According to the latest counts, scientists have described over 1.5 million species of animals, plants and algae. The list below gives the total number of known species in the world for each major category.
The greatest diversity exists among insects, which account for nearly a million of the planet's species. Mammals make up one of the smallest groups, with just 5,416 members. Altogether the earth's oceans and continents support close to 60,000 species of vertebrate animals and 300,000 species of plants.
Total number of species known to exist now in the world.
Category Species Totals
Vertebrate Animals
Mammals 5,416
Birds 9,956
Reptiles 8,240
Amphibians 6,199
Fishes 30,000
Total Vertebrates 59,811
Invertebrate Animals
Insects 950,000
Molluscs 81,000
Crustaceans 40,000
Corals 2,175
Others 130,200
Total Invertebrates 1,203,375
Plants
Flowering plants (angiosperms) 258,650
Conifers (gymnosperms) 980
Ferns and horsetails 13,025
Mosses 15,000
Red and green algae 9,671
Total Plants 297,326
Others
Lichens 10,000
Mushrooms 16,000
Brown algae 2,849
Total Others 28,849
TOTAL SPECIES 1,589,361
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