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Wildlife in Danger of Extinction: North Florida 1
Joe Schaefer and Geof Gowan2This publication is a brief overview of the habitats and counties where listed endangered, threatened, and special concern species have been found in north Florida, although these species also may occur in currently undocumented areas. Figure 1 shows the number of endangered species within each of the North Florida counties. See the following tables:
Figure 1. Table 1 . Mammals;
Table 2 . Birds;
Table 3 . Reptiles;
Table 4 . Amphibians;
Table 5 . Fishes.
Background
Many wildlife species in north Florida are headed toward extinction. By 1990, 42 species in this region had been officially listed as endangered, threatened or species of special concern by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (Title 39-27.003, 27.004, and 27.005, of the Florida Administrative Code) and/or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS, Part 17, Title 50, Code of Federal Regulations).Endangered species are those in immediate danger of extinction unless they or their habitats are fully protected and managed. Threatened species are very likely to become endangered in the near future unless they or their habitats are fully protected and managed. Species of special concern may become threatened unless protective management strategies are employed.
Since the early 1970s, these legal classifications have been used to help protect species and their habitats that are in greatest jeopardy. It is unlawful to pursue, molest, harm, harass, capture or possess these species or parts thereof or their nests or eggs except as authorized by Commission or USFWS regulations or permits (Title 39-27.002, F.A.C. and Part 17, Title 50, C.F.R.).
Designated critical wildlife areas that are crucial to the survival of listed species also are protected from human or vehicular disturbance (Title 39-19.05, F.A.C. and Part 17, Title 50, C.F.R.).
By far the most common cause of declines in wildlife numbers is habitat loss or alteration due to human activities. Nearly half (44%) of all Florida vertebrates are known or suspected to be declining in number or distribution, according to a 1990 Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) study. Many species that have not gone through the formal listing process were determined by FWC to be in just as much jeopardy of extinction as those species already listed.
Extinction is a process that occurs over a long period. When an essential habitat component is diminished to a level insufficient for a species' survival, that species becomes extinct in that area.
Species first become extinct on individual sites, then extinction spreads to township, county, state, national, and global levels. See Figure 1 .
Tables
Table 1.
Table 1. Mammals Common name (Scientific name)
Status Habitat Counties Black bear, Florida (Ursus americanus floridanus)
T (1) Hardwood swamps, dense thickets, various communities Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Manatee, West Indian (Trichechus manatus latirostris)
E (1, 2) Marine and fresh water Clay, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Lafayette, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Taylor Mouse, Florida (Podomys floridanus)
SSC (1)C2 (2)
Scrub, sandhill communities Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Mouse, Pallid beach (Peromyscus polionotus decoloratus)
E (1) Coastal strand Flagler, St. Johns Squirrel, Sherman's fox (Sciurus niger shermani)
SSC (1)C2 (2)
Pine flatwoods, sandhill communities Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Union Whale, finback (Balaenoptera physalus)
E (1, 2) Marine water Coastal waters Whale, humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae)
E (1, 2) Marine water Coastal waters Whale, right (Balaena glacialis)
E (1, 2) Marine water Coastal waters Whale, sei (Balaenoptera borealis)
E (1, 2) Marine water Coastal waters Whale, sperm (Physter catodon)
E (1, 2) Marine water Coastal waters Status code key: E = Endangered Species; T = Threatened Species; 1 = Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; 2 = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; SSC = Species of Special Concern; C1 = A candidate for federal listing, with enough information on biological vulnerability and threat to support proposals for listing; C2 = A candidate for listing, with some evidence of vulnerability, but for which insufficient data exist to support listing; C3 = Still formally under review by the USFWS for federal listing, but no longer considered for listing because recent information indicates species is more widespread or abundant than previously believed.
Table 2. Birds Common Name (Scientific name)
Status Habitat Counties Crane, Florida sandhill (Grus canadensis pratensis)
T (1) Freshwater marshes, wet prairies, dry prairies Alachua, Baker, Columbia, Madison, Putnam, Taylor Eagle, bald (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
T (1)E (2)
Pine flatwoods, sandhills, hardwood swamps, open water/ upland interfaces Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Egret, snowy (Egretta thula)
SSC (1) Shallow and open water, wet prairies, sand, mud flats Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Falcon, peregrine* (Falco peregrinus)
E (1)T (2)
Coastal strand, marshes, fields Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, Taylor Heron, little blue (Egretta caerulea)
SSC (1) Marshes, sand, wet prairies, shallow and open water, mud flats Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Heron, tricolored (Egretta tricolor)
SSC (1) Salt and freshwater marshes Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Ibis, white (Eudocimus albus)
SSC (1) Ocean beaches, bays, estuaries, freshwater marshes, lakes, ponds, rockpits, mines, impoundments, rivers, canals, and swamps Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Jay, Florida scrub (Aphelocoma coerulescens coerulescens)
T (1, 2) Oak scrub Alachua, Duval, Clay, Flagler, Gilchrist, Putnam, St. Johns Kestrel, southeastern American (Falco sparverius paulus)
T (1) Dry prairies, old fields, pine flatwoods, sandhills Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Limpkin (Aramus guarauna)
SSC (1) Swamps, marshes Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Owl, burrowing (Athene cunicularia)
SSC (1) Fields, dry prairies Alachua, Dixie, Duval, Gilchrist, Lafayette, Suwannee Oystercatcher, American (Haematopus palliatus)
SSC (1) Mud flats, coastal strand Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, Taylor Pelican, brown (Pelecanus occidentalis)
SSC (1) Marine water Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, Taylor Plover, piping* (Charadrius melodus)
T (1, 2) Sand, mud flats Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, Taylor Skimmer, black (Rynchops niger)
SSC (1) Ocean beaches, bays, estuaries, lakes, ponds, rockpits, mines, impoundments, rivers, canals, and towns Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Stork, wood (Mycteria americana)
E (1, 2) Various marsh and swamp communities Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Tern, least (Sterna antillarum)
T (1) Marine water, sand, roof tops Clay, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, Taylor Woodpecker, red-cockaded (Picoides borealis)
T (1)E (2)
Mature pine stands Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Wren, Marian's marsh (Cistothorus palustris marianae)
SSC (1) Coastal marshes Dixie, Taylor Wren, Worthington's marsh (Cistothorus palustris griseus)
SSC (1) Coastal marshes Duval, Nassau, St. Johns Status code key: E = Endangered Species; T = Threatened Species; 1 = Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; 2 = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; SSC = Species of Special Concern; C1 = A candidate for federal listing, with enough information on biological vulnerability and threat to support proposals for listing; C2 = A candidate for listing, with some evidence of vulnerability, but for which insufficient data exist to support listing; C3 = Still formally under review by the USFWS for federal listing, but no longer considered for listing because recent information indicates species is more widespread or abundant than previously believed.
Table 3. Reptiles Common name (Scientific name)
Status Habitat Counties Alligator, American (Alligator mississippiensis)
SSC (1)T (2)
Swamps, lakes, rivers, marshes Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Cooter, Suwannee (Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis)
SSC (1) Streams, rivers, nests in sandy uplands Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Snake, eastern indigo (Drymarchon corais couperi)
T (1, 2) Various upland and wetland communities Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Snake, Florida pine (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus)
SSC (1) Scrub, sandhills, flatwoods Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Lafayette, Putnam, Suwannee, Taylor Snake, short-tailed (Stilosoma extenuatum)
T (1) Scrub, sandhills Alachua, Columbia, Suwannee Tortoise, gopher (Gopher polyphemus)
SSC (1) Scrub, sandhills, coastal strand, flatwoods Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Turtle, alligator snapping (Macroclemys temmincki)
SSC (1) Freshwater marshes, lakes, rivers Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Madison, Nassau, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Turtle, Atlantic green (Chelonia mydas mydas)
E (1, 2) Coastal strand, marine water Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, Taylor Turtle, Atlantic loggerhead (Caretta caretta caretta)
T (1, 2) Coastal strand, marine water Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, Taylor Turtle, Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)
E (1, 2) Coastal strand, marine water Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, St. Johns, Taylor Status code key: E = Endangered Species; T = Threatened Species; 1 = Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; 2 = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; SSC = Species of Special Concern; C1 = A candidate for federal listing, with enough information on biological vulnerability and threat to support proposals for listing; C2 = A candidate for listing, with some evidence of vulnerability, but for which insufficient data exist to support listing; C3 = Still formally under review by the USFWS for federal listing, but no longer considered for listing because recent information indicates species is more widespread or abundant than previously believed.
Table 4. Amphibians Common name (Scientific name)
Status Habitat Counties Frog, Dusky gopher (Rana capito sevosa)
SSC (1) Sandhills, pine flatwoods, ephemeral ponds Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Frog, Florida gopher (Rana capito aesopus)
SSC (1) Sandhills, pine flatwoods, ephemeral ponds Alachua, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Putnam, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union Status code key: E = Endangered Species; T = Threatened Species; 1 = Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; 2 = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; SSC = Species of Special Concern; C1 = A candidate for federal listing, with enough information on biological vulnerability and threat to support proposals for listing; C2 = A candidate for listing, with some evidence of vulnerability, but for which insufficient data exist to support listing; C3 = Still formally under review by the USFWS for federal listing, but no longer considered for listing because recent information indicates species is more widespread or abundant than previously believed.
Table 5. Fishes Common name (Scientific name)
Status Habitat Counties Bass, Suwannee (Micropterus notius)
SSC (1) Streams and rivers Alachua, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee Darter, southern tassellated (Etheostoma olmstedi maculaticeps)
SSC (1) Streams and rivers Clay, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns Shinner, bluenose (Pteronotropis welaka)
SSC (1) Deep pools and holes in the middle of the St. Johns river dranage. Putnam Sturgeon, Atlantic (Acipenser oxyrhynchus)
SSC (1) Marine waters, rivers Dixie, Duval, Nassau, St. Johns, Taylor Sturgeon, shortnose (Acipenser brevirostrum)
E (1, 2) Marine waters, rivers Duval, Nassau, St. Johns Status code key: E = Endangered Species; T = Threatened Species; 1 = Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; 2 = U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; SSC = Species of Special Concern; C1 = A candidate for federal listing, with enough information on biological vulnerability and threat to support proposals for listing; C2 = A candidate for listing, with some evidence of vulnerability, but for which insufficient data exist to support listing; C3 = Still formally under review by the USFWS for federal listing, but no longer considered for listing because recent information indicates species is more widespread or abundant than previously believed.
Footnotes
1. This document is SS-WEC-18, one of a series of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: April 1991 as "North Florida Wildlife in Danger of Extinction:. Revised: February 1997; 1998. Minor Revision: July, 2001. Please visit the Edis Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.2. Joe Schaefer, Ph.D., former extension wildlife specialiast; Geof Gowan, former wildlife extension assistant, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.
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