Animal Info - United States

Contents

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in the United States and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. 

• Critically Endangered:
  • African Wild Ass (Equus africanus). (Introduced.)
  • Giant Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys ingens). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Red Wolf (Canis rufus). (Endemic to the United States.)
• Endangered:
  • Big Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris nivalis).
  • Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus).
  • Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus).
  • Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Hawaiian Monk Seal (Monachus schauinslandi). 
  • Idaho Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus brunneus). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Nelson's Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Northern Right Whale (Eubalaena glacialis).
  • Pribilof Shrew (Sorex hydrodromus). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris).
  • Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis).
  • St. Lawrence Shrew (Sorex jacksoni). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Steller's Sea Lion (Eumetopias jubatus).
• Vulnerable:
  • American Manatee (Trichechus manatus).
  • Arizona Shrew (Sorex arizonae).
  • Barbary Sheep (Ammotragus lervia). (Introduced.)
  • Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra). (Introduced.)
  • California Leaf-nosed Bat (Macrotus californicus).
  • Florida Mouse (Podomys floridanus). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Guadalupe Fur Seal (Arctocephalus townsendi).
  • Harbor Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena).
  • Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
  • Mexican Vole (Microtus mexicanus).
  • Mohave Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus mohavensis). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Northern Fur Seal (Callorhinus ursinus).
  • Palmer's Chipmunk (Tamias palmeri). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat (Plecotus rafinesquii). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Saltmarsh Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Southern Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris curasoae).
  • Sperm Whale (Physeter catodon).
  • Texas Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys elator). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • Townsend's Big-eared Bat (Plecotus townsendii).
  • Washington Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus washingtoni). (Endemic to the United States.)
  • White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas).
  • Wolverine (Gulo gulo).
• Other:
  • Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). (Rated Extinct in the Wild in the 2003 IUCN Red List and occurred here in re-introduced populations.)
  • Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus). (Rated Lower Risk: Conservation Dependent in the 2004 IUCN Red List; recommended rating of Vulnerable in 2005 by the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group )
  • Stephens' Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys stephensi). (Rated Lower Risk: Conservation Dependent in the 2003 IUCN Red List.)

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 428 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 101 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 35 (8 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 40 (9 % of total species) (IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

United States contains the Hawai'i Moist Forests, Hawai'i Dry Forests, Klamath-Siskiyou Coniferous Forests, Appalachian & Mixed Mesophytic Forests, Sierra Nevada Conifer Forests, Southeastern Conifer & Broadleaf Forests, Tallgrass Prairies, Everglades Flooded Grasslands, Mississippi Piedmont Rivers and Streams, Southeastern Rivers & Streams, Pacific Northwest Coastal Rivers & Streams, Great Basin Lakes & Springs, and Chesapeake Bay & Delaware Bay Global 200 Ecoregions as well as portions of the Mexican Pine-Oak Forests, Pacific Temperate Rainforests, Alaskan North Slope Coastal Tundra, Sonoran & Baja Deserts, Chihuahuan & Tehuacan Deserts, California Chaparral & Woodlands, Gulf of Alaska Coastal Rivers & Streams, Colorado River, Chihuahuan Rivers & Springs, Greater Antilles & Bahamian Marine Ecosystems, Eastern Polynesian Island Marine Ecosystems, Grand Banks, Californian Current, and Bering & Beaufort Seas Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
United States contains portions of the Polynesia & Micronesian Island Complex (including Hawaii) Global Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons. Intl. 1999a)
United States is a Megadiversity Country (Cons. Intl. 1999b)

Population

Population in 1995: 260,341,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 27.8 people/sq km (71.9 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 270,311,1158 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 0.9 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 9,372,572 sq km (3,618,770 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

• Other Coastal Aquatic: 5 %
• Major Wetland: 1 %
• Desert and Semi-desert: 5 %
• Polar and Alpine: 15 %
• Grass and Shrub: 16 %
• Crop and Settlements: 18 %
• Interrupted Woods: 24 %
• Major Forests: 18 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 25 %; Medium: 36 %; High: 39 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 982,400 sq km (379,206 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 4.1 % totally protected; 6.38 % partially protected; 10.48 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $22,356 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $28,600 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent adult literacy: Female: 99 % (1970); Male: 99 % (1970) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Cons. Intl. 1999a, Cons. Intl. 1999b, Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, Polar Bear Spec. Gr. 2005, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

Links: American Cetacean Society, American Zoo and Aquarium Association, Animal Diversity Web - University of Michigan - Mammals, Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, EE Link - Endangered Species, Hornocker Wildlife Institute, National Geographic Society, National Wildlife Federation, Smithsonian Institution, Society for Conservation Biology, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Endangered Species Program, U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service/NOAA - Protected Resources - Marine Mammals, The Nature Conservancy - USA, Wildlife Conservation Society, Wisconsin Primate Research Center, World Resources Institute, World Wildlife Fund

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By: Paul Massicot; Last modified: November 6, 2005; © 1999 - 2005 Animal Info