27 February 2010

13 million species

The biologist E.O. Wilson estimates there are about 13 million species, broken down as follows:

Insects 9 million
Bacteria 1 million
Fungi 1 million
Viruses 0.3 million
Algae 0.3 million
Worms 0.3 million
Plants 0.2 million
Protozoa 0.2 million
Echinoderms 0.2 million
Mollusks 0.2 million
Crustaceans 0.2 million
Fish 30 thousand
Reptiles 10 thousand
Birds 10 thousand
Amphibians 5 thousand
Mammals 5 thousand

Via The New Shelton wet/dry

3 comments:

  1. AnderovFebruary 27, 2010 at 10:38 AM

    And a solid 20% of the number for mammals? Are bats. (About 1100 species)

    ReplyDelete
  2. MinnesotastanFebruary 27, 2010 at 11:28 AM

    Interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that. Tx.

    ReplyDelete
  3. KeithFebruary 27, 2010 at 6:19 PM

    I wonder how many there used to be!!!
    Le Loup.

    ReplyDelete