Endangered Species Act Turns 40
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) was the first environmental protection act for species and their habitat in the world! Signed by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, this act has been a great success for many species! Recognizing the importance of this act, many other countries followed the USA's stance to protect species from extinction.
To keep species from going extinct no matter the cost is the goal of the ESA. Protection is given to plants and animals including the habitat that is critical to the survival.
Two agencies are responsible for protecting species:
- United States Fish & Wildlife Services (FWS) is in charge of the protection of freshwater fish and all other species
- National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is in charge of marine species
Today, many species found in and around Florida have successfully recovered in populations, some removed from the endangered list, others downgraded to threatened. And some are no longer on the endangered species list due to their protection under this act.
For those of you that live in Florida, it is interesting how many species on the following table we see on a daily basis!
| Endangered & Threatened Species of Florida 2013 | |||
| FISH | |||
| Federal Endangered | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | State Species of Concern |
| Atlantic sturgeon | Gulf sturgeon | Blackmouth shiner | Bluenose shiner |
| Shortnose sturgeon | Okaloosa darter | Crystal darter | Harlequin darter |
| Smalltooth sawfish | Key silverside | Lake Eustis pupfish | |
| Rivulus | |||
| Saltmarsh topminnow | |||
| Southern tessellated darter | |||
| MOLLUSKS | |||
| Federal Endangered | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | State Species of Concern |
| Fat threeridge | Chipola slabshell (mussel) | Florida treesnail | |
| Gulf moccasinshell | Purple bankclimber (mussel) | ||
| Ochlockonee moccasinshell | Stock Island tree snail | ||
| Oval pigtoe | |||
| Shinyrayed pocketbook | |||
| CORALS | |||
| Federal Endangered | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | State Species of Concern |
| Elkhorn coral | Pillar coral | ||
| Staghorn coral | |||
| CRUSTACEANS | |||
| Federal Endangered | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | State Species of Concern |
| Squirrel Chimney Cave shrimp | BlackCreek crayfish spotted royal | ||
| Panama City crayfish | |||
| Santa Fe Cave crayfish | |||
| AMPHIBIANS | |||
| Federal Endangered | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | State Species of Concern |
| Reticulated flatwoods salamander | Frosted flatwoods salamander | Florida bog frog | |
| Georgia blind salamander | |||
| Gopher frog | |||
| Pine barrens treefrog | |||
| REPTILES | |||
| Federal Endangered | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | State Species of Concern |
| Green sea turtle | American crocodile | Florida brownsnake | Alligator snapping turtle |
| Hawksbill sea turtle | Atlantic salt marsh snake | Gopher tortoise | Barbour's map turtle |
| Kemp's ridley sea turtle | Bluetail mole skink | Key ringneck snake | Florida Keys mole skink |
| Leatherback sea turtle | Eastern indigo snake | Peninsula ribbon snake | Florida pine snake |
| Loggerhead sea turtle | Rim rock crowned snake | Red rat snake | |
| Sand skink | Short-tailed snake | Suwannee cooter | |
| American alligator | Striped mud turtle | ||
| MAMMALS | |||
| Federal Endangered | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | State Species of Concern |
| Anastasia Island beach mouse | Southeastern beach mouse | Big Cypress fox squirrel | Eastern chipmunk |
| Caribbean monk seal | Everglades mink | Florida mouse | |
| Choctawhatchee beach mouse | Florida bonneted (mastiff) bat | Homosassa shrew | |
| Finback whale | Sanibel Island rice rat | ||
| Florida panther | Sherman's fox squirrel | ||
| Florida salt marsh vole | Sherman's short-tailed shrew | ||
| Gray bat | |||
| Gray wolf | |||
| Humpback whale | |||
| Indiana bat | |||
| Key deer | |||
| Key Largo cotton mouse | |||
| Key Largo woodrat | |||
| Lower Keys rabbit | |||
| North Atlantic right whale | |||
| Perdido Key beach mouse | |||
| Red wolf | |||
| Rice rat | |||
| Sei whale | |||
| Sperm whale | |||
| St. Andrew beach mouse | |||
| West Indian manatee | |||
| BIRDS | |||
| Federal Endangered | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | State Species of Concern |
| Bachman's wood warbler | Audubon's crested caracara | Florida sandhill crane | American oystercatcher |
| Cape Sable seaside sparrow | Florida scrub-jay | Least tern | Black skimmer |
| Eskimo curlew | Piping plover | Snowy plover | Brown pelican |
| Everglade snail kite | Roseate tern | Southeastern American kestrel | Burrowing owl |
| Florida grasshopper sparrow | Whooping crane | White-crowned pigeon | Limpkin |
| Ivory-billed woodpecker | Little blue heron | ||
| Kirtland's wood warbler | Marian's marsh wren | ||
| Red-cockaded woodpecker | Osprey | ||
| Wood stork | Reddish egret | ||
| Roseate spoonbill | |||
| Scott's seaside sparrow | |||
| Snowy egret | |||
| Tricolored heron | |||
| Wakulla seaside sparrow | |||
| White ibis | |||
| Worthington's marsh wren | |||
| INSECTS | |||
| Federal Endangered | Federal Threatened | State Threatened | State Species of Concern |
| American burying beetle | Cassius blue butterfly | ||
| Miami blue butterfly | Ceraunus blue butterfly | ||
| Schaus' swallowtail butterfly | Nickerbean blue butterfly | ||
For more infomation visit
Wikipedia Endangered Species Act
Florida's Endangered and Threatened Species
