The Mediterranean Basin was once home to many mammal species. Some have become extinct over the centuries. Today, the Basin is home to over 220 land mammal species. Many of these are now threatened. Animals such as the Mediterranean monk seal have dwindled in numbers, and it's estimated less than 400 are left in the wild due to persecution by fishermen and pollution. The Barbary deer are confined to a small forested area on the Algerian and Tunisian border and there are only a few hundred deer left. The Iberian Lynx is the most seriously threatened of the world's feline species with just over 200 left. Among others are the Barbary Macaque - the only native European monkey species - now found in just several areas of the mountains of Morocco and Algeria.
Many reptiles (over 225 species) and amphibians (over 80 species) have made their home in the Mediterranean Basin. Some of these creatures can only be found in the basin. The Palestinian painted frog and the Turkish frog are particularly endangered amphibians. There are 11 species of disc-tongued frog and the fire salamander, one of the largest salamander species in the world, along with over 20 species of salamander. The giant skink, the Western Canaries' lizard, the Weissinger's tortoise and the stocky venomous snake species are among the many reptiles residing in the Basin that are also under threat.
There are almost 500 bird species in the Mediterranean Basin. Many species of birds also migrate across the regions within the basin. A few of the endemic species are now endangered such as the Balearic shearwater, and the Madeira petrel with under 30 pairs left to breed in Madeira. The Spanish Imperial Eagle species has only around 350 birds left. The Rasso Island Lark and others are being added to the list of endangered birds in the area.
Although once numerous in the region, over one-fifth of dragonfly and damselfly species are now in danger of extinction due to polluted air and waterways, over-development and climactic change. Of the163 types of damsel and dragonflies, five are seriously in danger. The rest are on the endangered list, threatened or vulnerable. As freshwater and oceans are polluted and over-fished, many species of fish are increasingly under threat in the Mediterranean Basin, and fish populations are on the decline.
