by Rex Trulove

Created on: November 26, 2009

Many people can get confused when they find that an animal on endangered species lists in one state can be so numerous in another state, they can't be thought of as endangered in any way. Part of the problem is that the answer isn't as simple as it might seem it should be. Still, this can be explained.

The US uses a couple of different endangered species lists. One of these is a national list, indicating that the animals on it are rare and endangered in all states and the federal government mandates protection. An example of an animal on this list in recent times was the American bald eagle. Though there were several causes, including the widespread use of chemicals like DDT, the eagle has now been removed from the national lists, since it has made an astounding comeback.

There are also state lists of endangered species. These are maintained by the individual states, and the lists can differ greatly. It should be noted that the list doesn't apply to those animals that haven't had a breeding population in the state in recent memory. For instance, alligators aren't on the endangered species list for Oregon or Washington State, because alligators are a non-native species. Perhaps a few million years ago, there were alligators in the region, but they have long since vanished, so they have no place on the list.

Man often has a hand in causing the animal numbers of a specific species to dwindle, however the actual cause isn't important in regard to whether or not an animal is placed on the list. Still, the cause can go a long way toward explaining why an animal can be endangered in one state, but can be plentiful in another.

An example of this is the cutthroat trout. In several eastern states, this trout is considered endangered. The most likely cause has been over fishing and the activities of man, which have destroyed river and stream habitat. In Oregon, however, the cutthroat is nowhere near being endangered and is commonly fished for. In some rivers, it is so populous that a four-inch fully mature adult is common, though these fish can get to a considerable size if given enough space and food. Fishing pressure is actually helping them to be more stable in numbers and size.

Another example of this is the pronghorn. This is the fleetest of land animals in North America, and many states have them on the endangered species list. They have few predators now, other than man, and they can outrun almost any other animal. Yet, pronghorns are animals accustomed to the open grazing of grassland. The areas they can do this have become smaller as man has moved into areas that were formerly prime grazing habitat. The pronghorns have become scarce in those areas.

In eastern Oregon though, pronghorn populations have grown substantially. Regulated hunting of pronghorns is now done; to maintain the herds to the point the land can sustain them. They aren't abundant, but they aren't endangered, either.

The simple answer as to why animals can be considered endangered in one state and can be plentiful in another can be answered simply enough; the habitat and the actions of man vary from state to state. However, to actually understand, a person needs to have a bit of knowledge in what being endangered means, and how much power each state has to enforce and decide upon its own lists.

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