San Angelo's Threatened and Endangered Species

Throughout all of Texas and even the nation, there are many species that are threatened or endangered.

Dictionary.com describes an endangered species as “a species at risk of extinction because of human activity, changes in climate, changes in predator-prey ratios, ect., especially when officially designated as such by a government agency such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.” Whereas a threatened species is defined as a “a species likely, in the near future, to become an endangered species within all or much of its range.”

Nathan Raines, a Wildlife Diversity Biologist who works with the Texas Park and Wildlife Center in San Angelo clarified, “[When] we talk about endangered species, [there are] different levels or lists. We’ve got federally endangered species, which fall under the U.S. official Wildlife Service. Then you’ve got state listed [which are animals] that are threatened or endangered species.

Raines listed two bird that are federally listed as endangered animals here in San Angelo. He listed:

• Golden-cheeked Warbler
• Black-capped Vireo

Also in San Angelo, the Nature Center, located at 7409 Knickerbocker Rd., is home to a few federally threatened animal species. An employee from the Center provided a list of the threatened animals that have made a home in the Nature Center.

• Kangaroo Rat
• Texas Tortoise
• Horned Lizards
• Indigo Snake

When asked about how a species becomes endangered or threatened, Raines answered by saying, “It’s not necessarily based on numbers. A lot of the times, it is based on habitat, [such as] eminent threats to their habitat, and it is dependent on the species. Some animals can get down to a lot lower numbers than some other species. [This is because] of their life history, ecology and the way they reproduce.”

The Texas Park and Wildlife Department works very hard to help species on the brink of endangerment or being threatened.

“It’s kind of our goal at the Texas Park and Wildlife to really key in on those threatened species that are kind of on the brink of [being] threatened,” said Raines. “Our real objective is to keep things off the list. We work hard with land owners to improve and conserve habitats for species.”

The Texas Park and Wildlife Department has constructed a federal and state listed by species on its website. The species listed are:

• Amphibians and Reptiles
• Birds
• Fishes
• Invertebrates
• Mammals
• Plants

To look at these lists, click here.