The polar bear and hippopotamus are for the first time listed as species threatened with extinction by the world's biodiversity agency.
They are included in the Red List of Threatened Species published by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) which names more than 16,000 at-risk species.
Many sharks, and freshwater fish in Europe and Africa, are newly included.
The IUCN says loss of biodiversity is increasing despite a global convention committing governments to stem it.
"The 2006 Red List shows a clear trend; biodiversity loss is increasing, not slowing down," said IUCN director-general Achim Steiner. More warm fuzziness at the
BBC.
www.redlist.org currently lists 22,891 species, including "data deficient" but excluding "least concern" and extinct: everything from
Aaadonta angaurana (a type of snail) to
Zyzomys pedunculatus (an australian rat)
Depressing stuff.