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Endangered Species Act turns 50: Here are 5 Florida animals that are still critically endangered

Over the years, the law has helped save hundreds of species from the brink of extinction.

CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — The Endangered Species Act was signed into law 50 years ago. Since then, it has helped protect an estimated 291 species from extinction. 

This includes quite a few species in Florida, most recently the Okaloosa darter, a small freshwater fish that was downlisted from "endangered" to "threatened" in 2011 and removed from the endangered species list altogether on Thursday, July 27.

Despite its success, the Endangered Species Act has faced political opposition, and its work is far from over. There are still many species in Florida that are considered endangered at the federal level. 

Here are a few of the notable ones:

Florida panther

The Florida panther is so rare that they've made headlines just by being seen. It is estimated that there are only up to 230 adult panthers in the population making protecting them especially urgent. 

Humans have posed the greatest threat to the panther's numbers as many of their recorded deaths have been due to being accidentally hit by cars, and neighborhood development in Florida has threatened their natural habitat.

Sea turtles

A combination of heavy beach tourism, pollution, and climate change has frequently threatened the well-being of all five of Florida's species of sea turtles and put all of them on the endangered species list. 

Four of the species (green, Kemp's ridley, leatherback, and hawksbill) are considered "endangered" under federal law, while the loggerhead has been downgraded to "threatened." Conservation efforts throughout Florida have worked to rehabilitate critically injured loggerhead, green and Kemp's ridley turtles and release them back into the wild.

Florida grasshopper sparrow

Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Photo by FWC

The Florida grasshopper sparrow is one of the most endangered birds in North America and faced a very real possibility of extinction in 2019.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, intervention and nature preserves have helped drive a steady increase in their population, but they are still critically endangered, due largely to property development and agriculture destroying their natural habitat.

North Atlantic right whale

Credit: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File
FILE - A North Atlantic right whale feeds on the surface of Cape Cod bay off the coast of Plymouth, Mass., March 28, 2018. The fading North Atlantic right whale will remain protected under the Endangered Species Act and requires a series of protective steps to stave off extinction, federal authorities said Tuesday, Dec. 27 2022.

While one of Florida's most recognizable endangered mammals, the manatee, is recognized as a "threatened" species and at the center of multiple conservation efforts, the North Atlantic right whale is firmly on the "federally endangered" list with only about 340 left in the wild as of December 2022 and efforts underway to try to prevent extinction. 

According to conservationists, the greatest dangers to the whales are threats of fishing gear (especially lobster nets), collisions with ships and other environmental stressors.

Sawfish

Credit: Derrick Biglin/Florida Museum
Researchers have caught and tagged a 13 ft female sawfish off the coast of Cedar Key, FL, the furthest north an individual of this species has been tagged in decades.

Florida's smalltooth sawfish is, notably, the first of the state's native marine fish to be listed in the Endangered Species Act. Loss of habitat, overfishing, and the commercial fishing industry led to a 90 percent population decline in the 20th century. 

Recent sightings have given researchers some hope for the future of the sawfish population, but for now, they are still considered a critically endangered species.

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