A List of Endangered and Threatened Species in Louisiana

Birds

• Louisiana is home to five different types of endangered birds, including the bald eagle. The United States' national bird was greatly weakened by the pesticide DDT until 1972 when it was heavily restricted. The piping plover, a small shorebird that makes a piping sound when it calls, is also a threatened species. The least tern is an endangered species that weighs 1 ounce and has uniquely rapid wing beats. The brown pelican is a 4-foot bird that is also endangered. It has a distinctive pouch that holds two or three times more food than its stomach. The red-cockaded woodpecker, another endangered bird, resides in loose colonies.

Sea Mammals

• Louisiana is home to numerous sea mammals that are endangered or threatened. Manatees are large, gray animals that reach 10 feet in length and weigh up to 1,200 pounds. Manatees are on the endangered species list. The finback whale is 60 feet long, can weigh up to 50 tons and is endangered. The humpback whale, also endangered, are large and powerful swimmers.

Reptiles

• There are eight reptilian species that are endangered or threatened in Louisiana. The American alligator is threatened because of the diminishing of its habitat. However, this particular species is currently coming out of a close extinction due to the efforts of state and federal protections. The gopher tortoise is a threatened species that is slightly less that a foot long, weigh around 29 lbs. and generally hide under vegetation or in shallow burrows. The ringed map turtle is a threatened species that is local only to the Pear River and its tributaries in Mississippi and Louisiana. The green sea turtle is a very large threatened species that can grow up to 5 feet and weigh up to 700 pounds. The hawksbill sea turtle is an oddly colored endangered species. It is generally brown with splashes of yellows, orange and reds. The Kemp Ridley sea turtle is the smallest species of sea turtle and weighs from 75 to 100 lbs; it is also on the endangered species list. The leatherback sea turtle, also endangered, is the largest living reptile in the world. They can measure up to 6 1/2 feet and weight nearly 2,000 lbs. The loggerhead sea turtle, a threatened species, is named for its large head and powerful jaw.

Bears

• The American black bear is threatened in Louisiana. It is the smaller of the three North American bear species, weighing between 150 and 300 pounds. The Louisiana black bear, also threatened, is most active in the state from April to November, and hibernates in large hollow trees or downed logs in the winter.

Fish

• The Gulf sturgeon is a threatened fish species. These fish are large, ranging from 4 to 8 feet in length. They usually live 20-25 years but have been known to live as long as 60. This species usually forges for food in the Gulf of Mexico. The pallid sturgeon is endangered and is larger than the Gulf sturgeon; a pallid sturgeon can weigh up to 60 lbs.

Mussels

• Louisiana is also home to three separate types of mussels on the threatened species list. The heelsplitter is the largest known mussel measuring almost 5 inches in length, 1.5 inches in width and almost 3 inches in height. The pink mucket has a yellowish-brown outer shell with green rays covering adolescents; they measure 3 to 5 inches long. The Louisiana pearlshell is local to Louisiana and have declined largely due to pollution in its habitat.

Plants

• The Geocapon minimum is a winter annual that has reddish or reddish-green flowers. It is a threatened plant species. The Louisiana quillwort is a seedless aquatic plant that grows up to 16 inches and is endangered. The pondberry, also endangered, can grow to 6 feet tall in seasonally flooded forests near ponds. The American chaffseed, also endangered, grows with large purplish-yellow flowers.