Es module

teacher’s
Teacher’s Guide

A Mississippi 4-H School Enrichment Module

Mississippi Endangered
Species and Wildlife
Success Stories
Department of Wildlife
and Fisheries

Partial Funding Provided by a Grant from the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Mississippi State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or group affiliation, age, disability, or veteran status.

“Mississippi Endangered Species and Wildlife Success Stories:
A 4-H School Enrichment Module” was developed by:
Katherine M. Jacobs, Extension Associate I
Dr. Martin W. Brunson, Extension Professor
Dr. Ben C. West, Assistant Extension Professor
Dr. Stephen J. Dinsmore, Assistant Professor
Dr. James E. Miller, Outreach/Research Scientist
of the
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Mississippi State University

Special thanks to:
Texas A&M Extension Service
Project WILD
Photo Contributors

Mississippi Endangered Species and Success Stories
Introduction and Welcome to Teachers
Educational Competencies
Day 1 – Pre-Test and Overview

Day 3 – Introduction to Endangered Species
Day 4 – Mississippi Threatened Species
Day 5 – Mississippi Endangered Species
Day 6 – Importance and Conservation of Endangered Species
Day 7 – Mississippi Wildlife Success Stories
Day 8 – Wrap Up and Post Test
Appendices
Additional Resources
Endangered Species of Mississippi
List of Endangered Species by Mississippi County

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Day 2 – Habitat


Dear Third or Fourth Grade Teacher:
Thank you for using the School Enrichment Module, “Mississippi Endangered
Species and Wildlife Success Stories,” to supplement your curriculum! All lesson
plans, activities, and testing materials are provided in this module.
Although the curriculum and activities were developed to be used over an 8-day
period, please feel free to use the curriculum and activities as you deem appropriate
for your class and situation. Depending on your other plans for instruction, you may
choose to not cover some aspects of the module, or you may elect to add sections.
This module exists to help you!
To help us understand the impact and success of the module, we ask that you
conduct a pre-test (enclosed) before you discuss any part of the module with your
students. Once you have completed your instruction, please administer to your
students the post-test (enclosed). Using the Internet site
http://msucares.com/wildfish/4hfieldstream/msem/teach.html, you can easily and
quickly report your results to us. That is all we need!
By taking part in this project, you are not only fulfilling multiple Key Mississippi
Educational Competencies (see enclosed list), you are also helping to educate
Mississippi’s youth about the importance of wildlife and fisheries conservation. If
you discover ways that this module can be improved, or have any questions, please
contact us at your convenience. Good luck, and thank you again for your interest in
wildlife and fisheries!
Mississippi State University-Extension Service

Cooperative Extension Service • Mississippi State University
Box 9690 • Mississippi State, MS 39762-9690 • Office (662) 325-3174 • Fax (662) 325-8750
Mississippi State University, United States Department of Agriculture, Counties Cooperating
Mississippi State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or
veteran status

Key Mississippi Educational Competencies
Grade

Framework

Competencies

Description

1.a

Identify major causes of endangerment and
extinction.

1.b

Distinguish between harmful and helpful
human actions on the environment.

1.a

Describe relationships among people, places,
and environments.

1.b

Describe how human activities alter the
environment.

2.a

Define the necessity and purposes of
government in a community.

2.c

Explain the purpose of rules and laws and why
they are important to a community.

2.g

Explain why certain civic responsibilities, civic
protocol, and historic figures are important to
individuals and to the community.

3.d

Demonstrate and apply spatial and ecological
perspective in life situations.

1.a

Compare food chains and food webs.

1.b

Compare and contrast adaptations necessary
for animals and plants to survive in different
habitats.

7.b

Recognize the need for conservation of water
resources.

7.c

Discuss the ways man can protect and
manage organisms in the environment.

2.d

Explain the student’s role in responsible
citizenship.

Science

3
Social
Studies

Science
4

Social
Studies

Day 1: Pre-Test & Overview

Theme

Activities

Introduce students to the module and
administer the pre-test to all students.

Pre-test.

Purpose

Enclosed Reference
Materials

Introduce students to the module and
administer the pre-test.

Key to Pre-test.

Key Talking Points
Inform your students that, over the
next two weeks, you will be discussing
the topic of Endangered Species and
will be using material developed by
Mississippi State University. Explain
that we first want to find out how much
they know about Endangered Species
with a short test.

Supporting Posters
None.

Specials Instructions
Please administer the pre-test
(enclosed) before covering any parts of
the Module. Once you have
administered the test, please score the
test using the attached key and report
your scores at:
http://msucares.com/wildfish/4hfieldstream/
msem/teach.html.

Name: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________

Mississippi Endangered Species and Wildlife Success Stories
Pre-Test

1.

The greatest threat to wildlife populations is the loss of habitat.
a. True
b. False

2.

An endangered species is a plant or animal that may become extinct because
there are so few of them.
a. True
b. False

3.

The Endangered Species Act is:
a. A movie that shows animals in trouble
b. A law that protects endangered species
c. None of the above

4.

Mississippi Sandhill Cranes are found:
a. All across the southeast
b. Throughout Mississippi
c. Only on the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge in Jackson County,
Mississippi

5.

Since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, about how many
species of our Nation’s plants and animals have become extinct?
a. 5
b. 25
c. 500

6.

The American Alligator is now extinct throughout the United States.
a. True
b. False

7.

An example of an endangered plant species in Mississippi is:
a. Louisiana quillwort
b. willow oak
c. sugar maple

8.

A species that is extinct
a. Can be recovered by wildlife biologists
b. No longer exists and can never recover

9.

Threatened species are wildlife species that are:
a. Already extinct
b. In danger of becoming endangered
c. In danger of becoming extinct

10.

There is nothing we can do to help threatened and endangered species.
a. True
b. False

Assessment Test KEY (correct answers are in bold)

1.

a. True
b. False

2.

An endangered species is a plant or animal that may become extinct
because there are so few of them.
a. True
b. False

3.


4.

c. Only on the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge in Jackson
County, Mississippi

5.

a. 5
b. 25
c. 500

6.

a. True
b. False

7.

b. willow oak
c. sugar maple

8.

A species that is extinct
a. Can be recovered by wildlife biologists
b. No longer exists and can never recover

9.

Threatened species are wildlife species that are:
a. Already extinct
b. In danger of becoming endangered
c. In danger of becoming extinct

10.

There is nothing we can do to help threatened and endangered
species.
a. True
b. False

Day 2: Wildlife Habitat

Theme
Basic needs of wildlife; wildlife habitat.

Purpose

Water
All animals need water, but some
require more than others. Some
animals must drink water from a
spring, creek, or other water source
nearly every day, but others get all
they need from the food they eat.

To introduce students to the concept
that all animals have basic habitat
requirements. Together, the
components of food, water, shelter,
and space comprise an animal’s
habitat.

Cover or Shelter
Most wildlife species require several
kinds of cover where they can hide,
den, nest, rest, and sleep. They
depend on trees, shrubs, weeds, and
grasses to provide them protection.
Others have dens in the ground or
hollow trees.

Key Talking Points

Space
All animals need space where they
can live. Different animals have
different space requirements. Some
animals, like bears, need a lot of
space and may roam over several
miles of habitat daily looking for food.
Other animals, like field mice, may
never travel more than a hundred feet
from their home area.

All animals, including humans, must
have certain things to survive. Wildlife
need food to eat, water to drink, cover
or shelter to protect them from bad
weather and predators, and space to
live.
Food
Food is very important because it
supplies the energy and other
nutrients that all animals must have to
survive. Every species has its own
food requirements. Some species of
wildlife eat only plants, some eat only
animals, and some eat both plants and
animals.

Habitat
The living space that provides all the
basic needs of wildlife and fish is
called habitat. It should provide the
right amounts of food, cover, water,
and space. The distribution and
amount of these needed items are

what determine if a habitat is good or
poor for a specific animal or plant.

habitat, more animals may decrease in
numbers or become endangered.

Carrying Capacity
Each particular habitat has a limited
amount of resources like food and
water. At any given time, there are
only so many resources to “go
around,” and only so many animals
may live in an area. The number of
animals that can be supported by the
habitat is called “carrying capacity.”
Changes in the habitat, whether
natural – like the maturing of a forest –
or human caused – like a timber
harvest in the woods – lead to
changes in carrying capacity. Wildlife
managers use habitat management
techniques to provide adequate food,
cover, water, and space for fish and
wildlife. These practices help increase
or maintain the carrying capacity and
allow more animals to live in the area.

Success Stories
Although there are many endangered
and threatened species, other species
have increased in number and have
become wildlife success stories. This
means their population numbers once
were small but wildlife managers
worked hard to remove the threat to
their survival; as a result, these
animals have recovered and now are
in little danger of extinction.

Habitat and Endangered Species
The greatest danger facing all our
wildlife, including threatened and
endangered species, is loss of habitat.
Today in the United States, we lose
over one million acres of wildlife
habitat every year. Nearly every
endangered species is in trouble
primarily because of habitat loss.
Without our help to stop the loss of

Supporting Posters
Poster #1, Habitat.

Activities
Habitat Lap Sit − Project Wild Activity
Habitat Rummy – Project Wild Activity
Endangered Species CD

Enclosed Reference
Materials
Habitat Lap Sit Instructions
Habitat Rummy Instructions

Additional Internet Resources
National Wildlife Federation
Mississippi Wildlife Federation
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Habitat Page
Wildlife Habitat Council
The Wildlife Society
Wildlife Habitat Management Institute

http://www.nwf.org
http://www.mswildlife.org
http://habitat.fws.gov
http://www.wildlifehc.org
http://www.wildlife.org
http://www.whmi.nrcs.usda.gov

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Where they live
ENDANGERED

S P E C I E S

To u n d e r s t a n d w h a t H A B I TAT i s , l e t ’ s l o o k a t t h e c a v e s a l a m a n d e r.

cave
salamander
(Eurycea lucifuga)

Mary Brunson

habitat
Every animal needs space
to live in, shelter from
weather and predators,
food, and water to survive. Together, these
things make up an animal’s habitat – or the area
where an animal lives,
rests, and reproduces.
Different animals require
different types of food,
places to live, or shelter –
different habitats. When
a habitat changes or disappears, so will some of
the animals that depend
on that habitat for survival.

Habitat: Around the mouth of
caves, in crevices, and beneath rocks
and leaf litter in limestone areas.

ROBERT ROLD

It is in these areas that the cave salamander finds shelter, water, and
insects to eat, and lays its eggs in
small pools of water – this is its
HABITAT.

LISA POWERS

JANELLE MIDTBO

This animal is endangered in
Mississippi because of its specific
habitat requirements and the limited habitat available for it. Land
development (people building houses or businesses), lime mining, and
over-collection of this animal have
reduced its numbers.

USFWS

Poster 01 | Endangered Species | 4H School Enrichment Module Series | MSU-ES | Mississippi State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation or group affiliation, age, disability, or veteran status.

Day 3: Intro to Endangered Species

Theme
An Introduction to Endangered
Species

Purpose
To introduce students to the definition
of endangered species and the U.S.
Endangered Species Act.

Key Talking Points
When animal populations become
extremely low, they may be in danger
of extinction. When a wildlife species
becomes extinct, no more exist on
earth; that particular species cannot be
recovered and will never exist again.
When animal populations become low,
we often refer to that species as
endangered or threatened, implying
they are in danger of extinction.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA)
was passed in 1973. Its purpose is to
protect our threatened and
endangered wildlife and the
ecosystems on which they depend.

Under the ESA, a species in need of
special protection is placed on one of
two lists: endangered or threatened.
An endangered species is an animal,
fish, or plant that is in danger of
extinction throughout all or a large
portion of its range. In the United
States, 955 species are listed as
endangered.
A threatened species is an animal,
fish, or plant that is likely to become an
endangered species within the
foreseeable future. There are
currently 267 species listed as
threatened in the United States.
The ESA forbids the “taking” of a listed
species. This means that no one can
kill, shoot, wound, hunt, capture, harm,
or harass an endangered or
threatened species. Courts have ruled
that habitat destruction that harms or
kills a species is also forbidden.
People who break this law may have
to pay large fines or spend time in jail.
Private landowners who develop and
implement an approved “habitat
conservation plan” providing for
conservation of the species may be
allowed to conduct some activities that
would result in incidental “taking.”
Humans are exterminating species on
a global scale at an ever-increasing

rate. The previous mass extinction
event in North, Central, and South
America 11,000 years ago resulted
from stress due to climate and habitat
change. This combination of factors
resulted in the extinction of 100 bird
and large animal species. By contrast,
biologists now estimate that since the
Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in
1620, about 500 species of our
Nation’s plants and animals have
become extinct.
By helping endangered species
recover, we help boost biodiversity.
Biodiversity is the vast variety of all life
on earth or in ecosystems; when we
lose species to extinction, biodiversity
is reduced.

Supporting Posters
Poster #2, The Endangered Species
Act.

Activities

Enclosed Reference
Materials
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “Where
can I find it?”
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “ESA
basics”
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “Myths
and realities of the ESA”

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Endangered Species Page
http://endangered.fws.gov
Text of the 1973 Endangered Species Act
http://endangered.fws.gov/esa.html

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Endangered Species Act
ENDANGERED
S P E C I E S

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973.

A species in need of special protection
is placed on one of two lists: endangered or threatened.

USFWS

description
The Endangered Species Act (ESA)
was passed in 1973. Its purpose is to
protect our threatened and endangered
wildlife and the ecosystems on which
they depend.
This law is enforced by two federal
agencies, the Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS) and the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS). These two
agencies are also in charge of placing
species on the list or removing them
and preparing plans to help each
species recover.
The goal of the ESA is to help species
recover to high enough numbers so
that they no longer require special protection.

An endangered species is an
animal, fish, or plant that is in danger
of extinction throughout all or a large
portion of its range. In the United States,
955 species are listed as endangered.
A threatened species is an animal, fish, or plant that is likely to
become an endangered species within
the foreseeable future. There are currently 267 species listed as threatened
in the United States.
USFWS

The ESA forbids the “taking” of a listed species. This means that no one can
kill, shoot, wound, hunt, capture,
harm, or harass an endangered or
threatened species. Courts have ruled
that habitat destruction that harms or
kills a species is also forbidden. People
who break this law may have to pay
large fines or spend time in jail.
USFWS

Species may be placed on one of these
two lists for any one of the following
reasons:
• The loss of habitat or severe restrictions on range or habitat
• Overuse of the species by humans
• Disease or predation which threatens the species
• Ineffective regulatory mechanisms
• Other natural or man-made factors
affecting the survival of
a species

©Robert Rold

USFWS

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Where Can I Find It?
Beginner’s Guide to the
Endangered Species Home Page
http://www.fws.gov/r9endspp/endspp.html

Welcome to our Home Page!

Information Items in Our Web Site
Include:

Can I Find Information
About Individual Species?

nthe U.S. List of Endangered and Threatened
Wildlife and Plants, updated monthly;

Yes. For each species on the U.S. List of
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and
Plants (a.k.a. the List), a separate species
profile is available that gives information
about range, date of listing, critical habitat,
special rules, Federal Register citations,
and availability of approved recovery plans.
In addition, you’ll find linked files for many
species, containing other biological and
management information, images, and links
to other Web sites where additional
information can be found. Our goal is to
have a reference page for each endangered
and threatened species! Future plans
include species accounts (fact sheets) for all
listed species, completion of an endangered
species image library, and a complete index
of recovery plan titles by species.

n Species accounts and images;
n Proposed and candidate species information;
nthe Boxscore, which is a count of endangered
species listings and recovery plans by species
group;
nMaps;
nThe Endangered Species Act of 1973,

as

amended through the 100th Congress;
n Policies;
n State counts and lists;

How Should I Begin?
nFrequently asked questions;
n Contact information;
n Recovery activities;
n the Endangered Species Bulletin;

The best way to learn more about this new
electronic library of endangered species
information is to check it out yourself. The
FWS World Wide Web address is: http://
www.fws.gov. From the comfort of your own
computer or at an Internet seat at a public
library, simply use your own Internet
browser and type

n A gallery of ecosystem photos;

http://www.fws.gov
n Links to other sources of information;
n “Endangered Means There’s Still Time”

slide show; and
n A Kids’ Corner, featuring resource lists,

activities and a teacher’s guide.

at the Document Location prompt. This will
bring you to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s
general information and welcome page.
Click on Endangered Species in the table.
You will automatically be taken to the
Endangered Species Home Page.

endangered Tooth
Cave spider
(Neoleptoneta
myopica)
by Karen Day
Boylan

Can I See the List of Threatened and
Endangered Species?
Yes. From the Endangered Species Home Page,
select Listed Species Indexes & Counts
under the Species Information section. Then
choose from the categories: vertebrate
animals (mammals, birds, reptiles,
amphibians, and fishes); invertebrate animals
(clams, snails, insects, arachnids, and
crustaceans); non-flowering plants;
flowering plants; or by FWS Region (Pacific,
Southwest, Great-Lakes, etc).
For example, say that you are looking for
information on the bald eagle, our national bird.
Select Listed Species Indexes & Counts, then
choose Index - Vertebrate Animals, then click
on Birds. Y will be given an alphabetical
ou
listing of birds on the U.S. list. This list
indicates the lead FWS region, what the
species’ federal status is (“E” is for
endangered, “T” is for threatened, “XN” for
nonessential experimental population, “E [or
T] (S/A)” for similarity of appearance to a
listed species, “XE” for an essential
experimental population”), the common name
of the species, and the scientific name. You will
January 1998

find information on the bald eagle under
Eagle, bald. If you click on the scientific
name, in this example: Haliaeetus
leucocephalus, a profile of the bald eagle’s
listing will be displayed, which includes
when it was listed, whether there is a
recovery plan for this species or not, where
the species is likely to be found (State and
other countries), and other information.
Some species, such as the bald eagle, also
have an asterisk (*) before the scientific
name. If you click on the *, you will be taken
to what we call the “hub file” for the
species. This file links to other sites with
materials on this particular species such as
fact pages, recovery plans, press releases,
State web sites, etc.

Can I Print the List?
Yes. You can print out the List as it appears
on your screen (type will be very small), or
you can view and print the entire List in
exactly the same format (PDF) as it
appears in the official edition published by
the Government Printing Office.
To print the List or get the file in PDF
format, get to the Endangered Species
Home Page. Scroll down and click on The
List & Database Files for Download under
the Species Information section. Because
the List is large, it is divided into Animals,
Plants and Delisted species. The first
grouping is to download, view and print the
file in PDF format. The second group is for
printing or downloading the List in ASCII
text format.

Looking at the List in PDF Format
To view and print these files as they appear
on the official Government Printing Office
publication, you will need to download
Acrobat Reader software, which is available
for free via this web page. To get Acrobat
Reader, click on Adobe, Inc. and follow
the instructions.
Please remember, when downloading the file
to your computer, make sure when naming
your document that you
give it the PDF
extension.

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

Can I Search for a Species?
If you want to go quickly to a specific
species, there is a search capability for this
web page. From the Endangered Species
Home Page, select Species Links, Accounts
& Images Search from the left column.
Enter either the common or scientific name.
Click Search. A list of matching records will
be provided. Click in the htmlLink column
on the one which most closely resembles
your request.
You will be taken to the file about that
particular species. A picture will be shown
if one is available. Links to other Internet
sources which describe the species will also
be provided, if available.

How Many Species Are in My State and
Which Ones?
From our home page, you can also find out how
many federally-listed threatened and
endangered species are in your State. To see a
map with a total by state, select State Counts,
under the Species Information section. A map
will display with the current distribution of
federally-listed species by State /territory.
To see which species are in a particular
State, from the Species Information section
on the Endangered Species Home Page,
select State List. The list is organized by
FWS Region (Pacific, Southwest, Great
Lakes, etc). A list of which States are found
in that region is provided to make it easier
for you to select the region you want. Once
you select it, then the list for each State in
that region will be displayed.

Can I Find Other Links and Information
Sources?
A hotlist of sites relevant to the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service’s mission, along with
other search engines, is also available via
our Help page, or at “http://www.fws.gov/
hotlist.html”. You may find that clicking on
our endangered species Guide to Other
Related Information is useful, too. It is
located at “http://www.fws.gov/r9endspp/
sites.html”.

Reports & Plans
You can also use the Fish and Wildlife
Reference Service (FWRS) to request, for a
nominal fee, copies of reports produced by
State fish and wildlife agencies. These reports
are the results of research studies supported
by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act
and Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act
funding. FWRS also provides access to reports
produced by the Anadromous Fish
Conservation Program, the Endangered
Species Grant Program, and the Cooperative
Fish and Wildlife Research Units.
Please note that endangered species recovery
plans are available through this service. To
order a copy, follow the instructions located at
“http://www.fws.gov/fwrefser.html”.

Information for Kids and Teachers
The newest feature to our home page is a Kids
Corner. From this page, junior fish and wildlife
biologists, the public, and you can do a
endangered species crossword puzzle, learn of
ways to help save the environment, make your
own Risky Creatures game, look at or print
FWS fact pages on a particular species
(called biologues), check out the
“Endangered Means There’s Still Time”
slide show, view the Mauna Kea silversword
family album through the Creature
Features! section, and link to other
educational resource materials on the Web
through the Hey Teachers! and Where Can
I Find It? sections.

Still Confused?
Still looking for specific information which
you can’t find? Send us an e-mail message. Our
Internet E-mail address is
“R9FWE_DES.BIM@mail.fws.gov”. Also,
please send us a message if you have
suggestions or comments regarding our home
page. We are always looking for ways to make it
more useful to you.

endangered Mauna
Kea silversword
(Argyroxiphium
sandwicense spp.
sandwicense)
by KarenJanuary 1998
Day Boylan


ESA Basics
Over 25 years of protecting
endangered species
Introduction
When the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
was passed in 1973, it represented
America’s concern about the decline of
many wildlife species around the world. It is
regarded as one of the most comprehensive
wildlife conservation laws in the world.
The purpose of the ESA is to conserve “the
ecosystems upon which endangered and
threatened species depend” and to conserve
and recover listed species. Under the law,
species may be listed as either
“endangered” or “threatened”. Endangered
means a species is in danger of extinction
throughout all or a significant portion of its
range. Threatened means a species is likely
to become endangered within the
foreseeable future. All species of plants and
animals, except pest insects, are eligible for
listing as endangered or threatened.
As of December 31, 1997, 1,125 U.S. species
are listed, of which 457 are animals and 668
are plants. The list includes both U.S. and
foreign species and covers mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, fishes, snails, clams/
mussels, crustaceans, insects, arachnids,
and plants. Groups with the most listed
species are (in order) plants, birds, fishes,
mammals, and clams/mussels.

The law is administered by the Interior
Department’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS) and the Commerce
Department’s National Marine Fisheries
Service. The FWS has primary
responsibility for terrestrial and freshwater
organisms, while the National Marine
Fisheries Service’s responsibilities are
mainly for marine species such as salmon
and whales.

to receive appropriations while Congress
considers reauthorization, allowing
conservation actions for threatened and
endangered species to continue.

The ESA
The Endangered Species Act is a complex
law with a great deal of built-in flexibility.
Some basics of the law include:

Purpose
Legislative History
The 1973 Endangered Species Act replaced
earlier laws enacted in 1966 and 1969, which
provided for a list of endangered species but
gave them little meaningful protection. The
1973 law has been reauthorized seven times and
amended on several occasions, most recently in
1988. The Endangered Species Act was due for
reauthorization again in 1993, but legislation to
reauthorize it has not yet been enacted. The
Endangered Species program has continued

When Congress passed the Endangered
Species Act in 1973, it recognized that many of
our nation’s native plants and animals were in
danger of becoming extinct. They further
expressed that our rich natural heritage was of
“esthetic, ecological, educational, recreational,
and scientific value to our Nation and its
people.” The purposes of the Act are to protect
these endangered and threatened species and to
provide a means to conserve their ecosystems.

Federal Agencies
All federal agencies are to protect species and
preserve their habitats. Federal agencies must
utilize their authorities to conserve listed
species and make sure that their actions do not
jeopardize the continued existence of listed
species. The FWS and the National Marine
Fisheries Service work with other agencies to
plan or modify federal projects so that they will
have minimal impact on listed species and
their habitat.

Working with States

threatened bald eagle
(Haliaeetus
leucocephalus)
by Karen Day Boylan

The protection of species is also achieved
through partnerships with the States. Section 6
of the law encourages each State to develop and
maintain conservation programs for resident
federally-listed threatened and endangered
species. Federal financial assistance and a
system of incentives are available to attract
State participation. Some State laws and
regulations are even more restrictive in
granting exceptions or permits than the
current ESA.

January 1998

Local Involvement

Consultation

Habitat Conservation Plans

The protection of federally listed species on
Federal lands is the first priority of the FWS,
yet, many species occur partially, extensively
or, in some cases, exclusively on private lands.
Policies and incentives have been developed to
protect private landowners’ interests in their
lands while encouraging them to manage their
lands in ways that benefit endangered species.
Much of the progress in recovery of
endangered species can be attributed to
public support and involvement.

The law requires federal agencies to consult
with the Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure
that the actions they authorize, fund, or carry
out will not jeopardize listed species. In the
relatively few cases where the FWS
determines the proposed action will jeopardize
the species, they must issue a “biological
opinion” offering “reasonable and prudent
alternatives” about how the proposed action
could be modified to avoid jeopardy to listed
species. It is a very rare exception where
projects are withdrawn or terminated because
of jeopardy to a listed species.

This provision of the ESA is designed to
relieve restrictions on private landowners who
want to develop land inhabited by endangered
species. Private landowners who develop and
implement an approved “habitat
conservation plan” providing for
conservation of the species can receive an
“incidental take permit” that allows their
development project to go forward.

Listing
Species are listed on the basis of “the best
scientific and commercial data available.”
Listings are made solely on the basis of the
species’ biological status and threats to its
existence. The FWS decides all listings using
sound science and peer review to ensure the
accuracy of the best available data.

Candidate Species
The FWS also maintains a list of “candidate”
species. These are species for which the
Service has enough information to warrant
proposing them for listing as endangered or
threatened, but these species have not yet been
proposed for listing. The FWS works with
States and private partners to carry out
conservation actions for candidate species to
prevent their further decline and possibly
eliminate the need to list them as
endangered or threatened.

Recovery
The law’s ultimate goal is to “recover” species
so they no longer need protection under the
Endangered Species Act. The law provides for
recovery plans to be developed describing the
steps needed to restore a species to health.
Appropriate public and private agencies and
institutions and other qualified persons assist
in the development and implementation of
recovery plans. The Clinton Administration
has issued new guidelines requiring the
involvement of the public and interested
“stakeholders” in recovery plans. Recovery
teams may be appointed to develop and
implement recovery plans.

Critical Habitat
The law provides for designation of “critical
habitat” for listed species when judged to be
“prudent and determinable”. Critical habitat
includes geographic areas “on which are found
those physical or biological features essential
to the conservation of the species and which
may require special management
considerations or protection.” Critical habitat
may include areas not occupied by the species
at the time of listing but that are essential to the
conservation of the species. Critical habitat
designations affect only federal agency actions
or federally funded or permitted activities.

International Species
The Endangered Species Act is the law that
implements U.S. participation in the
Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
(CITES), a 130-nation agreement designed to
prevent species from becoming endangered or
extinct because of international trade. The law
prohibits trade in listed species except under
CITES permits.

Exemptions
The law provides a process for exempting
development projects from the restrictions of
the Endangered Species Act. This process
permits completion of projects that have been
determined to jeopardize the survival of a
listed species, if a Cabinet-level “Endangered
Species Committee” decides the benefits of the
project clearly outweigh the benefits of
conserving a species. Since its creation in 1978,
the Committee has only been called upon four
times to make this decision.

Definition of “Take”
Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act
makes it unlawful for a person to “take” a listed
species. The Act says “The term take means to
harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill,
trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in
any such conduct.” The Secretary of the
Interior, through regulations, defined the term
“harm” in this passage as “an act which
actually kills or injures wildlife. Such act may
include significant habitat modification or
degradation where it actually kills or injures
wildlife by significantly impairing essential
behavioral patterns, including breeding,
feeding, or sheltering.”

Compliance with Other Laws
The Endangered Species Act is not the only law
to protect species of wild mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians and fishes, clams, snails,
insects, spiders, crustaceans, and plants. There
are many other laws with enforcement
provisions to protect declining populations of
rare species and their habitat, such as the
Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Migratory
Bird Treaty Act, and the Anadromous Fish
Conservation Act. The Lacey Act makes it a
federal crime for any person to import, export,
transport, sell, receive, acquire, possess, or
purchase any fish, wildlife, or plant taken,
possessed transported or sold in violation of
any Federal, State, foreign or Indian tribal law,
treaty, or regulation.

For More Information
For additional information about threatened
and endangered species and current recovery
efforts, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service at 703/358 2171 or 800/344 WILD.
Additional materials and the current U.S. List
of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and
Plants is also available over the Internet at
<http://www.fws.gov/r9endspp/
endspp.html>.

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January 1998


Myths and Realities of the
Myth: Extinction is a “natural”
process and we should not worry
about it.
Reality: Extinction is a normal process, but the
current extinction rate is not. The environment
is changing so rapidly that species have no time
to adapt. Since the pilgrims landed at Plymouth
Rock 365 years ago, more than 500 North
American species have become extinct. That is
more than one species becoming extinct each
year. Scientists estimate that natural
extinction rates are one species lost every 100
years!

Myth: The Endangered Species Act is
causing loss of jobs and economic
devastation in many areas of the
country.
Reality: Economists from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology analyzed the economic
impact of endangered species. They found that
states with many listed species have
economies that were at least as healthy as those
with very few endangered species. Even in the
Pacific Northwest, where logging restrictions
were imposed, in part, because of the northern
spotted owl, the regional economy is booming.
Three years after the curtailment of logging in
Federal forests, Oregon posted its lowest
unemployment rate in a generation.

Myth: Many irresolvable conflicts with
endangered species occur every year,
stopping many valuable projects and
hindering progress.
Reality: Of the 225,403 projects that were
reviewed from 1979 to 1996, only 37
development projects were halted. That is one
project stopped per 6,092 projects reviewed. In
most cases, projects that were halted did
proceed once the project design was modified to
avoid endangering a species.

Myth: Billions of tax dollars are being
spent on endangered species.
Reality: In FY 1996, the annual budget for the
nationwide endangered species program was
approximately $.06 billion. This amounts to an
average of 23 cents per person in the United
States. By comparison, Americans spent over
$8.2 billion in 1992 on pets, pet food and pet
supplies and the amount has grown since then
(U.S. Bureau of the Census, Statistical
Abstract of the U.S. 1997).

Reality: Size and emotional appeal have no
bearing on a species’ importance. Aldo Leopold,
the father of wildlife management, said it well
in his book The Sand County Almanac:
“The last word in ignorance is the
man who says of an animal or plant:
‘What good is it?’ If the land
mechanisms as a whole is good, then
every part is good, whether we
understand it or not. If the biota, in the
course of aeons, has built something we
like but do not understand, then who but a
fool would discard seemingly useless
parts? To keep every cog and wheel is
the first precaution of intelligent
tinkering.”
Remember that pencillin was discovered from
a mold!

50

Myth: Thousands of private citizens
have been prosecuted for harming or
killing endangered species, even
when killing occurred accidentally.

40
30
$ Billions

Reality: Most of the people prosecuted under
the Endangered Species Act are illegal
wildlife traffickers who illegally and
knowingly collect rare wildlife and plants to
sell for personal profit.

Myth: Most endangered species are
worthless, insignificant, lower forms of
life that have no value to humanity.

20
10
0

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

Jewelry*

Cosmetics*

Movie tickets*

T&E species**

Annual American Expenditures (for 1996)
*The World Almanac & Book of Facts 1998, K-III Reference Corp., 1997.
January 1998
**U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Day 4: Mississippi Threatened
Species
Theme

Supporting Posters

An Introduction to Threatened Species
in Mississippi.

Poster #3 Gulf sturgeon
Poster #4 Gopher tortoise
Poster #5 Louisiana black bear

Purpose
To introduce and familiarize students
with threatened species in Mississippi.
Students will learn basic facts about
each species, its habitat, diet,
reproductive process, range, and
conservation and recovery.

Activities
Endangered Species Crossword
Puzzle
Endangered Species Crossword
Puzzle 2

Key Talking Points
Please refer to posters for information
about each threatened species.

Enclosed Reference
Materials
Poster Reference Sheets

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Page
Endangered Species in the Southeast
http://southeast.fws.gov/es/

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THREATENED

Gulf Sturgeon
S P E C I E S

Scientific name: Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi | Listed as Threatened in 1991

breeding

KEVIN McIVER, USFWS

description
This large fish can grow to be 9 feet
long and weigh over 300 pounds! It
has rows of large, bony scale-like plates
along its body and a long pointed
snout. Its mouth is sucker-like. Gulf
sturgeon are black with a white belly.

Although a Gulf sturgeon may lay eggs
every year, some scientists think that
these fish need a long rest after spawning (laying eggs) and may not reproduce the next year. Gulf sturgeon
migrate to freshwater during spring to
lay their eggs and then return to the
saltwater in fall and winter. These fish
seem to return to the same river to
spawn each time. Eggs are laid in running water over gravel, rubble, clay, or
shells.

diet
When in rivers, Gulf sturgeon eat
aquatic insects and other aquatic invertebrates. In the Gulf Coast waters,
they eat mollusks, shrimp, small fish,
and other invertebrates such as marine
worms and amphipods.

The number of Gulf sturgeon have
declined due to over fishing and the
loss of spawning habitat. Thousands of
pounds of Gulf sturgeon were removed
from the Pascagoula River in the
1900’s by commercial fishing boats.
Dams and other changes made to rivers
may keep sturgeon numbers low
because these fish are no longer able to
reach some of their spawning grounds.
Additionally, pollution has limited the
amount of habitat the sturgeon can use.

conservation
and recovery

habitat
Gulf sturgeon can be found in rivers
and along the Gulf Coast from Florida
to Louisiana.

threats to
survival

NRCS

range
In Mississippi, the Gulf sturgeon has
been found in the Pearl River upstream
to Madison County and the Bogue
Chitto River upstream to Pike County.
KEVIN McIVER, USFWS

There were an estimated 3,000 Gulf
sturgeon in 1986. Commercial fishing
of Gulf sturgeon is not allowed in
Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and
Florida. Scientists have raised Gulf
sturgeon in captivity to study and to
release into the wild. The plan to protect the Gulf sturgeon includes protecting their remaining habitat, reestablishing a large enough population to withstand fishing pressures in each river system, as well as other steps to help protect this fish.

Example of an amphipod.

Gulf sturgeon can live to
be 70 years old and
weigh more than
300 pounds.

funfacts

LINDA KUHNZ/MBARI © 2003

JERRY ZIEWITZ, USFWS


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Gopher Tortoise
THREATENED

S P E C I E S

Scientific name: Gopherus polyphemus

L i s t e d a s T h r e at e n e d i n 1 9 8 7

diet

This species eats many different types
of plants. However, grasses make up
the bulk of its diet.

USFWS

description
Gopher tortoises are large turtles, with
a shell that is 9 to 15 inches long. The
top of a gopher tortoise shell, or the
carapace, is brown or gray. The bottom
of the shell, its legs, head, and neck are
yellow. The top of the shell of a young
tortoise is also yellow. Gopher tortoises have big toenails on their front legs
that are used for digging. Their back
feet are small and stumpy.

range

These tortoises can be found in Florida,
southern South Carolina, Louisiana,
Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

breeding threats to
Gopher tortoises mate in April or May.
survival
The female will lays up to 15 eggs in a
mound in front of or near her burrow.
These eggs will hatch approximately
100 days later. Female gopher tortoises do not lay eggs every year.

conservation
and recovery

habitat
Gopher tortoises create long underground burrows in dry, upland, sandy
soils; a burrow may grow to be 30 feet
long. Gopher tortoises live in forests with
enough open areas to permit growth of
grasses and small plants. In Mississippi,
gopher tortoises are often found in longleaf pine and scrub oak forests.

USFWS

USFWS

The greatest threat to the survival of
the gopher tortoise is habitat loss due
to mining, city growth, and the misuse
of herbicides and pesticides. Fire suppression has also reduced the amount
of suitable habitat. Fires helped to
keep the forests open and create the
type of habitat that gopher tortoises
use. Each year, many tortoises are
killed by cars when crossing roads.

Gopher tortoise burrows can serve as
homes for many other animals, such as
snakes, frogs, mice, foxes, skunks,
opossums, rabbits, quail,
armadillos, lizards, toads,
and some invertebrates.

The gopher tortoise was once common
throughout its range. Over the last
100 years, gopher tortoises have
become rare. The remaining gopher
tortoises on federal lands are being protected, and their habitat in the DeSoto
National Forest is being protected. In
some states, scientists are reintroducing
captured tortoises into areas to study
them. In some places, scientists are
attempting to create suitable habitat by
reintroducing fire or other management methods.

funfacts
USFWS


black bear
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Louisiana Black Bear
THREATENED
S P E C I E S

Scientific name: Ursus americanus luteolus | Listed as Threatened in 1992

diet

Black bears eat a variety of foods. Their
diet includes grass, fruit, seeds, nuts,
roots, insects, fish, amphibians, small
rodents, bird eggs, and carrion.

description
The Louisiana black bear can weigh up
to 400 pounds and can be up to 6 feet
long. Its fur is dark brown or black. It is
a large, stocky mammal with a short tail.

The Louisiana black bear can be found
in many different habitats. It prefers
habitat that has plentiful food (often
fruits, seeds, and nuts) and bushes and
trees it can hide in; it generally prefers
habitat that has not been disturbed by
humans. In Louisiana and Mississippi,
the black bear is often found in bottomland hardwood forests in river
basins. This bear will den in hollow
logs, brush piles, road culverts, or hollow trees.

Habitat loss is the greatest threat to the
survival of the Louisiana black bear.

conservation
and recovery

GARY M. STOLZ, USFWS

habitat

threats to
survival

KATHY JACOBS

breeding

Only several hundred Louisiana black
bears are alive today. The Atchafalaya
and Tensas River National Wildlife
Refuges protect and manage this bear.
Some private landowners in Louisiana
and Mississippi are also attempting to
protect and manage this species.

Females have one to three cubs (baby
bears) at a time, usually giving birth
only every other year. The cubs may
stay with the mother for up to a year.

range
The black bear used to be found in
many places in North America. Today,
Louisiana black bears live in the
Atchafalaya and Tensas River Basins in
Louisiana, and are occasionally found
in Mississippi.

GARY M. STOLZ, USFWS

USFWS

Black bears are good swimmers.
They can swim at least a mile
and a half in fresh water.
One bear even
swam nine miles.

funfacts

USFWS

2001 KIM CABRERA


2001
ALLISON M. SHEEHEY


Endangered Species
Crossword Puzzle
OK, Junior Fish and Wildlife Biologists, it’s time to test your knowledge.
1

2

3

4

6

5

7

8

9

10

ACROSS

DOWN

1. our national symbol, an endangered species
success story

7. the abbreviation for the Endangered Species
Act

1. a new word meaning the vast variety of life in
all its forms

3. ultimate goal, for every species, of the

8. troubled shellfish in America’s streams

2. word meaning “in immediate danger of
extinction”

4. . . . is a word that means gone forever. Kaput.
Finito.
5. word meaning a species could become
endangered in forseeable future

9. loss of a species’ home, or its ________, is the
biggest threat

6. these species invade, and crowd the native
species

10. an acronym for the fish/wildlife federal
agency that protects endangered species &
habitats and manages the National Wildlife
Refuge System

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

January 1998


Endangered Species
Crossword Puzzle
Puzzle Answer Key
OK, you gave it your best try. Here are the answers.

1

3

R

4

T

B A L
I
0 V E
D
I N C

R

V
E A

E C

E X

5

T H

D

M U S

9

H A

B

S E
I

T

E N

L

S

10

U S

ACROSS
1. our national symbol, an endangered species
success story

L

2

E
N

D

I 0 N

T

I T A T
Y

A G

R Y

R
8

E

6

E D
X

0
T
I

A
N
G
7

E S A
R
E
D

C
F W S

7. the abbreviation for the Endangered Species
Act

DOWN
1. a new word meaning the vast variety of life in
all its forms

8. troubled shellfish in America’s streams
3. ultimate goal, for every species, of the
4. . . . is a word that means gone forever. Kaput.
Finito.
5. word meaning a species could become
endangered in foreseeable future

9. loss of a species’ home, or its ________, is the
biggest threat
10. an acronym for the fish/wildlife federal
agency that protects endangered species &
habitats and manages the National Wildlife
Refuge System

2. word meaning “in immediate danger of
extinction”
6. these species invade, and crowd the native
species

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

January 1998


Endangered Species
Crossword Puzzle 2
OK, Junior Fish and Wildlife Biologists, it’s time to test your knowledge again!
2

1

3

5

4

6

7

8

9

10

ACROSS
1. “_______ Means There’s Still Time”

8. plants and animals which are not yet
proposed for listing as threatened or
endangered

3. a species which is vulnerable but not yet
in immediate danger of extinction

10. the Act’s abbreviation

6. elected body that passes legislation such
as the Endangered Species Act

DOWN

7. areas of habitat believed essential to the
conservation of an endangered or threatened
species

2. choices in your course of action

5. the ultimate goal of the Endangered
Species Act
8. acronym for the 130-nation agreement
which regulates the exporting and importing
in endangered species of wild fauna or flora
9. the legal term for any harassing,
harming, or otherwise hurting of a
threatened or endangered species

4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists
determine that a species is in __________ when
a federal action would reduce the likelihood of a
endangered or threatened species to survival
and recover in the wild.

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

January 1998


Endangered Species
Crossword Puzzle 2
Puzzle Answer Key
OK, you gave it your best try. Here are the answers.
1

3

T H

E N D
R E A

2

A N
L
T

G

E N

E

R E

D

E D

4

E
5

R
E

7

C

O
V
E
R
Y

E

O N G R E S S
N
R I T I C A L H A B
T
8
C A N D I D A 9T E
I
V
A
6

O

C

T
10
E

S A

E
S

J

I

P
T A T
R
D
Y

K
E

S
ACROSS

8. plants and animals which are not yet proposed
for listing as threatened or endangered

5. the ultimate goal of the Endangered
Species Act

3. a species which is vulnerable but not yet
in immediate danger of extinction

10. the Act’s abbreviation

8. acronym for the 130-nation agreement
which regulates the exporting and importing
in endangered species of wild fauna or flora

6. elected body that passes legislation such
as the Endangered Species Act

DOWN

7. areas of habitat believed essential to the
conservation of an endangered or
threatened species

4. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists
determine that a species is in __________ when
a federal action would reduce the likelihood of a
endangered or threatened species to survival
and recover in the wild.

1. “_______ Means There’s Still Time”

2. choices in your course of action

9. the legal term for any harassing,
harming, or otherwise hurting of a
threatened or endangered species

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

January 1998

Day 5: Mississippi Endangered
Species
Theme

Supporting Posters

An Introduction to Endangered
Species in Mississippi.

Poster #6 Gray bat
Poster #7 Louisiana quillwort
Poster #8 Mississippi Sandhill Crane
Poster #9 Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Poster #10 American burying beetle

Purpose
To introduce and familiarize students
with endangered species in
Mississippi. Students will learn basic
facts about each species, its habitat,
diet, reproductive process, range, and
conservation and recovery activities.

Activities
Risky Critters

Key Talking Points

Enclosed Reference
Materials

Please refer to posters for information
about each endangered species.

Poster Reference Sheets

Bat Conservation International
http://www.batcon.org

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ENDANGERED

Gray Bat
S P E C I E S

Scientific name: Myotis grisescens

breeding

© Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International

description

| Listed as Endangered in 1976

Female gray bats have only one baby
bat at a time. When the female bats
are ready to have their babies, they
will group together in a cave. A
group of adult female bats is called a
maternity colony. The males and
young bats will live in another cave
during this time. Young bats will
begin flying 20 to 35 days after they
are born.

The gray bat is a mammal with wings
that measure 10 or 11 inches from
one tip to the other. It has gray fur,
and its wings are attached to its
ankles.

diet

Gray bats are very picky when choosing caves. These caves must be a certain temperature and be near a water
source, like a reservoir or river. The
greatest threat to these bats is human
disturbance. When humans enter a
gray bat cave, startled females may
drop their babies. Bats may move out
of caves that are disturbed frequently.

conservation
and recovery

habitat
Gray bats live in caves. In the winter
they hibernate, which is like being in
a deep sleep, in these caves. In
warmer weather, gray bats will
migrate to caves that they will use in
the summer.

threats to
survival


range
Gray bats can be found in several
states in the United States. They are
not often seen in Mississippi, and
have been observed only in Tishomingo
County.

Gray bats feed on insects that they
find while flying over rivers or reservoirs.

The most important summer cave for
the gray bat is in Alabama. This cave
is now owned by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, and is being managed to protect the bat. The U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service also purchased another cave that these bats
use to hibernate in during winter.

Bats send out sound waves that bounce
off objects and return to the bat.
Through this “echolation,” bats
can determine the size, shape,
and texture of many objects,
including tiny insects.

funfacts




quillwort
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Louisiana Quillwort
ENDANGERED

S P E C I E S

Scientific name: Isoetes louisianensis

|

Listed as Endangered in 1992

range

STEVE LEONARD

description
The Louisiana quillwort is a small
plant that resembles grass. It grows in
water, often on sandbars in streams.
This plant does not produce seeds, but
reproduces from spores, like a fern.
The name of this plant comes from the
leaves that resemble a quill – the hollow stem of a feather. The leaves of the
quillwort can grow up to 16 inches
long.

The range of the Louisiana quillwort is
extremely limited. Currently, it has
been found in only two parishes in
Louisiana: Washington and St.
Tammany parishes. It has also been
found in ten counties in Misssissippi
and two counties in Alabama.

LISA YAGER

LISA YAGER

conservation
and recovery
There is much to be learned about this
aquatic plant, and research is being
done to learn more about its life cycle
and habitat needs so it can be protected. Mississippi does not provide protection for any plants in the state, but
plants on federally owned lands are
protected.

STEVE LEONARD

threats to
habitat survival

The Louisiana quillwort grows on sand
and gravel bars in small to mediumsized streams. At times, it may be completely submerged (below the water).

Water pollution is the greatest threat to
the survival of this plant. Sand and
gravel mining and clearcutting streambanks can affect water quality and thus,
the survival of these plants.

LISA YAGER

LISA YAGER
LISA YAGER


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ENDANGERED

Mississippi Sandhill Crane

S P E C I E S

Scientific name: Grus canadensis pulla

Listed as Endanger ed in 1973

diet
The diet of this bird changes depending on the time of year. It eats many
different types of plants, some grains,
and fruits throughout the year. In
spring and summer, it may eat insects,
small fish, and sometimes amphibians
such as frogs.

UTE BRADTER

description
Mississippi Sandhill Cranes are 35 to
40 inches tall with long legs, a long
neck, and a wingspan of about 6 feet.
Adult birds have gray feathers, a red
crown, a white throat, and occasionally
rust-colored markings on the wings
and back. Young birds have browner
feathers and lack the red and white on
their heads. Mississippi Sandhill
Cranes fly with their necks outstretched and have a loud, rattling call.
Their calls can sometimes be heard
from more than a mile away.

threats to
survival

the Mississippi Sandhill Crane is habitat loss. In the 1950’s, much of their
original habitat was used to grow trees
for timber and paper, forcing the birds
to move somewhere else. Fire suppression has also reduced the amount of
suitable habitat for this bird. Humans
have built houses and farms on some of
the land the cranes used as well.

conservation
and recovery
SCOTT HEREFORD, USFWS

breeding
Mississippi Sandhill Cranes lay one to
two eggs. These eggs will hatch in 28
to 32 days, and the young birds will
leave the nest in another 60 to 65 days.
Cranes will stay with their selected
mate for life.

There are approximately 100 Mississippi
Sandhill Cranes living on the refuge.
Scientists have been releasing captiveraised birds into the wild to increase
the number of birds. The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and other groups
have been working hard to protect the
lands that these birds live on and
increase their numbers in the wild.

habitat range
These birds live in wet pine savannas,
wetlands, swamps, and bayheads on
the coast of Mississippi.
TOM CARLISLE

The Mississippi Sandhill Crane is
found only in Jackson County,
Mississippi on the Mississippi Sandhill
Crane National Wildlife Refuge.
Previously, they could be found in
coastal Alabama and Louisiana as well.
They do not
travel
to
Cranes can dance! They will
other places
lower their heads, spring
when the seasons
into the air, and toss
change (migrate).
around sticks
and grass.

funfacts
UTE BRADTER


woodpecker
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Page 1

ENDANGERED

Red-cockaded Woodpecker
S P E C I E S

Scientific name: Picoides borealis

Listed as Endangered in 1970

diet
Red-cockaded Woodpeckers mainly eat
insects, such as caterpillars and beetles.

breeding
Each male and female pair will have
three to five eggs. These eggs will hatch
in 10 to 14 days and the young birds
will leave the nest in another 23 to 30
days. Young birds may help the adults
raise young chicks.

TEXAS A&M EXTENSION

description

There are around 13,000 Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in the world. Special
rules have been created to protect the
mature pine forests that this woodpecker needs to live in and to help
grow more trees that these birds can
use in the future. Biologists have created cavities in mature trees and put up
special houses for these birds in many
older-aged forests.

range
These birds can be found throughout
the southeast in mature pine forests.

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are small
birds, about 7 inches long, with a
wingspan of 15 inches. The top of
their head and back of the neck is
black. Their cheeks and belly are
white. Their backs and wing feathers
have black and white bars on them.
Males have a small red spot on the back
of their heads near their eyes. These
birds, like other woodpeckers, can be
seen climbing up the trunk of a tree.

USFWS

Woodpeckers tap on tree
trunks an estimated 8,000
to 12,000 times
per day.

habitat
These birds live in forests of widelyspaced, large, old pines – usually longleaf pine forests. They peck holes
(cavities) in older pines with their
beaks. It is in these cavities that Redcockaded Woodpeckers will nest. A
“family” of woodpeckers, called a
group, will live near each other – a
male and female pair, their young
chicks, and a few young birds which
help the adults raise their chicks.

conservation
and recovery

USFWS

threats to
survival

funfacts

the Red-cockaded Woodpecker is habitat loss. Much of the pine forests suitable for this woodpecker are managed
by companies to produce wood or
paper. The trees may be cut down
when they are too young for woodpeckers to make cavities in. Large areas
of older trees may be cut down for
wood as well, leaving no trees for the
birds to use.

JOHN CASSADY

beetle
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American Burying Beetle
ENDANGERED
S P E C I E S

Scientific name: Nicrophorus americanus • Listed as Endanger ed in 1989

diet
This beetle eats dead, decaying animals, also known as carrion. American
burying beetles are an important part
of the food web, returning decaying
material back into the ecosystem.
MARK PEYTON

description
The American burying beetle can grow
to one and a half inches long. Its body
is shiny and black with two bright
orange bands on each wing cover.
There is a large orange spot on its
upper back near its head, a small
orange dot on its face, and several
orange marks on its legs and antennae.
This beetle has strong pincers that it
uses for both fighting and cutting up
its food. Adult beetles are nocturnal
(active at night).

habitat
The American burying beetle can live
in many different habitats, but it is limited to areas not recently disturbed by
humans. It may prefer to live in open
grasslands or in open areas in hardwood forest. Because it buries its food,
the burying beetle lives in places where
the soil is not rocky, too wet, or sandy.

MARK PEYTON

JOEL SARTORE/WWW.JOELSARTORE.COM

breeding
Adult beetles will seek out a recently
dead, mouse-sized animal to serve as
food for their offspring. Often, many
beetles will gather around the same carrion, and they will fight over it. The
winning male and female beetle will
transport the carrion to a suitable spot
with soft soil. They will dig a hole and
bury the carcass several inches deep.
Once the carcass is buried, the beetles
will remove any fur or feathers from it
and secrete juices that will slow down
the decaying process. The female will
lay eggs in a tunnel near the carcass.
The number of eggs laid depends largely on the size of the carrion because it
must feed the larvae (baby beetles) for
about a week. Both the male and
female adult beetles will care for the

growing larvae until they pupate (the
“teenage beetle” stage before becoming
an adult). Adult beetles live for one year.

range
The American burying beetle was once
found in many of the eastern and central states, but is now only found in the
Midwest and on one island in the state
of Rhode Island. The only reported
sighting of this beetle in Mississippi
was in 1949 in Lafayette County.

threats to
survival
Although it is unclear what caused
American burying beetles to decline,
increased competition for food and a
decrease in habitat where the right
sized carrion is common may be factors. Habitat fragmentation, or the
break up of habitat with things like
roads or fire lanes, may also contribute
to the decrease in the number of beetles.

conservation
and recovery
Several conservation groups, zoos, and
scientists raise American burying beetles
for release into the wild. Some groups
even catch wild beetles, pair them
together and provide them with carrion
for their eggs. A few states have
reintroduced the American burying
beetle back into its native range.

American burying beetles have
a great sense of smell!
They can smell dead
animals as far as
2 miles away.

funfacts


MARK PEYTON


Risky Critters!
Build & Play Your Own Game

Are you a sagacious scientist or a laser-witted
layperson? Barrage your brain with a battery of
beastly biology questions bound to bolster your
blossoming knowledge! Play this game by
setting up a game board, see following page, then
choose a category and a point value (the more
points, the more difficult the question).

20 I am a big predatory cat that lives in the
Florida Everglades. There are only about
50 of us left. What am I?
30 I travel in packs and have recently returned
to Y
ellowstone National Park. I’m usually
gray but can be brown, black, white, or a
,
combination of these colors. What am I?

Challenge a partner to play!

Points and Questions
Category: Birds
10 I am our national symbol. My recovery has
been so successful that I have been
downlisted from ‘endangered’ to ‘threatened.’
What am I?
20 I am the fastest bird in the world. I can dive
at 200 miles per hour! What am I?
30 I’m a large white, long-necked bird that was
down to 20 left in 1941. Today there are about
300 of us because of the help we get from
people who care. I like to dance and migrate
long distances. What am I?
40 I’m the largest North American bird. I
weigh 25 lbs and look like a vulture with my
9.5 foot wing span. There are fewer than two
dozen of me in the wild, but biologists are
raising more of us in captivity. What am I?
50 I have a huge beak that holds lots of fish, and
I love to dive out of the sky for them. I’ve
been removed from the endangered species
list because I’ve recovered. What am I?

40 Poachers kill this huge striped cat for its
body parts. The bones are ground up and
dried and used for medicines in Asia. Claws
are used in jewelry. Fewer than 5,000 remain
worldwide. What is it?
50 Black, white, Indian or greater one-horned,
Javan and Sumatran. Poachers kill me for
my horn, which is carved into dagger
handles. Less than 12,000 of us huge,
nearsighted herbivores are left. What am I?

live underground where it’s cooler. What am
I?
30 These amphibians have declined globally to
the point where biologists are concerned
about ozone depletion in the atmosphere.
What are they?
40 Inflated heelsplitter, Arkansas fatmucket,
speckled pocketbook, fine-rayed pigtoe.
What are they?
50 What do more than 457 animals and 668
plants have in common?

Category: Endangered! Recovered!
10 If this happens, a species will be gone
forever. What is this word?
20 What is the law that protects plants and
animals that are in danger of disappearing
forever?

Category: Crawl, Hop, Swim, and Grow
10 This large reptile was nearly wiped out by
trade in its valuable skin, but has recovered
and was taken off the endangered species
list. What is it?
20 I am slow-moving and I live in the desert. I
can live to be more than 100 years old. I
carry my shell with me, and like to

30 What word means “any species which is in
danger of extinction throughout all or a
significant part of its range”?
40 What is the ultimate goal of the
Endangered Species Act?
50 What do habitat loss, introduced species,
pollution, population growth, and overconsumption of resources do to fish,
wildlife and plants?

Category: Mammals
10 I weigh about 1200 lbs and swim in
Florida’s warm waters. Early
sailors mistook me for a mermaid,
but close-up I look like a walrus
without tusks. What am I?

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

endangered
gray wolf
(Canis lupus)
By Karen Day
Boylan January 1998


Risky Critters!
Answers and Directions

How to build your own “Risky Critters!”
gameboard
1. Write out the question on top half of a sheet of
paper. Write answers on bottom half of the
sheet. Fold in half.

Side view of game board:

question
foldline

Tape folded question/answer sheet to foam core
board.

4. Tape all 3 sheets from one joint.
Foamcore

3. Tape plastic protector
sheet on top.

answer

(fold under)

2. Write point value of question on top half of
another piece of paper. Fold in half.

sideview

Tape folded point value sheet above question/
answer sheet. (Y could make some “double
ou
point” questions by writing “double points” on
bottom half of point value sheet.)

2. Then tape folded sheet with
points on front. (Y could
ou
make some “double point”
questions by writing “double
points” on back.)

1 Tape folded sheet with
.
question on front, answer on
bottom half, to foam core board.

3. If using in bad weather, tape plastic protector
sheet above that (transparencies work well).
4. Arrange in same pattern as the game board
layout (next page).
7. Have fun!

Materials List

Points and Answers

40 sheets of paper (8.5” x 11”)

Category: Birds

Category: Mammals

1 poster size foam core board (20” x 40”)

10
20
30
40
50

10
20
30
40
50

Tape

Category: Crawl, Hop, Swim & Grow

Category: Endangered! Recovered!

10
20
30
40
50

10
20
30
40
50

10 transparencies/protector sheets (8.5” x
11”, cut in half)

Questions/Answers

bald eagle.
peregrine falcon.
whooping crane.
California condor.
brown pelican.
alligator.
desert tortoise.
frogs.
endangered and threatened mussels.
This is the number of species are on the
U.S. List of Endangered and Threatened
Wildlife and Plants (as of 12/31/97).

Florida manatee.
Florida panther.
gray wolf.
tiger.
rhinoceros.
extinction.
The Endangered Species Act.
endangered.
recovery.
They cause species to become endangered.

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

January 1998


Risky Critters!

50

40

50
50
50

40
40
40

30
30
30
30

20
20
20

20

10
10
10

10

Crawl, Hop,
Swim & Grow

Mammals
Birds

Endangered!
Recovered!

Game Board

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

January 1998

Day 6: Why Are Endangered Species
Important? How Can I Help?
Theme
The Importance and Conservation of
Endangered Species.

Purpose
To communicate the importance of
endangered species and discuss how
we can conserve and recover
threatened and endangered species.

Key Talking Points
The preamble to the 1973 ESA states
that endangered species of fish,
wildlife, and plants “are of esthetic,
ecological, educational, historical,
recreational, and scientific value to the
Nation and its people.” In short, nearly
all wildlife species, including
threatened and endangered species,
are valuable in many ways to society.
Wildlife species have the potential to
directly benefit humans in a number of
ways…one good example is through
the development of medicine. Nearly
40% of all medical prescriptions in the
U.S. have been derived from nature or
synthesized to mimic naturally
occurring chemical compounds, most
of which come from plants. Although
scientists have examined over

250,000 known plant species for
possible medicinal value, this
represents only 2% of all plants!
Every time a plant extinction occurs,
we lose forever a potential cure to
cancer, heart disease, or any other
human disease.
Discuss how students can help
conserve threatened and endangered
species using the US Fish and Wildlife
publication “You and Your School.”

Supporting Posters
None.

Activities
Endangered Species Word Find

Enclosed Reference
Materials
U.S. Fish and Wildlife “You and Your
School”
U.S. Fish and Wildlife “Why Save
Species”


You and Your School
What you can do to help conserve
rare, threatened, and endangered
species and their habitats
Awareness and Understanding—
You and Your Community
area, find out how you can help conserve it, and
inform the citizens in your community about
your adopted plant of animal with speeches,
newspaper articles, brochures, buttons, signs,
videos, etc.

Sustainable Use of Earth’s Resources

n Hold a school Arbor Day tree planting.
n“Adopt” an endangered species native to your

Habitat Restoration

n Conduct a school energy audit.

Invite local officials.

Brainstorm ways the school could lower
energy use.

n Replant riverbanks, under supervision,

with native plants to anchor the soil and
provide wildlife habitat.

n Challenge other schools in your

community to an energy conservation
contest.

n Adopt a stream, wetland or watershed.
nStart a school newspaper to tell others about

Monitor water quality and the health of local
plants and animals. Distribute your
findings.

n Establish a school energy committee.

n Participate in river cleanups.

n Conduct a waste audit at school and

n Plant a garden on your school grounds to

endangered species.

identify materials that can be recycled or
re-used.

Read energy conservation tips during
morning announcements.

n Produce Public Service announcements

about environmental issues you care about and
distribute them to the media.
nConduct a community awareness survey
.
Write a newspaper column for a local paper to
educate members of the community about
their environment.
nSponsor an environmental seminar or

debate for both students and the community
.
Topics could include endangered species,
water quality, recycling, composting, and
environmental alternatives to harmful
practices.

attract wildlife, birds, and butterflies.
n Establish a school organic garden, and
n Build homes for bats and birds, and have

teach others the techniques you’ve learned.

the project certified by National Wildlife
Federation’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat
program.

nParticipate in an annual bird count.

n Adopt an area of your school’s

playground, and then develop a plan to
improve it.

endangered
red-cockaded
woodpecker
(Picoides borealis)
by Robert J.
Savannah

n Conduct a public awareness campaign on
nIdentify causes of erosion. Develop and

distribute a stream or watershed protection
guide.

the threats of non-native, invasive or exotic
species. Under proper supervision,
participate in native plant habitat
restoration projects.

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

January 1998


Why Save Species?
Because protecting endangered
species protects us.
Protecting Endangered Species Helps
Protect a Healthy Environment.

Protecting Endangered Species Helps
Sustain the Local Economy and Provides a
Good Quality of Life.

n A healthy environment for wildlife

contributes to a healthy environment for people,
today and tomorrow.
nProtecting endangered species and
biodiversity saves species that may become
important sources of new drugs, medicines, or
foods.
nEndangered species are Nature’s “911”, an

early warning system for pollution and
environmental degradation that may someday
affect human health.
nEndangered species are linked to

environmental quality (for example,
endangered mussels are indicators of poor
water quality).

Protecting Endangered Species is a
Fundamental American Value.
n Stewardship for the land and wildlife is a part

n States and localities with healthy

environments attract residents and businesses
interested in a good quality of life for their
employees.

of the American tradition, from President
Theodore Roosevelt to the writings of Thoreau
and Aldo Leopold.
nProtecting endangered species saves a part of

nHealthy environments sustain a variety of

jobs (for example, commercial fishing,
tourism, outdoor equipment and clothing. Loss
of forests and degradation of rivers and
streams causes job losses for fishers.)
nUnhealthy environments cost money (for
example, loss of wetlands can increase flooding
and cost millions in flood losses).
nAmericans spent $87.8 billion on fish and

wildlife-related recreation in 1996.
nEnvironmental regulations can help protect

private property rights, because what your
neighbor does on his or her property can affect
your property
.

America’s natural legacy which we will leave
for future generations to enjoy.
n Major religious organizations have endorsed

protecting endangered species because they
believe in protecting divine creation.
nAmericans never turn away from something

that is worth doing, like saving endangered
species, just because it might be tough. They are
proud of saving the bald eagle and look forward
to other successes. They do not like failures and
many Americans regret losses of important
parts of our natural heritage, like the extinction
of the passenger pigeon. This attitude was
summed up best by a child who wrote: “Why
save endangered species? Because we can.”

n Some localities celebrate their endangered

species to attract tourist revenue (for example,
the Texas Tropics Nature Festival in McAllen,
TX, is estimated to bring in nearly half a
million dollars to the local economy).
n Look for local examples in your areas

that illustrate how protective measures
for endangered species have contributed to
a healthy economy based on a healthy
environment.

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

endangered
Knowlton’s cactus
(Pediocactus
knowltonii)
by Robert J.
Savannah

January 1998


Endangered Species
Word Find
OK, Junior Fish and Wildlife Biologists, try and find all the words listed below. Warning: Words may be backwards, upside-down and diagonal in
this word search!

endangered
green sea turtle
(Chelonia mydas)
By Robert J.
Savannah

WORDS TO FIND:
amphibians
arachnids
biodiversity
birds
clams mussels
conifers

conservation
cycads
endangered
ferns
fishes
flowering plant
habitat

insects
jeopardy
lichens
mammals
recovery
reptiles
snails
species
threatened

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

January 1998


Endangered Species
Word Find
Puzzle Answer Key
OK, Junior Fish and Wildlife Biologists, how did you do? Now, try to find a picture of each of the words listed below. Remember, you can always get
on the Internet and check out our endangered species web page at <http://www.fws.gov/r9endspp/endspp.html>. We have lots of pictures
on our web site for you to choose from!

endangered
green sea turtle
(Chelonia mydas)
By Robert J.
Savannah

WORDS TO FIND:
amphibians
arachnids
biodiversity
birds
clams mussels
conifers

conservation
cycads
endangered
ferns
fishes
flowering plant
habitat

insects
jeopardy
lichens
mammals
recovery
reptiles
snails
species
threatened

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

January 1998

Day 7: Mississippi Wildlife
Success Stories
Theme
Wildlife success stories in Mississippi.

Purpose
To help students understand that
species can be conserved with
management. In this section, students
will learn about wildlife species in
Mississippi that were once threatened
or endangered, but have been
restored through wildlife management.

Key Talking Points
Threatened or endangered species
aren’t necessarily doomed to
extinction. Through careful and
planned wildlife management, and
public interest and support, threatened
and endangered species may recover
to a larger population size.
To restore threatened and endangered
species, wildlife managers must
determine the reason for the species’
decline or potential risks for the
species. For example, the use of the
pesticide DDT, habitat loss, and illegal
shooting once threatened Bald Eagles
and many other birds. Thus, to restore
Bald Eagle populations, biologists
focused on these 3 factors. As a

result, Bald Eagles were taken off of
the “endangered” list in 1995 and
downgraded to “threatened.” Although
still on the threatened list, Bald Eagles
continue their recovery across the U.S.
See posters for specific details on
Mississippi species that are
considered success stories.
Play the Project Wild Turtle Hurdles
game to discuss factors that contribute
to extinction and ways we can
minimize those factors to conserve
species.

Supporting Posters
Poster #11 American alligator
Poster #12 Bald Eagle
Poster #13 Peregrine Falcon

Activities
Project Wild Turtle Hurdles

Enclosed Reference
Materials
“Success Stories Made Possible by
the ESA”

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American alligator
SUCCESS
S T O R Y

Scientific name: Alligator mississippiensis | Listed as Endangered in 1967, delisted in 1987

diet

USFWS

description

American alligators are carnivores
(meat-eaters) and eat a variety of food
items. Small alligators eat crayfish,
frogs, insects, and mollusks. Larger
alligators will eat birds, snakes, turtles,
fish, and small mammals. Some very
large alligators have been known to eat
deer, pigs, or cattle.
Kathy Jacobs

The American alligator is an aquatic
reptile that can grow to be 13 feet long
and weigh more than 300 pounds. It
is covered in gray to black scales on its
back, legs, and head. Its stomach is
lighter in color.

habitat

breeding

Alligators are most commonly found
in marshes and swamps, but can also
be found in slow-moving rivers and
streams, lakes, oxbows, and ponds.
Some have even been found in coastal
salt marshes. Adult alligators will construct dens with underwater entrances
along the water’s edge. These dens will
protect the alligators from bad weather.

conservation
and recovery

From the 1800’s to the 1960’s, alligators were illegally killed for their hides.
This nearly caused them to become
extinct. Protection provided through
the Endangered Species Act has helped
their population to recover. There are
now over one million American alligators in the United States. In some
states alligators are so abundant that
they are commercially harvested and
farm-raised for their meat and hides.
Currently, you can not hunt alligators
in Mississippi, but future management
may allow for a limited harvest of these
animals.

A female will lay between 30 and 70
eggs in a nest made of mud, leaves, and
twigs. She will cover the eggs after she
has laid them and protect the nest until
they hatch 9 weeks later. The young
hatchlings (baby alligators) will remain
in the area of the nest for several
months.

range
The temperature of the nest
determines whether a baby
alligator will be a male
or female.

funfacts

American alligators can be found in
many of the southeastern states, such as
Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana,
South and North Carolina,
Texas, Arkansas, and Florida.
In Mississippi, American alligators can
be found in 55 counties. The highest
number of alligators can be found
along the Gulf Coast.

Kathy Jacobs


USFWS

bald eagle
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Bald Eagle
SUCCESS
S T O R Y

Scientific name: Haliaeetus leucocephalus | Listed as Endangered in 1967, reclassified as Threatened in 1995

breeding threats to
survival
normally lay two eggs.

Bald Eagles
Eggs will hatch in 34 to 36 days.
Young Bald Eagles will be able to fly in
another 80 to 90 days.
USFWS

description
A huge, distinctive bird with a body
length of 30 inches and a wingspan of
more than 6 feet. The adult is black
with a white head and tail. The feet
and large bill are yellow. Young birds
are dark colored with white spots and
streaks on the underside. Young birds
do not breed until they are 4 years old.

habitat
Bald Eagles live in many different habitats, but generally prefer to live near
water. They are often found around
reservoirs, lakes, along major rivers,
and in coastal areas. They make nests
in areas with mature trees near large
bodies of water.

diet
This bird mainly eats fish. It will also
eat small mammals, birds, and carrion.

Primary threats include habitat loss
and disturbance by humans. In the
past, a chemical called DDT that was
used to control mosquito populations
caused the Bald Eagle population to
decline. DDT caused eagles to produce thin, fragile eggs that were often
crushed.

conservation
and recovery
With the ban of DDT in 1972, this
species has recovered dramatically,
although it is not as abundant as it
once was throughout its range.
USFWS

range
Bald Eagles are found throughout
North America, but generally occur in
low numbers. Most Bald Eagles
nest in the northern United
States, Alaska, and Canada
and spend the winter
throughout the U.S.
and in coastal Alaska.
In Mississippi,
Bald Eagles can
be found along
the Mississippi
River and on or
near other large
bodies of water.

USFWS

USFWS

Ken Hammond, USDA

The bald eagle was officially
adopted as the U.S.
national symbol
on June 20, 1782.

funfacts

John
Cassady

peregrine
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Peregrine Falcon
SUCCESS
S T O R Y

Scientific name: Falco peregrinus Listed as Endangered in 1970, delisted in 1999

breeding conservation
and recovery
Peregrine Falcons normally lay 3 or 4
eggs. Eggs will hatch in 29 to 32 days.
Young falcons will be able to fly in
another 35 to 40 days.

range
DON GETTY

description
Peregrine Falcons can be 14 to 18 inches long. Females are larger than males.
This bird has a 40-inch wingspan.
Adults are easily identified by the dark
“hood” on the head, undersides that
are gray with dark bars, and long,
pointed wings. Young birds look a lot
like adults, but don’t have a dark hood
on their heads and show streaked
rather than barred underparts.

habitat
Peregrine Falcons live along mountain
ranges, in river valleys, and along coastlines. They typically nest on cliffs or
other tall structures, sometimes even
on tall buildings. Most birds migrate
through coastal areas, and they will
travel across large expanses of ocean
during migration.

These birds are found throughout the
world. In this part of the world, they
can be found nesting in Mexico and
throughout North America. Most of
the birds that can be found in the
United States will fly south of the U.S.
to spend winter in warmer weather. In
Mississippi, this bird can be found
along the Gulf Coast as it migrates
north or south. It may occasionally
spend the winter on some of the offshore barrier islands along the coast.

threats to
survival
Loss of habitat is the strongest threat to
this species. In the past, a chemical
called DDT that was used to control
mosquito populations caused the number of Peregrine Falcons in the United
States to decline. DDT caused birds to
produce thin, fragile eggs that were
often crushed.

With the ban of DDT in 1972, the
number of Peregrine Falcons has greatly increased. Scientists helped this
species recover by breeding, raising,
and releasing Peregrines into the wild,
through a process known as “hacking.”

Gerald and Buff Corsi, California Academy of Sciences

When performing dives in the
air, Peregrine Falcons can
reach speeds of more
than 200 miles
per hour.

funfacts

diet
Peregrine Falcons mainly eat other
birds, most of which are killed in flight.
They will occasionally eat small mammals, like mice or voles.

USFWS

USFWS



Success Stories Made
Possible by the ESA
All of the plants and animals on the
endangered species list got there because
they were in serious trouble. The most
common threat to all endangered species is
loss of habitat. But since the enactment of
the Endangered Species Act of 1973, nearly
40 percent of all the listed species have seen
a measure of improvement, either through
captive breeding, habitat rehabilitation,
successful reintroduction or population
increase. Here are a few species you may
recognize which have been helped by the
special protection of the Endangered
Species Act:

Aleutian Canada Goose
Numbered between 200 and 300 when listed in
1967, the population today exceeds 7,900. Found
in Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington,
the species was reclassified from endangered
to threatened in 1990.

Brown Pelican
The brown pelican is considered the first avian
species to recover from the effects of DDT and
other pesticides on its nesting success. In 1985,
brown pelican populations on the Atlantic Coast
of the U.S. (including Florida and Alabama) had
recovered so that the species could be removed
from the ESA protection in that part of
its range.

Gray Whale
The eastern population of the Pacific gray
whale has doubled since it was listed; the whale
now supports a thriving whale tour business in
Southern California and was declared fully
recovered and removed from the endangered
species list in 1994 by the National Marine
Fisheries Service.

1 800/344 WILD
June 1998

Virginia Big-Eared Bat

Bald Eagle

Known population levels of the Virginia bigeared bat have increased tenfold since the
bat’s listing in 1979, from 1,300 to more than
13,000 and population increases have
remained steady.

America’s national symbol was decimated
by the ingestion of DDT, habitat loss, and
illegal shooting. By 1967, only 417 nesting
pairs remained. Today, there are more than
4,000 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states. In
1995, the Fish and Wildlife Service moved to
reclassify the bald eagle from endangered to
threatened throughout the lower 48 states.

Protection from disturbance during
migration, such as the gating of some caves,
has improved the status of the bat, known to
consume their own weight in insects in a
single day.

Gray Wolf
The gray wolf population has increased
since the species’ listing as endangered in
1967 for the lower 48 states, except of
Minnesota. In 1995, 31 Canadian wolves
were released into Yellowstone National
Park, and in 1996 another 35 wolves were
released into central Idaho. In 1997, the
Fish and wildlife Service announced that
since the introduced wolves were doing so
well, no further introductions should
be necessary.

Greenback Cutthroat Trout
Listed as endangered in 1967, the greenback
cutthroat trout was reclassified as threatened
in 1978. It has since been restored to more than
40 lakes and streams in Colorado. This species
could be removed from the list by the year 2000.

Black-Footed Ferret
Once thought to be extinct, the black-footed
ferret was rediscovered in 1981 near Wyoming.
A successful captive breeding program has
increased the population from 18 to more than
300. In 1991, a reintroduction program was
launched in Wyoming, with later releases in
Arizona, Montana, and South Dakota. Now, there
are young born in the wild too!

Small-whorled Pogonia
Residential and commercial development
have been the primary threats to this rare
pogonia. However, since the plant’s listing,
State and municipal conservation efforts and
private landowner contributions have
afforded permanent protection for the
largest-known population of this plant,
allowing it to be reclassified as threatened.

endangered brown
pelican (Pelecanus
occidentalis)
by Robert Savannah
January 1998

Day 8: Wrap Up and Post-Test
Theme

Supporting Poster(s)

Conclude the module and administer
the post-test to all students.

None.

Purpose

Activities
Post-test.

To answer final questions and
measure learning via administration of
the post-test.

Special Instructions
Please administer the post-test
(enclosed). Once you have
administered the test, please score the
test using the attached key and report
your scores at:
http://msucares.com/wildfish/4hfieldstr
eam/msem/teach.html.

Enclosed Reference
Materials
Key for Post-test.

Name: ____________________________
Date: ____________________________
Post-Test

1.

a. True
b. False

2.

An endangered species is a plant or animal that may become extinct because
there are so few of them.
a. True
b. False

3.


4.

c. Only on the Mississippi Sandhill Crane Refuge in Jackson County,
Mississippi

5.

a. 5
b. 25
c. 500

6.

a. True
b. False

7.

b. willow oak
c. sugar maple

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