California Endangered and Extinct Animals and Plants
Endangered:
Southern Sea Otters:
Southern Sea Otters, found along California's central coast, now have a population of only 3,000, classifying them as an endangered species. In the 1920s Southern Sea Otters were at the verge of extinction due to an increase in fur trade hunting, but their population has since rebounded. Despite this, dangerous oil spills and devastating rippling effects of climate change keep the furry sea creatures at risk.
Fun Fact: To prevent themselves from drifting apart in the ocean, and to keep their paw pads warm, Southern Sea Otters often hold hands!
Tule Elk:
The Tule Elk, endemic to California, were believed to be extinct during the 1800s due to hide, tallow and trophy overhunting. After a strong effort to revive their numbers, the elk now have a population of 5700. The protected endangered species freely roams in numerous herds through regions including the Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi Mountains.
Fun Fact: Tule Elk are great swimmers, and can easily travel across rivers and lakes!
California Condors:
As people started to settle in the west, specifically in California, California Condors struggled to survive. The condors were viciously hunted, captured and poisoned, and their way of life was destroyed by humans taking their eggs and deeply diminishing their food sources of elk and antelope. Even after preservation, and being reintroduced in the mountains of Baja California and near the Los Angeles basin, the bird is still illegally hunted, and today, it is endangered with a population of only 561.
Fun Fact: California Condors can glide and soar through the air for hours without flapping their wings!
Western Snowy Plover:
The Western Snowy Plover, found around the shores of the California Pacific coast, maintains a population of less than 2500 birds. The small bird has been a protected species since 1993 but still faces habitat loss, predation and largely human disturbance.
Fun Fact: Western Snowy Plovers are great at camouflaging themselves from predators because their light-colored feathers blend into the sandy beaches where they live.
San Joaquin Kit Fox:
This little fox roams through the dusty valley it’s endemic to, the San Joaquin Valley. Currently at a population of fewer than 3000, the kit fox is endangered largely due to habitat loss. The foxes have become isolated and struggle to survive and reproduce due to 95% of the foxes' original habitat has been encroached upon by humans who have built housing, roads and solar panels on it.
Fun Fact: San Joaquin Kit Foxes spend most of the day in their dens avoiding the valley heat because they are nocturnal!
Extinct:
California Grizzly Bear:
The official state animal, the California Grizzly Bear, could be found around coastal and mountain regions of California. However, the Grizzly Bears went completely extinct in the 1920’s after years of being hunted and human conflict, starting with the Gold Rush period of mass migration to California.
Fun Fact: California Grizzly Bears were surprisingly fast, and were able to run up to 35 miles per hour in short intervals.
Xerces Blue Butterfly:
Endemic to the coastal sand dunes of San Francisco, this iridescent blue butterfly became extinct in the 1940s. The little butterfly was driven to extinction by habitat loss caused by urbanization, making it one of the first American butterflies to die out from this human cause.
Fun Fact: The extinction of the Xerces Blue Butterfly led to the creation of the Xerces Society, non-profit environmental organization that centers around invertebrate conservation!
Lost Thistle:
Last seen in 1901, very little information is known about the thistle, as it has been spotted very few times. Elusive white-flowered thistle was found in Palo Alto and due to limited documentation reasons for its extinction are not known, but are speculated to be because of urbanization.
Fun Fact: The Lost Thistle is considered by botanists to be one of the rarest plants ever recorded in California!
Sooty Crayfish:
The Sooty Crayfish, declared extinct in 2010, hasn’t been seen for over 100 years in the San Francisco Bay area, its former home. The small black crayfish is believed to have gone extinct due to the introduction of the Signal Crayfish to its waters. The Signal Crayfish, used as bait by fishermen, carries a damaging crayfish plague that led to the Sooty Crayfish’s demise along with overharvesting of the area.
Fun Fact: The Sooty Crayfish could regrow lost limbs!