts, including Tim McClanahan of the Wildlife Conservation Society. \n","Most people are aware of the threats to mammals like tigers and lions, who have cute little cubs. And we are mesmerized by beautiful birds and worry about losing some of nature's beauty when we hear they are threatened. Nature doesn't care if humans consider a species beautiful or not. The different species in nature depend on each other in complex ways that we are not even close to understanding. Today, some 41% of amphibians, like frogs and salamanders, are threatened. If they are lost, the ecosystem is so complex it’s impossible to predict how their disappearance will hurt other species. Therefore, they all need better protection for the sake of biodiversity, not for the sake of beauty!\n![Screenshot 2022-01-03 at 14.44.16](\u002F\u002Fimages.ctfassets.net\u002Fghhpjogyw4x7\u002F1jB5BnHm3DImwu0cZJG1Ya\u002F3a2b3e08bd8efab137aecb792ba1c012\u002FScreenshot_2022-01-03_at_14.44.16.png)\n\n[IUCN Red List Index](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.iucnredlist.org\u002Fassessment\u002Fred-list-index)\n\n### Why are people wrong about this?\nPeople who try to save threatened animals struggle to bring attention to their cause and its understandable why they end up showing images of animals that many people find amazing or cute. The public then gets the impression that the amount of threatened lizards is smaller than the amount of threatened furry mammals, because they have seen almost no images of threatened lizards.\n\n### Why is it a problem that people are wrong about this?\nEvery different species and animal group is important for biodiversity and the ecosystems they are a part of, no matter how cute or how visible the different species are.\nAs long as people see protection of nature as a beauty contest, they will continue to be unaware of the threats to amphibians and they won't realize the benefits of saving them. The survival of different species in ecosystems is intertwined in complex webs of dependencies. The extinction of a cold-blooded reptile species can indirectly result in the extinction of beautiful birds and cute mammals.\n\n### Can I trust this fact?\nYes, but it's important to realize the limitations of the Red List data, which you can red more about [here](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.iucnredlist.org\u002Fassessment\u002Fred-list-index). The vast majority (92%) of known species are NOT yet evaluated. To evaluate the level of threat you need good enough population counts and counting animals in the wild is very costly. Only 8% of known species have good enough data to be evaluated. And then there's an unknown number of species that haven't even been discovered. Many of those may already be threatened. \nDespite these limitations, the proportion of threatened amphibians is so high that we are convinced they are under more pressure than mammals and birds. We asked for feedback about this from five different experts, and they all agreed the Red List has the best available conservation data.","Ecology is not a beauty contest","Mammals have cute cubs, but you don’t realize that slimy and cold-blooded animals, like salamanders and frogs, are the most threatened."]