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 

 Wildlife of the United States , differ from this third edition by substituting the 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 

 Federal Register , are eligible for the benefits provided by the 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 



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