12 Endangered Animals Found in the US

Pseudemys alabamensis

The Alabama Red-Bellied Turtle, also known as the Alabama Red-Bellied Cooter, is the state reptile of Alabama. This turtle has been listed as endangered since 1987 where a recovery plan was created but is being revised. One change that has been made to help protect these turtles is a 3.4 mile long chain link fence placed to prevent the turtles from being hit by cars.

This turtle is almost exclusively found in Mobile Bay and got its name for the red hue on the bottom of its shell. Though the population is not extremely low, it is below 10,000. The biggest threat to these turtles is habitat loss and human exploitation.

Mustela nigripes

The Black Footed Ferret was once thought to be extinct in the wild. Found in the Northern Great Plains, there are now over 300 of these animals that have been reintroduced into the wild. Though reintroduction have started, disease and habitat loss are still a major threat and these ferrets are not out of the woods.

Measures to save this species include habitat protections, cloning, captive breeding and reintroduction. As recent as November 2024, a cloned ferret in Denver gave birth to two healthy kits, paving the way for species conservation in the future. This cloned ferret was created using samples from 1988, bringing back more genetic diversity than the ferrets used in breeding before her.

Pituophis ruthveni

Even though these snakes are not small at around 5 feet full grown, they are considered one of the rarest snakes in North America. It is very rare to see them in the wild as they spend most of their time in burrows underground of the gophers they eat. The largest threat to this species is habitat loss, which also decreases the amount of food they are able to find. Other threats include road mortality, and becoming part of the pet trade industry.

Captive breeding has been able to help restore a small portion of the population in the wild. In restored Forrests, about 100 snakes have been released a year. Unfortunately, the population in the wild is still thought to be close to 100, even with these animals being released every year.

Gymnogyps californianus

The California Condor is the largest bird in North America. In the 1980's, the population dropped as low as 22 birds, but there are now over 300 spread between captivity and the wild. They nest on the edges of cliffs, though they are known to travel far for food. Increasing the population of these birds is a very slow process since they only lay one egg per nesting season and, don't nest every year.

The main reason these birds were on the brink of extinction, is lead poisoning. This is the cause of more than 50% of condors found deceased. They ingest this lead by ingesting carcasses that were hunted using lead ammunition.

Reithrodontomys raviventris

The salt marsh harvest mouse is a mostly nocturnal rodent that is great at swimming and spends high tides up in the vegetation of their habitat. Their population decrease is credited to salinity changes, rising water levels, habitat loss, along with many other things. These small mice live less than one year and typically have one to two litters a year, making population growth difficult.

These mice have adapted to be able to drink brackish or sea water when fresh water is not available. There is no direct answer of how many mice there are left, but it is believed to be somewhere around 2,000. The Salt Marsh Harvest Mice have had around 90% of their habitat in the San Francisco Bay Area destroyed and developed, leading to their endangerment.

Centrocercus minimus

With only a population of about 5,000, which may be as low as 1,800, and spread throughout western Colorado and eastern Utah, the Gunnison Sage-Grouse is one of the most at-risk bird species in the country. The species was not separately identified from the similar Greate Sage-Grouse until 2000, and has been on the decline since. The largest threat to these animals has been oil and gas drilling which has destroyed their habitat.

The Gunnison Sage-Grouse is the first new avian species since the 1800s in the United States. Recently, it has been found that ravens have been disturbing the birds breeding sites, called lekking sites, flushing them away. This has caused only seven populations of these birds to exist today.

Cyprinodon diabolis

The Devils Hold Pupfish has been listed as endangered since 1967 and lives in a singular deep limestone cave in Nevada. They feed mostly on the algae that grows along the cave. The entire population of 191 fish, live on a 215 square foot shelf in the cave.

These fish gained their name through the cave that they live in, Devils Hold, which is located in the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. The population of these fish is currently the highest it has been since 1999. The largest threat to these fish has been groundwater pumping of Devils Hole and inbreeding due to the small population.

Cyprogenia stegaria

Only found in three rivers now in the United States, breeding populations are kept to hopefully regrow the population. There are only 12 known populations, with only 3 of these reproducing. The biggest threat to the Fanshell has been people and invasive mussel species. With dams destroying their habitat and commercial harvesting also affecting this species, humans are to blame.

To help prevent invasive mussel species from being able to cause harm to the Fanshell, boats should be properly washed and dried before being allowed into the rivers these mussels reside in. Chemicals and toxic metals are known to get into the water and slowly poison the mussels to death as well.

Dipodomys ingens

The Giant Kangaroo Rat has been listed as endangered since April of 1987. They are the largest of the kangaroo rat family which include the giant kangaroo rat, kangaroo mice and pocket mice. Habitat loss has caused the population to become only 3% of its former population.

The Giant Kangaroo Rat is a keystone species in its environment. Their burrows provide habitats for other species, specifically other endangered species found in the same area. They are also known to cure seeds they plan to store for the winter, and they grow back better after being digested through the rats systems.

Nicrophorus americanus

Known as the largest species of burying beetle, the American Burying Beetle has been listed as endangered since 1989. They were the first insect to be added to the Endangered Species Act. The extinction of other species such as the passenger pigeon is one of the reasons for their decline in population.

The American Burying Beetle reproduces by burying the carcass of a small animal such as a rat once it has found a pair, then lays eggs on the carcass so the offspring will have food to eat. They are known to provide parental care of their offspring, which is very uncommon in insects. They will feed the larvae carrion when requested until the larvae have grown enough to be able to obtain some themselves.