Select five different species (different kinds of organisms) from the list and find the following information for it.  More than one answer can be found for the “Where found” and “Major Threats” categories

Characteristics of Rare and Endangered Species

Part A

Surf through the list of official U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Endangered and Threatened Species List at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/us-species.html.  Click on the various categories of organisms and scan the lists (e.g., mammals, clams, or flowering plants).

Select five different species (different kinds of organisms) from the list and find the following information for it.  More than one answer can be found for the “Where found” and “Major Threats” categories.

Species Name:

Kind of Organism:

                Plant                      Arthropod           Mollusk                                Fish        Amphibian          Reptile                  Bird                Mammal              Other

Endangerment Status:

                Endangered                       Threatened

Where Found:

                Northeast           Northwest          Southeast           Southwest          Central United States     Alaska

Major Threats:

                Naturally small population           Habitat loss         Invasive species                               Overexploitation                Pollution

Part B

Surf through the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species at http://www.redlist.org.  Type in the Text Search box the common name of an organism (e.g. oak, hawk).  Also try searching by region of the world and country.

Select five different species (different kinds of organisms) from the list and find the following information for it.  More than one answer can be found for the “Where found” and “Major Threats” categories.

Species Name:

Kind of Organism:

                Plant                      Arthropod           Mollusk                                Fish        Amphibian          Reptile                  Bird                Mammal              Other

Endangerment Status:

                Critically endangered     Endangered       Vulnerable          Lower risk/near threatened

Where Found:

                North America                  Central and South America          Africa                    Australia              Temperate Eurasia                Tropical                                                Asia                        Antarctica Island(s)

Major Threats:

                Naturally small population           Habitat loss         Invasive species                               Overexploitation                Pollution