Endangered species (Special Photography)

Tarzan's chameleon

Named after the town of Tarzanville in Madagascar where it was discovered in 2009, Tarzan's chameleon is one of the most colourful of the 61,900 species on this year's updated Red List. Calumma tarzan is critically endangered and one of 22 terrestrial reptiles listed as threatened in Madagascar, mainly because tropical forests are being cleared.

(Image: Jörn Köhler)

Coco de Mer (Coconut poachers)

Prized for its supposed aphrodisiac properties, the infamous Seychelles plant  (Lodoicea maldivica) is in even greater danger than before, moving up the list from vulnerable to endangered. IUCN says the plant is under threat from fires and illegal harvesting of its kernels. Despite strict regulations governing collection and sale of its seed, a significant black market exists for its kernals. Globally, a fifth of plants face extinction.

(Image: Jean-Christophe Vie)

Tuna

Five of eight species of tuna are now in the threatened or near-threatened categories, including the endangered Atlantic bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) pictured here. The others in trouble are the southern bluefin, the bigeye, the yellowfin and the albacore. The hope is that the listings will help governments introduce and enforce safeguards to preserve them.

(Image: © OCEANA /Keith Ellenbogen)

Hopping pharmacies

 Amphibians got this name because they are rich in natural, medically useful substances. Now many are endangered, and the 26 newly discovered amphibians added to the Red List this year include the blessed poison frog (Ranitomeya benedicta), discovered 2008 in Peru, imperilled by habitat loss and the international pet trade.

(Image: Jason Brown)

Rhino

From now on, the only place you'll see this subspecies of black rhino from western Africa is in photographs or stuffed in museums. That's because this year, the western black rhino (Diceros bicornis longipipes) is officially extinct, and others are clinging on by a thread. In all, the IUCN says that a quarter of all mammals are at risk of extinction. It's not all bad news though. One of conservation's success stories is (Ceratotherium simum simum), a subspecies of the African southern white rhino, which has soared in number from less than 100 individuals to 20,000 since the end of the 19th century.

(Image: Richard Emslie)
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