ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN THE USA: THEY ARE MORE THAN 15!

More than 1,300 species are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. All animals on this list are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered by the IUCN, and Endangered or Threatened by the federal government.

THE MOST ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN THE USA

Marsh mouse

• Scientific name: Reithrodontomys raviventris
• Red List Status: Endangered
• Geographic range: California

The salt marsh harvest mouse was found around the Bay Area until relatively recently, but its habitat has become highly fragmented. Due to human development, populations of the mouse are isolated from each other and are unable to reproduce adequately.

Utah prairie dog

• Scientific name: Cynomys parvidens
• Red List Status: Endangered
• Geographic range: Utah

They were listed as endangered in 1973. However, over the past 30 years, the population has remained stable and increasing, and the species is now federally recognized as threatened rather than endangered. Threats such as urban sprawl, climate change, and resource exploitation remain, but the prairie dog has rebounded strongly.

Red wolf

• Scientific name: Canis rufus
• Red List Status: Critically Endangered
• Geographic range: North Carolina

Red wolves were once found throughout much of the Southeast, but habitat destruction, hunting, and urban encroachment have reduced their range to the point where they are found only in North Carolina.

It’s one of the most endangered canids on Earth. Red wolves are also highly threatened due to interactions with coyotes, which can harm the long-term viability of the species.

Kauai cave wolf spider

• Scientific name: Adelocosa anops
• Red List Status: Endangered
• Geographic range: Hawaii

The Kauai cave wolf spider is a rare spider found only in the caves of the Koloa district of Hawaii. The Kauai cave wolf spider is unique in that it has no eyes and relies solely on its rapid movements to hunt. Because it has such specific habitat needs, the cave wolf spider is very vulnerable to habitat destruction from construction, human visitation, and other causes.

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Laysan Duck

• Scientific name: Anas laysanensis
• Red List Status: Critically Endangered
• Geographic range: Hawaii

Ducks don’t immediately come to mind when we think of an endangered species, but this particular one is. The Laysan duck, once found throughout the Hawaiian Islands, now has a population only on Laysan Island and in a wildlife refuge on Midway Atoll.

Devils Hole pupfish

• Scientific name: Cyprinodon diabolis
• Red List Status: Critically Endangered
• Geographic range: Nevada Nevada

This tiny, bright blue fish (only 2.5 cm in length) is found naturally only in Nevada’s Devil’s Hole Cavern, whose waters hover around 93 degrees F. The pupfish gets its name from the way it swims and moves, which observers often compare to the frolicking and playfulness of a puppy.

Fan shell

• Scientific name: Cyprogenia stegaria
• Red List Status: Critically Endangered
• Geographic range: Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia

The Fanshell, a river mussel, has been severely impacted by human activities such as dredging, mining, and water pollution. Water conservation activities and erosion prevention are critical to keeping the mussel from disappearing.

Giant kangaroo rat

• Scientific name: Dipodomys ingens
• Red List Status: Endangered
• Geographic range: California

The giant kangaroo rat is the largest species in its family. They are named because they stand up on their hind legs and hope to move around, like a kangaroo.

They create complex burrow systems that sometimes have more than five different entrances. In addition to habitat fragmentation, this species is threatened by the use of rodenticides on farms.

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Delta green beetle

• Scientific name: Elaphrus viridis
• Red List Status: Critically Endangered
• Geographic range: California

There are natural gas reserves in the beetle’s habitat, so natural gas exploration could further endanger it. Given its unusual coloring, it could also be a target for illegal collectors.

Jollyville Plateau Salamander

• Scientific name: Eurycea tonkawae
• Red List Status: Endangered
• Geographic range: Texas

This unique salamander spends its entire life underwater. It was only discovered in 2000, but its population has already declined drastically due to the sensitive nature of these amphibians.

The Jollyville Plateau Salamander is highly threatened by development, which groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity are fighting against in areas where this species is known to inhabit.

California Condor

• Scientific name: Gymnogyps californianus
• Red List Status: Critically Endangered
• Geographic range: California, Arizona, Utah

Their wings measure nearly 3 meters from tip to tip. After near extinction, the remaining 10 wild condors were captured in 1987; reintroduction began in 1992.

The condor population has grown to over 500 birds today.

American Burying Beetle

• Scientific name: Nicrophorus americanus
• Red List Status: Critically Endangered
• Geographic range: Arkansas, Kansas, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, South Dakota, Texas

Burying beetles survive on the carcasses of dead animals, which they bury in the ground. Biologists are unsure of the causes of their rapid decline, but it may be due to the decline of other species they depend on for food.

Squirrel chimney cave shrimp

• Scientific name: Palaemonetes cummings
• Red List Status: Critically Endangered
• Geographic range: Florida

This tiny translucent shrimp has only been found in a single Florida sinkhole. Due to their rarity, very little is known about them at this time.

Crested honeycreeper (Akohekohe)

• Scientific name: Palmeria dolei
• Red List Status: Critically Endangered
• Geographic range: Hawaii

The crested honeycreeper, known in traditional Hawaiian as ‘Ākohekohe, was formerly found on both Maui and Molokai but is now found only on Maui. It is known for its acrobatic movements and how it scampers through the treetops.

Red Hills Salamander

• Scientific name: Phaeognathus hubrichti
• Red List Status: Endangered
• Geographic range: Alabama

The Red Hills Salamander is unusually large, growing to about 30 cm. Unfortunately, its range is very limited.

Louisiana pine snake

• Scientific name: Pituophis ruthveni
• Red List Status: Endangered
• Geographic range: Louisiana, Texas

This nonvenomous constrictor rarely appears in the wild anymore, but when it does, it lives out its days in burrowing tunnels created by pocket gophers, on which it feeds.