Slide Show: Hundreds of Troubled Species Await Official Protection
Making the endangered species list isn't easy when the queue is 280 species long view the slide show
Slide Show: Hundreds of Troubled Species Await Official Protection
- Coho Salmon - proposed for listing Oncorhynchus kisutch, the coho or "silver" salmon, is one of seven subspecies of wild salmon. With a North American habitat stretching from northern California to Alaska, the fish spends its youth in freshwater and adult years in the ocean, but eventually returns to its freshwater birthplace to spawn and die. Salmon are a cold water species, sensitive to even the smallest changes in water temperature, and global warming is taking a toll on their habitat. Currently, three populations of coho are already protected in northern California and the Pacific Northwest, and an additional population in Oregon is under consideration. © iStockphoto/Allan Robichaux
- Miami Blue Butterfly - candidate species The Miami blue butterfly is one of many south Florida butterflies in danger of extinction. The Miami blue once proliferated in the Keys, the Everglades and Biscayne National Park, but just a few years ago researchers estimated that fewer than 500 individuals remained on the planet. In 2003 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission listed the Miami blue as endangered, and scientists, conservation groups and government agencies have launched a collective effort to rescue the butterfly. The total population remains well below 2,000. © Paula Cannon
- Fisher - candidate species The fisher is a furry, brown, bushy-tailed member of the weasel family. Despite its name, the fisher does not fish but instead prefers forest delicacies such as squirrels, porcupines, mice and shrews. In certain parts North America, fishers are thriving. "They are not by any means a rare species in Massachusetts, but rather right behind deer, coyotes and wild turkeys as common features of suburban life," says Ellie Horwitz from the Massachusetts division of Fisheries & Wildlife. West coast fishers, however, are not doing so well. Their conifer forest habitats in California, Oregon and Washington are threatened by timber harvests, road building, urban development, wildfires and human recreational activities. © DLILLC/Corbis
- Nanu Gardenia - candidate species Hawaii's Nanu Gardenia was once used to make traditional leis that were worn around the neck, but it is now one of Hawaii's endangered endemic plants. In the dry, high-altitude forests where the wild Nanu tree grows, it can measure up to 15 feet tall. The tips of its branches present large white flowers that exude a sweet fragrance similar to that of the common gardenia. The tree is threatened by alien pest plant species as well as wild pigs and goats that munch on its leaves, trample young plants and seedlings, promote soil erosion and disperse the seeds of competing plant species. Forest & Kim Starr
- New England Cottontail Rabbit - candidate species The New England cottontail lives in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. The current population may be as low as 5,000—a paltry population for an animal whose average life span is six months, says Michael Amaral, spokesperson for the Fish & Wildlife Service. On top of predator pressure, the cottontail is struggling to survive in fragmented habitats. Many populations are scattered, their members separated by interstate highways, residential subdivisions and agricultural plots. This makes it harder for an outside group of cottontails to move in and rekindle a languishing population. John A. Litvaitis
- Polar Bear - proposed for listing In December the Interior Department announced a proposal to list Ursus maritimus, the polar bear, as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Before making a final decision to list or not to list, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is devoting one year to collecting and analyzing information about the bears and their habitat. "Polar bears are one of nature's ultimate survivors, able to live and thrive in one of the world's harshest environments," said Secretary of the Interior Dick Kempthorne, "but we are concerned the polar bears' habitat may literally be melting."
© iStockphoto/John Pitcher
