Facts about mammals at risk

Following are key findings of the annual "Red List" report, issued during an International Union for Conservation of Nature congress in Barcelona from Oct. 5-14:

There are 5,487 species of mammals in the world. Of the 4,651 species for which enough data is available, 1,139 or one in four are in danger of extinction. At least 76 mammals have gone extinct since 1500. The last survey of mammals was in 1996 and findings and categories are not directly comparable.

188 mammals are in the worst category before extinction, or "critically endangered". Twenty-nine of these may already be extinct, such as the baiji or Yangtze dolphin in China.