Giraffes put on extinction watch list

Credit: Khaled Kazziha

Credit: Khaled Kazziha

Giraffes may be the tallest animal on land, but they're also in danger of becoming extinct.

A new report released by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature said the population of giraffes has gone down 40 percent over the last 30 years, The Associated Press reported.

Because of that, the group has added giraffes to its watchlist of threatened and endangered species. They have been labeled as vulnerable.

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Giraffes were previously listed as "in danger."

There were between 151,000 and 163,000 giraffes in the world in 1985.

Last year, there were only 97,562.

Scientists say habitat loss is most to blame, with poaching and disease contributing to the decrease.

The IUCN presented its findings this week in Mexico.

For more on the giraffe population decline and other animals that are in danger of becoming extinct, read the group's report here.

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