Off the List
There are 935 animals and plants on the U.S. Endangered Species List and 266 listed as
threatened. The list includes a lot of critters and plants few of us have ever
encountered. For example, there are 18 endangered crustaceans; 24 endangered ferns.
There are 63 mammals, 76 birds, 14 reptiles, 10 amphibians, 69 fishes, 61 clams, 20
snails, 18 crustaceans, 30 insects, and 6 spiders. On the plant side, the U.S. list
includes 2 conifers/ cycads, 24 ferns and allies, and 2 lichens.
But there are those that everybody knows about, like our national symbol, the bald
eagle. The eagle was placed on the initial Endangered Species List in 1967. In 1995, the
bald eagle’s status was improved to "threatened." Today, the U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service has proposed delisting the birds and the review process is under
way.
Another well-known success story is the American alligator, listed in 1967, and removed
twenty years later. Its cousin, the American crocodile, remains endangered.
According to the FWS, the following once-endangered U.S. species are considered
recovered:
- BROWN PELICAN
The bird, whose plight was made famous in a best-selling novel –
"The Pelican Brief" by John Grisham – was delisted in 1985.
- AMERICAN ALLIGATOR
Delisted in 1987.
- RYDBERG MILK-VETCH
This flowering plant in the pea family was delisted in 1989.
- GRAY WHALE
The eastern North Pacific population was delisted in 1994.
- AMERICAN PEREGRINE FALCON
This fierce hunter was removed from list just last year,
Aug. 25, 1999. The Arctic Peregrine Falcon, once considered threatened, was removed from
the list in 1994.
A number of U.S. species have been removed from the list over the years due to
scientific revisions. More sad, however, are the ones that have been taken off the list
because they are now believed to be extinct.
- TECOPA PUPFISH
A fish once found in California. Listed extinct in 1982.
- LONGJAW CISCO
A fish once found in Lakes Michigan, Huron and Eric. Listed extinct in
1983.
- BLUE PIKE
A fish once found in Lakes Erie and Ontario. Listed extinct in 1983.
- SANTA BARBARA SONG SPARROW
A bird once found in California. Listed extinct in 1983.
- SAMPSON’S PEARLY MUSSEL
An invertebrate (mollusk) once found in Illinois and
Indiana. Listed extinct in 1984.
- AMISTAD GAMBUSIA
An insect-eating fish once found in Texas. Listed extinct in 1987.
- DUSKY SEASIDE SPARROW
A small bird once found in Florida and one of the most
publicized recent examples of extinction. Listed extinct in 1990.
Read more: http://ecos.fws.gov/tess/html/boxscore.html
|
