— the iucn is the most comprehensive and recognized listing of the status of species in the world. the list categories range from least concern (lu), meaning the species is still widespread and abundant, to extinct (e), meaning there are no known individuals still existing, whether in the wild or in captivity. the whale shark was previously classified as vulnerable (vu), this next level, endangered (en), kicks this status up to a high risk of extinction.

read article  it’s official: ‘butanding’ an endangered species