Animal Info

Animal Info - Iran

(Formerly Persia)

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Iran and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

Critically Endangered:
- Iranian Jerboa (Allactaga firouzi). (Endemic to Iran.)
- Persian Mole (Talpa streeti). (Endemic to Iran.)
Endangered:
- Baluchistan Vole (Microtus kermanensis). (Endemic to Iran.)
- Iranian Shrew (Crocidura susiana). (Endemic to Iran.)
- Schaub's Myotis (Myotis schaubi).
- Setzer's Mouse-tailed Dormouse (Myomimus setzeri). (Endemic to Iran.)
- Zarudny's Jird (Meriones zarudnyi).
Vulnerable:
- Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus).
- Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus hemionus).
- Bechstein's Bat (Myotis bechsteini).
- Caspian Seal (Phoca caspica).
- Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).
- Dugong (Dugong dugon).
- Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra).
- Geoffroys' Bat (Myotis emarginatus).
- Lesser Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros).
- Long-fingered Bat (Myotis capaccinii).
- Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus euryale).
- Mehely's Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus mehelyi).
- Mouflon (or Urial) (Ovis orientalis).
- Ognev's dormouse (Myomimus personatus).
- Sind Bat (Eptesicus nasutus).
- Wild Goat (Capra aegagrus).

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 140 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 5 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 20 (14 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 23 (16 % of total species) (IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Iran contains portions of the Caucasus & Northeast Anatolia Temperate Forests, Middle Asian Mountains Temperate Forests, Mesopotamian Delta & Marshes and Arabian Sea & Persian Gulf Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)

Population

Population in 1995: 61,280,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 37.2 people/sq km (96.3 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 68,959,931 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 3.6 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 1,647,999 sq km (636,296 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

Other Coastal Aquatic: 1 %
Desert and Semi-desert: 30 %
Grass and Shrub: 41 %
Crop and Settlements: 7 %
Interrupted Woods: 17 %
Major Forests: 4 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 6 %; Medium: 83 %; High: 11 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 75,290 sq km (29,062 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 1.81 % totally protected; 2.76 % partially protected; 4.57 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $2,274 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $5,200 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent of females in secondary education (1989): 44 % (World Bank 1992)
Percent adult literacy: Female: 43 % (1990), 17 % (1970); Male: 65 % (1990), 40 % (1970) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Iran): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles

Links for Iran: United Nations Environment Program - Iran

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Last modified: November 25, 2005;