New research shows a quarter of freshwater animals are threatened with extinction

New research shows about a quarter of animals living in rivers, lakes and other freshwater sources are threatened with extinction. Freshwater habitats cover less than 1% of the planet’s surface, but support 10% of its animal species — including dragonflies, fish, crabs and other animals. These species are threatened by compounding risks from pollution, dams, water extraction, agriculture, invasive species, climate change and other disruptions. Researchers examined around 23,500 species in the study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. It’s the first time scientists have analyzed global risks to freshwater species. Previous studies focused on land animals.