The Status of the World's Land and Marine Mammals: Diversity, Threat, and Knowledge

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1165115
• Publication Date: 2008-10-10T18:04:20Z
• Authors: Jan Schipper; Janice S. Chanson; Federica Chiozza; Neil A. Cox; Michael Hoffmann; Vineet Katariya; John Lamoreux; Ana S. L. Rodrigues; Simon N. Stuart; Helen J. Temple; Jonathan Baillie; Luigi Boitani; Thomas E. Lacher; Russell A. Mitter...; Andrew T. Smith; Daniel Absolon; John M. Aguiar; Giovanni Amori; Noura Bakkour; Ricardo Baldi; Richard J. Berridge; Jon Bielby; Patricia Ann Black; J. Julian Blanc; Thomas M. Brooks; James A. Burton; Thomas M. Butynski; Gianluca Catullo; Roselle Chapman; Zoe Cokeliss; Ben Collen; Jim Conroy; Justin G. Cooke; Gustavo A. B. da ...; Andrew E. Derocher; Holly T. Dublin; J. W. Duckworth; Louise Emmons; Richard H. Emslie; Marco Festa-Bianchet; Matt Foster; Sabrina Foster; David L. Garshelis; Cormack Gates; Mariano Gimenez-D...; Susana Gonzalez; Jose Fernando Gon...; Tatjana C. Good; Geoffrey Hammerson; Philip S. Hammond; David Happold; Meredith Happold; John Hare; Richard B. Harris; Clare E. Hawkins; Mandy Haywood; Lawrence R. Heaney; Simon Hedges; Kristofer M. Helgen; Craig Hilton-Taylor; Syed Ainul Hussain; Nobuo Ishii; Thomas A. Jefferson; Richard K. B. Jen...; Charlotte H. John...; Mark Keith; Jonathan Kingdon; David H. Knox; Kit M. Kovacs; Penny Langhammer; Kristin Leus; Rebecca Lewison; Gabriela Lichtens...; Lloyd F. Lowry; Zoe Macavoy; Georgina M. Mace; David P. Mallon; Monica Masi; Meghan W. McKnight; Rodrigo A. Medell...; Patricia Medici; Gus Mills; Patricia D. Moehlman; Sanjay Molur; Arturo Mora; Kristin Nowell; John F. Oates; Wanda Olech; William R. L. Oliver; Monik Oprea; Bruce D. Patterson; William F. Perrin; Beth A. Polidoro; Caroline Pollock; Abigail Powel; Yelizaveta Protas; Paul Racey; Jim Ragle; Pavithra Ramani; Galen Rathbun; Randall R. Reeves; Stephen B. Reilly; John E. Reynolds; Carlo Rondinini; Ruth Grace Rosell...; Monica Rulli; Anthony B. Rylands; Simona Savini; Cody J. Schank; Wes Sechrest; Caryn Self-Sullivan; Alan Shoemaker; Claudio Sillero-Z...; Naamal De Silva; David E. Smith; Chelmala Srinivasulu; Peter J. Stephenson; Nico van Strien; Bibhab Kumar Talu...; Barbara L. Taylor; Rob Timmins; Diego G. Tirira; Marcelo F. Tognelli; Katerina Tsytsulina; Liza M. Veiga; Jean-Christophe V...; Elizabeth A. Will...; Sarah A. Wyatt; Yan Xie; Bruce E. Young
• Keywords: 0106 biological sciences; marin; Conservation of Natural Resources; Databases, Factual; Population Dynamics; 590; habitat; mammal; Marine Biology; Extinction, Biological; population distribution; 01 natural sciences; 333; Marine mammals Conservation; geographic distribution; Animals; Body Size; mammals; Seawater; 14. Life underwater; genetic conservation; Ecosystem; Phylogeny; biodiversity; Mammals; species diversity; Keywords: comparative study; species conservation; article; conservation; marine; Biodiversity; 15. Life on land; Mammal populations; Wildlife conservation; 13. Climate action; endemism; macroecology; evolutionary adaptation; conservation status; Zoogeography

Knowledge of mammalian diversity is still surprisingly disparate, both regionally and taxonomically. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of the conservation status and distribution of the world's mammals. Data, compiled by 1700+ experts, cover all 5487 species, including marine mammals. Global macroecological patterns are very different for land and marine species but suggest common mechanisms driving diversity and endemism across systems. Compared with land species, threat levels are higher among marine mammals, driven by different processes (accidental mortality and pollution, rather than habitat loss), and are spatially distinct (peaking in northern oceans, rather than in Southeast Asia). Marine mammals are also disproportionately poorly known. These data are made freely available to support further scientific developments and conservation action.