21 Species Removed From The Endangered Species Act Due To Extinction

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced recently that they will delist 21 species from the Endangered Species Act because they are extinct. Found in 16 states and in the U.S. territory of Guam, most of these species were listed under the ESA in its early days in the 1970s and 80s, and had very low numbers or were likely already extinct when listed. According to the statement, one mammal (the Little Mariana fruit bat from Guam), eight freshwater mussels from the Eastern Seaboard, two freshwater fish and 10 birds were declared extinct after being listed as critically endangered for decades. Eight of the delisted birds were endemic to Hawaii, with the po’ouli, Melamprosops phaeosoma, or black-faced honeycreeper, last seen in 2004, making it the most recently sighted of the delisted — and now extinct — species. <a href="https://grrlscientist.medium.com/21-species-removed-from-the-endangered-species-act-due-to-extinction-b5d3c347aa82">Learn More</a>