Understanding the biodiversity of our planet is critical for developing conservation strategies. This series of datasets shows the biodiversity of birds, mammals, and amphibians. Said simply, these maps show how many kinds of birds or mammals or amphibians live in each area around the world. These maps look at just the animals on land and don’t include any marine animals. Also included are corresponding maps of where the threatened species live, the ones at greatest risk of extinction. Knowing where these threatened species live can help direct conservation efforts to ensure that the places with the most vulnerable species are being protected.
The species data for this dataset comes from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and includes over 5,800 different known species of mammals. Everything from the Pig-tailed Snub-nosed Langur to the Greater Fairy Armadillo to the Pale-throated Three-toed Sloth have been included. Tropical areas usually have the most species, with the wet tropical forests being the most diverse. Some areas can have hundreds of species of mammals! Cold and dry places are far less diverse.
Science On a Sphere
