Lesotho Endangered Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ for LESOTHO in Southern Africa lists eight endangered species. So far in my posting about endangered species, Kiribati and Lesotho are the only countries to not have any critically endangered species, just endangered (a lower level of species). There are fortunately no extinct species in Lesotho, or at least none listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Lesotho's eight endangered species are the Cape Griffon (Cape Vulture), Egyptian Eagle, Lesotho Meadow Katydid, Ludwig's Bustard bird, Maloti Redfin minnow fish, Sehlabathebe Water Lily, Southern Crowned Crane, and White-tailed Rat. Cape Vultures live in parts of Botswana, Lesotho, and South Africa.

Lesotho Meadow Katydids are endemic to the southern Lesotho Highlands and only live in an estimated area of 8 square kilometers. Ludwig's Bustard birds unfortunately collide with power lines at an alarming rate. These birds live in Namibia, South Africa, and extreme southwestern Angola. The geographic ranges of Maloti Redfins and Sehlabathebe Water Lilies extend from much of Lesotho into the eastern portion of Eastern Cape province and the western part of KwaZulu-Natal province. Like Lesotho Meadow Katydids, Lesotho Blue butterflies (Lepidochrysops lerothodi) are named after the mountainous kingdom, which is completely surrounded by South Africa.