

Bighorn sheep (Peninsular Ranges DPS) (Ovis canadensis pop. 2) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: 2/1/2001 Listed: 3/18/1998 Recovery plan: 10/25/2000 Range: CA(b) --- SUMMARY

The Peninsular bighorn sheep declined to near extinction because of housing developments, agriculture, collisions with cars, predation by mountain lions and diseases contracted from domestic sheep. Sheep populations plummeted from 971 in 1971, to 276 in 1996, but since being listed as endangered in 1998, the number of bighorns has increased to 981 as of 2010. + MORE INFORMATION



Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 3/11/1967 Recovery plan: 8/8/1988 Range: AZ(b), CO(b), MT(b), SD(b), UT(b), WY(b) --- KS(x), NE(x), NM(x), ND(x), OK(x), TX(x) SUMMARY

The black-footed ferret was nearly driven extinct due to the elimination of prairie dog colonies by habitat destruction, shooting and plague. It was thought extinct until 1964, extirpated from the wild in 1974, thought extinct again in 1979, then rediscovered in 1981. All ferrets were captured in 1987. A reintroduction program increased wild ferrets from 0 in 1991 to about 1,410 in 2010. + MORE INFORMATION



Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 6/2/1970 Recovery plan: 10/23/1998 Range: AK(s), CA(s), FL(o), HI(s), ME(o), MD(o), MA(o), NH(o), NY(o), NC(o), OR(m), RI(o), SC(o), WA(m) --- SUMMARY

The blue whale population was reduced by as much as 99 percent due to whaling that occurred before the mid-1960s. The number of whales reported off the coast of California, the largest stock in U.S. waters, increased from 704 in 1980 to an estimated 2,497 in 2010. + MORE INFORMATION



Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 6/2/1970 Recovery plan: none Range: AK(s) --- SUMMARY

Bowhead whales in the Western Arctic were severely depleted by commercial whaling which reached a peak between 1898-1919. Whaling was banned in 1946. They are currently threatened by increased oil and gas drilling and global warming. Approximately 3,000 bowheads remained when commercial whaling ceased. Following Endangered Species Act listing in 1970, the Western Arctic population increased from 5,189 in 1978 to 11,836 in 2004. The population is likely larger today. + MORE INFORMATION



California bighorn sheep (Sierra Nevada DPS) (Ovis canadensis sierrae) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: 8/5/2008 Listed: 4/20/1999 Recovery plan: 9/24/2007 Range: CA(b) --- SUMMARY

The Sierra Nevada big horn sheep declined due to hunting, disease, introduction of domestic sheep, habitat loss and disturbance. It's historic population of more than 1,000 sheep declined to 300 in 1985 and 100 in 1995 prior to its emergency listing as an endangered species in 1999. Since then its population increased to at least 420 in 2010. + MORE INFORMATION



Columbian white-tailed deer (Douglas County DPS) (Odocoileus virginianus leucurus (Douglas County DPS)) Status: Delisted Critical habitat: none Listed: 3/11/1967 Recovery plan: 6/14/1983 Range: OR(b) --- SUMMARY

The Columbian white-tailed deer was reduced from tens of thousands of deer to two small, populations totaling 200-300 deer in central Oregon and at the mouth of the Columbia River, due to unrestricted hunting and the loss of riparian and woodland forests. It was listed as endangered in 1967. Due to habitat protection and prohibition on killing, the Douglas County population in central Oregon grew from an estimate 1,200 deer in 1975 to over 6,000 at the time of its delisting in 2003. + MORE INFORMATION



Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel (Sciurus niger cinereus) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 3/11/1967 Recovery plan: 6/8/1993 Range: DE(b), MD(b), PA(b), VA(b) --- NJ(x) SUMMARY

Logging and conversion of forests to farms and developments destroyed much of the Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel's habitat. The squirrel remains threatened by ongoing habitat loss, car strikes and rising sea levels due to global climate change. At the time of listing in 1967, the squirrel occupied only 10 percent of the Delmarva Peninsula. As of 2007, its likely occupied range had expanded to 27 percent of the peninsula. In addition, 11 of 16 translocations have been successful. + MORE INFORMATION



Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 6/2/1970 Recovery plan: 7/30/2010 Range: AL(o), AK(s), CA(s), CT(s), DE(s), FL(s), GA(s), HI(s), LA(o), ME(s), MD(s), MA(s), MS(o), NH(s), NY(s), NJ(s), NC(s), OR(s), PA(s), RI(s), SC(s), TX(o), VA(s), WA(s) --- SUMMARY

Fin whales were hunted in all the world's oceans for the first three-quarters of the 20th century, causing population decline. Ongoing threats include illegal and legal whaling, vessel collisions, fishing gear entanglement, reduced prey and noise. Total population size is unknown, but both the North Atlantic and North Pacific populations increased between 1995 and 2009. + MORE INFORMATION



Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: 9/24/1976 Listed: 3/11/1967 Recovery plan: 10/3/2001 Range: AL(o), CT(o), DE(o), FL(b), GA(b), LA(o), MD(o), MS(o), NY(o), NJ(o), NC(o), RI(o), SC(o), TX(o), VA(o) --- SUMMARY

The Florida manatee is imperiled by habitat loss, coastal development, and motor boat collisions. It was listed as endangered in 1967, but range-wide systematic surveys were not instituted until 1991. The manatee increased 227% between 1991 and 2011 (1,478 to 4,834 manatees). Local surveys indicate the manatee has been increasing since the 1970s. + MORE INFORMATION



Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 3/11/1967 Recovery plan: 11/1/2008 Range: FL(b) --- AL(x), AR(x), GA(x), LA(x), MS(x), SC(x), TN(x) SUMMARY

The Florida panther was reduced to near extinction by habitat loss, hunting, persecution, and vehicle collisions. Vehicle collisions, habitat loss and fragmentation, lack of sufficient wildland areas, and in-breeding depression remain current threats. Its population size when listed as endangered in 1967 is unknown, but may have been a little larger than the 30-50 animals recorded throughout the 1980s. The population began to grow after a genetic intervention in 1990s, reaching 130 panthers in 2010. + MORE INFORMATION



Gray bat (Myotis grisescens) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 4/28/1976 Recovery plan: 7/1/1982 Range: AL(b), AR(b), FL(o), GA(o), IL(o), IN(o), KS(o), KY(b), MS(o), MO(b), NC(o), OK(o), TN(b), VA(o), WV(s) --- SUMMARY

Gray bats declined due to mining, cave disturbance, vandalism, persecution, flooding, deforestation and possibly pesticides. In 2010, they were found with white-nose syndrome, but it is not known if the fungus is lethal to them or not. There were likely at least 5 million gray bats in 1970. At listing in 1976, the gray bat was declining, to a low of 1.5 million bats in 1992. Numbers reached 3.4 million in 2006, the most recent rangewide estimate. + MORE INFORMATION



Gray whale (Eastern North Pacific DPS) (Eschrichtius robustus pop. 3) Status: Delisted Critical habitat: none Listed: 6/2/1970 Recovery plan: none Range: AK(b), CA(b), OR(b), WA(b) --- SUMMARY

Gray whales declined precipitously due to whaling, becoming extinct in the Atlantic, endangered in the Eastern North Pacific and extremely endangered in the Western North Pacific. They are threatened by oil and gas drilling and coastal development. In 1968, there were 13,426 Eastern North Pacific gray whales. The species was was listed as endangered in 1970 and removed from the list in 1994 when the population reached 20,103 whales. The 2009 population was estimated to be 21,911. + MORE INFORMATION



Gray wolf (Northern Rockies DPS) (Canis lupus (Northern Rockies DPS)) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 3/11/1967 Recovery plan: 8/3/1987 Range: ID(b), MT(b), eastern OR(b), eastern WA(b), WY(b), northern UT(o) SUMMARY Gray wolves were purposefully hunted, trapped and poisoned to near extinction in the western United States, often by the federal government or with the encouragement of private and state bounties. By 1973, no wild wolves remained in the region. They were listed as endangered in 1967 and began recolonizing the Northern Rocky Mountains from Canada in the early 1980s. Due to prohibition of killing, habitat protection, and reintroductions, the population grew rapidly, was downlisted in 2003, reached 1,679 wolves by 2009, and was delisted in 2011. + MORE INFORMATION



Gray wolf (Southwest DPS) (Canis lupus (Southwest DPS)) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 4/28/1976 Recovery plan: 9/15/1982 Range: AZ(b), NM(b) --- CO(x), OK(x), TX(x), UT(x) SUMMARY

Hunting and trapping resulted in the extirpation of Mexican gray wolves from the United States by 1970. Wolves captured in Mexico were used to establish a captive-breeding program and as of 2010, there were about 50 Mexican gray wolves in the wild. + MORE INFORMATION



Gray wolf (Western Great Lakes DPS) (Canis lupus (Western Great Lakes DPS)) Status: Delisted Critical habitat: 3/9/1978 Listed: 1/4/1974 Recovery plan: 1/31/1992 Range: MN(b), WI (b), MI(b), IA (o), IL (o), IN (o), ND (o), OH (o), SD (o) SUMMARY

Hunting and persecution drove the gray wolf to near extinction, with only a small number of wolves remaining in Minnesota and Michigan when the species was listed in 1974. The total Great Lakes wolf population increased from fewer than 1,000 at the time of listing to approximately 4,013 in 2008. + MORE INFORMATION



Grizzly bear (Yellowstone DPS) (Ursus arctos (Yellowstone DPS)) Status: Threatened Critical habitat: none Listed: 7/28/1975 Recovery plan: 3/13/2007 Range: MT(b), WY(b) SUMMARY

Grizzly bears were extirpated from most of the Lower 48 states by killing, habitat destruction, food chain disruption, and the loss of large wildland areas. By 1975, only six populations remained. Due to Endangered Species Act protections, the Yellowstone grizzly bear population increased from ~224 bears in 1975 to ~582 in 2010. It was delisted in 2007, relisted in 2010 due to concerns about habitat loss and global warming, and declared recovered in 2011 by a federal status report. + MORE INFORMATION



Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) Status: Threatened Critical habitat: none Listed: 12/16/1985 Recovery plan: none Range: CA(b) --- SUMMARY

The Guadalupe fur seal was largely extirpated from California in the 1800's due to hunting; it was thought extinct until a bull was seen on San Nicholas Island, California in 1949, and 14 seals were found on Guadalupe in 1954. Since listing, seals have recolonized the U.S. and have been seen in the Channel and Farallon Islands with increasing regularity since the 1980s. The population on Guadalupe Island increased from 1,600 in 1984 to 12,000 in 2003. + MORE INFORMATION



Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 6/2/1970 Recovery plan: 11/15/1991 Range: AL(o), AK(s), CA(s), CT(s), DE(s), FL(s), GA(s), HI(s), LA(o), ME(s), MD(s), MA(s), MS(o), NH(s), NY(s), NJ(s), NC(s), OR(s), RI(s), SC(s), TX(o), VA(s), WA(s) --- SUMMARY

Humpback whale populations were greatly depleted by commercial whaling by the early 1900s. In 1966, the entire North Pacific humpback population was thought to number only around 1,200 animals. As of 2010, the total population of North Pacific humpback was estimated at 21,808. + MORE INFORMATION



Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 3/11/1967 Recovery plan: 5/18/1999 Range: FL(b) --- SUMMARY

Hunting and habitat loss caused the Key deer to decline to about 50 animals by the 1920s. It is currently threatened by car collisions, habitat loss and sea-level rise. After being listed as endangered species in 1967, the Key deer's population decreased from about 400 to about 200 by 1971. It increased relatively steadily since then to 646 in 2001. The 2011 population likely exceeds 800. + MORE INFORMATION



Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 11/30/1979 Recovery plan: 3/28/1995 Range: AR(b), OK(b) --- MO(x) SUMMARY

Ozark big-eared bats are threatened by human population growth, development and potentially by the spread of white-nose syndrome. At the time of listing in 1979, 100-200 bats were known. The population increased dramatically and was stable at 1,600-2,000 between 1987 and 2008. Populations at four of 20 essential sites are known to be increasing; others are stable or unknown. + MORE INFORMATION



Red wolf (Canis rufus) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: none Listed: 3/11/1967 Recovery plan: 10/26/1990 Range: FL(b), MS(b), NC(b), SC(b), TN(b) --- AL(x), AR(x), DE(x), DC(x), GA(x), IL(x), IN(x), KY(x), LA(x), MD(x), MO(x), OH(x), OK(x), PA(x), TX(x), VA(x), WV(x) SUMMARY

Red wolves were decimated by habitat loss and shooting. From a population of only 17 red wolves in 1980, captive breeding and release to the wild have resulted in a total population of 300 in 2011. + MORE INFORMATION



San Miguel island fox (Urocyon littoralis littoralis) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: 11/9/2005 Listed: 3/5/2004 Recovery plan: none Range: CA SUMMARY

The San Miguel Island fox occurs only on San Miguel Island off the Southern California coast. It is threatened by disease from domestic dogs and predation by golden eagles. The population declined catastrophically from 450 in 1994 to 15 in 1999. Following listing in 2004, measures such as captive breeding, relocation of golden eagles and introduction of bald eagles allowed the population to grow to 393 in 2011. + MORE INFORMATION



Santa Catalina island fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: 11/9/2005 Listed: 3/5/2004 Recovery plan: none Range: CA SUMMARY

The Santa Catalina island fox is endemic to Santa Catalina Island, where it is threatened by canine distemper, predation by feral cats and car collisions. At the time of listing in 2004, there were around 300 Santa Catalina Island foxes. Captive breeding and other conservation efforts allowed the population to increase to 1,542 as of 2012. + MORE INFORMATION



Santa Cruz island fox (Urocyon littoralis santacruzae) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: 11/9/2005 Listed: 3/5/2004 Recovery plan: none Range: CA SUMMARY

The Santa Cruz island fox occurs only on Santa Cruz Island off the California coast. It is threatened by disease from domestic dogs and predation by golden eagles. The population declined from 1,465 in 1994 to just 60 in 2001, leading to the fox's protection in 2004. Due to captive breeding, relocation of golden eagles and introduction of bald eagles, the population grew to 1,302 in 2011. + MORE INFORMATION



Santa Rosa island fox (Urocyon littoralis santarosae) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: 11/9/2005 Listed: 3/5/2004 Recovery plan: none Range: CA SUMMARY

The Santa Rosa island fox occurs only on Santa Rosa Island off the Southern California coast. It is threatened by disease from domestic dogs and predation by golden eagles. The population declined dramatically from 1,780 in 1994 to 14 in 1999. Listing in 2004 and ensuing conservation measures allowed the population to increase to 280 as of 2011. + MORE INFORMATION



Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) Status: Threatened Critical habitat: none Listed: 1/14/1977 Recovery plan: 4/3/2003 Range: CA(b) --- SUMMARY

Southern sea otters were nearly hunted to extinction by the fur industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today they are threatened by shark attacks, disease, pollution, oil spills, climate change and possibly ocean acidification. In 1976, just 1,789 sea otters remained. Following its listing as a threatened species in 1977, the sea otter increased to about 2,700 in 2005 and remained around this level through 2010. Its recovery goal is 3,090 otters averaged over three years. + MORE INFORMATION



Steller sea-lion (eastern DPS) (Eumetopias jubatus (eastern DPS)) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: 8/27/1993 Listed: 4/5/1990 Recovery plan: 2/29/2008 Range: AK, CA, OR, WA SUMMARY

The Steller sea-lion (eastern DPS) declined due to exploitation, predator control and prey base declines. These threats substantially declined following its listing as an endangered species in 1990 and designation of critical habitat in 1993. Its population increased about 21,000 animals in 1989 to 63,488 in 2009. In 2012 it was proposed for delisting due to high total numbers, but California trends remain weak, and the southernmost portion of its range has not been reoccupied. + MORE INFORMATION



Steller sea-lion (western DPS) (Eumetopias jubatus (western DPS)) Status: Endangered Critical habitat: 8/27/1993 Listed: 4/5/1990 Recovery plan: 2/29/2008 Range: AK(b) --- SUMMARY

The Steller sea lion is threatened by loss of its prey base to unsustainable commercial fisheries, predation, toxins and global climate change. It declined in every count from 1970-2000 but increased in 2002-2004 as fishing restrictions took effect. As of 2008 the Alaska population was estimated at 45,000, which is 15,000 more animals than at the time of listing in 1990. + MORE INFORMATION



Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens) Status: Threatened Critical habitat: none Listed: 6/4/1973 Recovery plan: 3/1/2012 Range: UT(b) --- SUMMARY

The Utah prairie dog declined due to habitat loss to livestock and agriculture, a deliberate poisoning campaign, sylvatic plague and drought. Prairie dog population size increased from 3,300 individuals in 1972 to approximately 11,296 in 2010. + MORE INFORMATION