15,000 species facing extinction

Thirty eight percent of all species (there are about 45,000 of them) and 25 percent of mammals (there are 5,500 of those) face extinction, reports Cosmos Magazine. This according to an annual "Red List" study, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which tracks species' extinction risk.

Seven percent of species are in the "critically endangered" category.

And this isn't normal. Since 1500, just 79 mammal species have been destroyed.

On a positive note, the report finds 5 percent of endangered species (like the African elephant and black footed ferret) are making a comeback.

(Photo of the critically endangered black rhino by Matthew Field)