Endangered & Threatened Species

A species must be federally listed as endangered or threatened to be protected under the Endangered Species Act. An endangered species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its living range. A threatened species is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future.

For a list of all reports available, please see TESS (our Threatened and Endangered Species database System). For lists of protected species in the Panama City Field Office, see Florida Protected Species Lists.

There are currently 13 endangered or threatened species in Northwest Florida that have a critical habitat:

Beach mice
Gulf sturgeon
Piping plover
7 Mussels
Flatwoods Salamander (proposed)

How do species become endangered/threatened?

While extinctions do occur naturally, scientific evidence strongly suggests that the rate of extinction is much higher than the natural rate. Extinction is caused by habitat destruction, invasive plants and species, disease and pollution.

With carefully planned recovery efforts and habitat restoration projects, the Panama City field office is working to curb extinction. This effort takes coordination between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other federal and state agencies, as well as with the community. We are all responsible for protecting the environment. Learn more about volunteer opportunities, conservation planning, safe harbor agreements, and tools for helping imperilled wildlife on private land.