Endangered Animals in New Hampshire

Published by lindalulu
July 20, 2009, Category: Zoology

There are so many endangered animals in just this country alone. I decided to do a search on my state and this is what I found.

I went to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department website to see what they had to say about animals that are the endangered list in New Hampshire. I was surprised at what I found. There are too many on this list to write just one article about. From insects to mammals the list goes on and on and remember this is only for the state of New Hampshire!

The first being the Karner blue butterfly. What a gracefully beautiful insect. I know when I was young and on the farm these used to be all over the fields but now it is extremely rare to view one. The survival of this beautiful wonders is based on the wild lupine flowers.

The Canada Lynx was next on the list. What a cutie this little fur ball is. This kitten is larger than a bobcat and about twice the size as a regular house cat. These cuties like to dine on many other mammals consisting of deer, bunnies and birds. Colorado has been engaged in some reintroduction since 2003 and there have been kittens born in the wild from this effort.

The Small Footed Bat is next. I chose this picture so you could see the size of this little guy. He is one of the smallest in the bat family and also quite rare. This bat weighs in at between 6 – 8 grams. What a tiny tot! This bat has been known to live up to 12 years.

The next majestic creature is the grey wolf. I was blessed to see one of these beauties in the wild about 20 years ago. They are so beautiful! They are on the endangered list due to their territory being disturbed. Man has taken over much of the wooded areas the wolf called home.

This one surprised me for sure because of the way any rabbit breeds. These bunnies live mostly in Maine, New Hampshire and New York. The New England cotton tale is on the endangered list and hunting of any sort is banned. They used to be hunted not only as food but also for their pelts.

The American Martan is also on this list. Destroying forests and trapping for their fur has reduced their numbers a lot. Mating happens in the summer months but the babies are not born until the following spring. The litters usually range from 1 to 5 kits.

There are eight birds that are endangered on this list and seven that are threatened. One of which is the common loon. I don’t know if you have ever seen a loon but to me these birds are one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I know on a lot of the lakes in New Hampshire where the Loons nest they have people who actually watch over them. Many loons are hit by boats on the lakes as they dive for fish and cannot be seen. Their numbers are also dwindling due to acid rain and pollution.

There are also fish on this list with the first being the short nosed sturgeon. These guys have been recognised since 1967 as endangered. They have been widely mistaken fro regular sturgeon by fisherman thus the loss in numbers. They spawn in fresh water and are known to be in the Connecticut River.

On the reptile list is of three is the timber rattler. This snake is the largest of the snakes in New England. These snakes numbers went down mostly for the bounty they once posses on their heads. They reproduce at a very slow rate and this contributed to their number loss. The black market pet trade has also paid their dues in this numbers game too.

On the invertebrates list are nine species including the Blue Karner butterfly. It is such a share that in one state alone so many species of animals can be either endangered or on the threatened list.

How can man go this far in not only damaging our planet for humans but also for all of Gods creatures. What a shame for these wonderful critters to maybe disappear from the planet.