Harry is a U.K.-based staff writer at Live Science. He studied Marine Biology at the University of Exeter (Penryn campus) and after graduating started his own blog site 'Marine Madness,' which he continues to run with other ocean enthusiasts. He is also interested in evolution, climate change, robots, space exploration, environmental conservation and anything that's been fossilized. When not at work he can be found watching sci-fi films, playing old Pokemon games or running (probably slower than he'd like).
A new report has painted a grim picture of the future for wildlife in the U.S.: Up to 40% of animal species and 34% of plant species are at risk of going extinct in the country, and up to 41% of U.S. ecosystems are at risk of range-wide collapse, meaning they could be lost forever.
NatureServe President Sean O'Brien said the report's conclusions were"terrifying," but he hopes it will help lawmakers understand the urgency of passing new protections, Reuters reported.The animals most at risk are snails, with 75% of freshwater snails and 74% of terrestrial snails at risk of extinction, followed by freshwater mussels , crayfish , shrimps and bees .
Among plants, cacti are the most threatened group, with 48% at risk, followed by orchids , trees and grasses . Some notable at-risk plants include the Venus flytrap , which is imperiled, and the maple leaf oak , which is critically imperiled. The scientists wrote that plants will be particularly vulnerable in the future because they do not receive the same level of conservation funding as animals do.
RELATED CONTENT—Scientists officially list 23 species as extinct, including the largest woodpecker in the US
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