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88 038 THREATENED WILDLIFE OF THE UNITED STATES Q32 Compiled by Office of Endangered Species and International Activities Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife U.S. Department of the Interior RESOURCE PUBLICATION 114. March 1973 (Revised Resource Publication 34) Published by the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife Printed at the U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C., March 1973 For sale by the Superintendent ot Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402 THREATENED WILDLIFE OF THE UNITED STATES Introduction General This publication presents data on the status of species or subspecies of vertebrates whose existence is threatened in the United States, the District of Columbia, Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Information is not yet available for American Samoa and Guam. Two previous editions of this publication, entitled Rare and Endangered Fish and this edition the Wildlife of the United States , differ from third by substituting designation, "threatened," for the designation, "rare," or "endangered," in the data pages. This change was made primarily to emphasize that the animals covered by data pages in this publication do not comprise the official list of "Endangered" species. The latter is found in the U.S. Department of the Interior's list of endangered native fish and wildlife, published in the Federal Register . As did previous editions, this edition summarizes our knowledge of the status of native vertebrates. It is intended to be a reference for compiling the official List of Endangered Native Fish and Wildlife, as a means to stimulate interest, to impart know- ledge, and to solicit information about threatened wildlife. It is likely that all pertinent data are not included, and anyone who has additional information is encouraged to contact the Office of Endangered Species, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, see Appendix A. Only those animals determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be threatened with extinction and named on the list which is published and amended periodically in the the Federal Register , are eligible for the benefits provided by Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 (16 U.S.C. 668aa) . Appendix C of this publication contains the list as of the press date of this publication. Only threatened vertebrates are included in this publication; mollusks and crustaceans will be included in future editions. Within each of the five major Classes of vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals), families, genera and species are arranged in phylogenetic order. This means that the most primitive or generalized forms are considered first, followed by increasingly more advanced or complex types within each Class. This type of arrangement is recognized by scientists throughout the world. In addition to the Federal program for endangered native fish and wildlife, many states are adopting programs designed to prevent the extirpation of native wildlife found within their borders . Information on animals considered endangered within the states may be obtained, where available, by writing the appropriate state conservation agencies. Addresses of those agencies are listed in Appendix B . A State-by-State listing of species endangered nationwide is also included. Acknowledgments This publication is the result of a great deal of cooperation and effort by many persons and agencies. Clinton H. Lostetter, Rare and Endangered Species Coordinator, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, Portland, Oregon, coordinated the updating of the data pages. Dr. John W. Aldrich, Staff Specialist with the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, assisted with the bird and mammal sheets. Dr. James A. Peters, (deceased) formerly of the Smithsonian 111 Institution's Division of Reptiles carried much of the burden of assembling the reptile and . of Fishes of amphibian sections Dr. Robert R. Miller, Curator , Museum Zoology , University of Michigan, Dr. Edward C. Kinney, and Mr. Stephen H. Taub of the Division of Fishery Services, Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, were largely responsible for the section on fishes. Howard R. Leach, Wildlife Management Branch, California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, California, and others of that agency reviewed and constructively commented on the data pages pertaining to California. Data were gleaned from the published and unpublished work of many other scientists and agencies which are too numerous to be acknowledged individually. Federal Acts Perhaps more confusion exists about the kind of protection an endangered species receives than about any other aspect of the program . Neither the Endangered Species Protection Act of 1966 (80 Stat. 926) nor its amended version, the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969, provides a Federal prohibition against the taking or possession of native endangered fish and wildlife. Federal protection is afforded to migratory birds through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 703-711); to eagles through the Bald Eagle Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 668-668d): and to marine mammals through the Marine Mammal Protection Act (P.L. 92-522). Resident wildlife such as quail and pheasants, terrestrial mammals, fishes, amphibians and reptiles may be under State jurisdiction but do not have Federal protection except as provided on some Federal lands. Under the Lacey Act, as amended (18 U.S.C. 42-44) the Federal Government can become involved if an animal (endangered or not) is taken in violation of State law, and then moved across State or international boundaries . Formal involvement by the Federal Government in endangered species conservation began with the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966. That law acknowledged a national responsibility to act on behalf of native species of wildlife which were "threatened with " extinction. It required the Secretary of the Interior to judge what was endangered and publish in the Federal Register lists of such animals by scientific and common name. He then was authorized to: 1. Conduct research on such animals. 2. Use limited amounts of money ($750,000 per area, $2.5 million per year for a total of $15 million) from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire habitat for them. The Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 was signed into law on December 5, 1969. This amendment to the 1966 Act broadened the scope of the effort to conserve endangered species. Among other things it: 1. Broadened the coverage of the Act to include all vertebrates, mollusks and crustaceans . 2. Permitted the consideration of subspecies as well as species (a subspecies is a recognizable race or variant within a species) . IV 3. Authorized the acquisition of water as well as land for endangered species. 4. Increased the amounts available from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to $2.5 million per area and $5 million per year. The $15 million overall ceiling was retained. 5. Provided significant authority for the conservation of endangered foreign available from wildlife . Further details on this aspect of the program are the Office of Endangered Species of the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife . Criteria for Determining an "endangered species" Confusion still exists among laymen and scientist alike as to what constitutes an endangered species. As noted above, the list of animals published and periodically revised in the Federal Register is the United States Government's "official" list of endangered species and identifies those animals which are eligible for Federal benefits afforded an endangered species . The Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 does not set forth specific criteria for determining which species are "threatened with extinction." Instead, it directs the Secretary of the Interior to seek the council of specialists and agencies with expertise on the subject, and to rely upon their combined judgment. The wording of the Act is as follows: "(C) A species of native fish and wildlife shall be regarded as threatened with extinction whenever the Secretary of the Interior finds, after consultation with the affected States, that its existence is endangered because its habitat is threatened with destruction, drastic modification, or severe curtailment, or because of overexploitation, disease, predation, or because of other factors, and that its survival requires assistance. In addition to consulting with the States, the Secretary shall, from time to time, seek the advice and recommendations of interested persons and organizations, including, but not limited to, ornithologists, . He shall ichthyologists, ecologists, herpetologists , and mammalogists publish in the Federal Register the names of the species of native fish and wildlife found to be threatened with extinction in accordance with this paragraph." Thus, actual numbers of an animal is only one criterion used to determine whether or not " it is "threatened with extinction . Critically low or declining populations may be sufficient or to be but some which still reason for determining—a species subspecies endangered, exist in large numbers such as the brown pelican, the sperm whale, or the Arctic peregrine falcon--may face serious threats such as environmental degradation, over- about their in the foreseeable future. When exploitation, etc. , that could bring extirpation their continued existence is in peril, they may legitimately be considered as endangered species under the Act. The earlier versions of this publication mentioned a "Rare and Endangered Species