Here Are The Most Endangered Animals In Virginia

When you think of the planet’s most endangered species, some common examples that might come to mind include rhinos, elephants, tigers, gorillas and leopards. But a new report has identified the two most endangered species in every state — and the answer might not be what you think.

In Virginia the two most threatened animals are the Shenandoah Salamander (plethodon shenandoah), and the Virginia Fringed Mountain Snail (polygyriscus virginianus), according to the report released by 24/7 Wall St.

• Shenandoah Salamander
  
  • Scientific name: plethodon shenandoah
  • IUCN Red List classification: Vulnerable
• Description: The Shenandoah Salamander is an endangered species found only in Shenandoah National Park. This rare salamander is a lungless salamander that "breathes" through its skin. The group is believed to have originated in the Appalachians of eastern North America.
• Geographic range: Range includes three isolated populations on Hawksbill Mountain, The Pinnacles, and Stony Man Mountain (including Bushytop and a subpopulation below Hemlock Springs Overlook), Shenandoah National Park, Page and Madison counties in Virginia.
• Habitat: It can be found in the highest mountains of Shenandoah National Park; steep, northerly facing talus slopes in forested situations. It is mostly confined to pockets of soil and/or vegetative debris.
• Virginia Fringed Mountain Snail
  • Scientific name: polygyriscus virginianus
  • IUCN Red List classification: Endangered
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service classification: Endangered
  • Geographic range: This animal is reported only from Pulaski County, Virginia.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are 74 threatened or endangered species in the Commonwealth including the gray bat, loggerhead turtle and the red cockcaded woodpecker.

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Hawaii has by far the most number of animals on the federal registry at more than 500. While accounting for just 0.2 percent of America’s land mass, it is home to a quarter of the federally endangered species, according to the Mother Nature Network.

Other animals on the 24/7 Wall St. list include various species of sea turtles, rabbits and cranes. More broadly, it features mammals, marine animals, fish, insects, birds, amphibians and reptiles, to name just a few.Various species of mollusks — a key sustenance source for fish — make the list, including the spectaclecase, a freshwater mussel. This is often because of the construction of dams, which disrupt the flow of water and can even change its temperature, leading to massive mollusk losses.

The financial news and opinion site reviewed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s listing of endangered animals to identify the most threatened animals in every state. The site says many of the animals appear in multiple states.

“Only 31 states have animals endangered only there,” the authors said.

To identify which of the threatened animals in those states were in the most dire circumstances, the site used the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s inventory of threatened species. Many of the most threatened animals on on the IUCN’s “Red List of Threatened Species” were labeled “critically endangered.”

We used this same approach to evaluate the threat level of endangered animals in the remaining 19 states, but in these cases animals may be listed as endangered in other states as well.

Patch reporter Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

PHOTO: A Shenandoah salamander, courtesy of the National Park Service