The Wildlife Fundamentals page is the fourth in a series of “intelligent infographics” that Faunalytics will be publishing on different animal issues. Our goal with these Fundamentals is to provide a general overview of the issue at hand while also giving you useful data to help in your advocacy. These graphics and the sources will be updated periodically with the most recent data, so be sure to check back and share our latest infographics.
A special thank you to Debra Teachout, DVM for her help in putting this resource together!
Introduction / Meet The Animals
Land Mammals:
- There are approximately 100 billion land mammals
- Mammals comprise 18 out of 20 of the most charismatic species of animals
- 83% of wild land mammal populations have been lost since the rise of human civilization
- Wild mammals make up just 4% of the total mammal biomass on earth, while the remainder is made of of farmed animals
Ocean Life:
- By some estimates, there are approximately 10 trillion wild fishes in the world
- The earth is more than 70% covered in oceans, lakes, and rivers, but only 4% of marine areas are protected
- Marine populations showed a decline of about 49% from 1970-2012
- Marine life from mussels to whales are susceptible to human-made underwater noise
Avian Species:
- We used to think there were only 10,000 species of birds, but that number is now estimated at ~18,000
- Birds made a sharp evolutionary leap to emerge from dinosaurs, and are the only animals with feathers
- Only 30% of all of the birds on earth are wild – the rest are farmed birds like chickens and turkeys
- Hundreds of millions of migratory birds are killed by human-made glass structures each year
Insects And Invertebrates:
- There are about 900,000 different species of insects, about 80% of the world’s animal species
- About 40% of insect species are declining and at risk of extinction, double the rate for vertebrates
- Insect pollinators are responsible for approximately 35% of global food production
- Insect life may face new threats as humans look to consume them as an alternative protein source
Attitudes
All figures in this section taken from our most recent Faunalytics Animal Tracker studies.
Trading: Parts & Pets
Exotic Animal Trading
Around The World:
Grey Parrots:
In The United States:
Spotlight On Tigers:
- Number of tigers in the wild vs. number of tigers privately owned in the U.S.
- Tiger population decline
- Endangered tigers list
Other Sources:
Climate Change & Wildlife
Icons:
- Species distribution is changing with shifting climate
- Percentage of desert areas that are protected around the world
- Giant panda habitat that will contract and fragment by 2100
- Bullfrogs invading South America
- Insect species declining and at risk of extinction
- Potential cost of meeting Aichi conservation targets
Map:
Zoos & Aquaria
What Do Zoos Teach?
In Zoos’ Own Eyes:
Adults And Children:
Shifting Support:
Other Sources:
Promoting Conservation
Conservation Success Stories
Tigers:
The Bald Eagle:
Blue Iguanas:
Rhinos:
Global Citizen Science
Charts & Facts:
Map:
