 The IUCN recognises 117 species of Malawi cichlids as threatened; some of these have tiny ranges and may be restricted to rocky coastlines only a few hundred metres long.Lake Malawi is noted for being the site of evolutionary radiations among several groups of animals, most notably cichlid fish.There are at least 700 cichlid species in Lake Malawi, with some estimating that the actual figure is as high as 1,000 species.