Threatened + endangered species list – a list of species we work to protect

Help Protect Species at Risk

July 17, 1806. Captain Meriwether Lewis, traveling through the Great Plains of the American West, writes in his notebook, “The grass is naturally short and at present has been rendered much more so by the graizing of the buffaloe, the whole face of the country…looks like a well shaved bowling green, in which immense and numerous herds of buffaloe were seen feeding attended by their scarcely less numerous sheepherds the wolves.”

The American West has long been a treasure trove of fascinating flora and fauna, and modern travelers to the “American Serengeti” can still see many of the features that Lewis and Clark might have come upon. But much of what Lewis and Clark saw in the 1800s has since disappeared. Development and agriculture have overtaken many of the West’s native ecosystems. Unsustainable livestock grazing practices, fueled by government subsidies and lack of oversight, threaten the integrity of Western streams, forests, deserts, and grasslands. Off-road vehicles and oil and gas drilling present additional threats.

The heart of WildEarth Guardians’ mission is preserving all the threads in the West’s web of life, both great and small. Each animal and plant profiled here is worth saving, not only for its own sake, but because its decline is an indicator of the loss of something much greater: healthy grasslands and streams, diverse deserts, untrammeled forests, rich coastal marshes, and wild mountains. By protecting the diversity of life in the West, we intend to safeguard this irreplaceable part of our American heritage for future generations of animals, plants, and people.

Endangered Amphibians

Learn more about the threatened and endangered amphibian species we work to protect.
More about endangered amphibians >

Return to threatened + endangered species list

Return to threatened + endangered species list

Endangered Fish

Learn more about the threatened and endangered fish species we work to protect.
More about endangered fish >

Return to threatened + endangered species list

Endangered Mammals

If we want to continue to share our world with these species, whose lives and actions so often give us insight into our own natures, we must act quickly to save them from extinction. Learn more about the threatened and endangered mammals we work to protect.
More about endangered mammals >

Return to threatened + endangered species list

Endangered Plants

Learn more about the threatened and endangered plant species we work to protect.
More about endangered plants >

Return to threatened + endangered species list

Endangered Reptiles

Learn more about the threatened and endangered reptile species we work to protect.
More about endangered reptiles >

Return to threatened + endangered species list

Endangered Invertebrates

Learn more about the threatened and endangered invertebrate species we work to protect.
More about endangered invertebrates >

Return to threatened + endangered species list