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South Carolina has an incredibly biodiverse ecosystem and is home to thousands of species of animals and plants.
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However, over time, more and more wildlife populations become vulnerable to human urbanization. The state has identified 1,764 animal and plant populations that need conservation measures so they don’t collapse.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, a federal agency committed to conserving and protecting threatened species, keeps track of all the endangered and vulnerable species nationwide.
In SC, the group has found 41 mammals, birds, reptiles, and several other species that are classified as threatened or endangered, meaning they need the most help to not go extinct.
Here are highlights of some of the endangered animals on this list:
Bermuda Petrel
Also known as the cahow, the Bermuda Petrel is one of the rarest seabirds globally and was believed extinct for over 300 years until researchers found some alive in Bermuda.
The nocturnal bird is known to or is believed to have migrated to Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.
Northern Long-Eared Bat
Previously reported by The State, the Northern Long-Eared Bat is a recent addition to the endangered species list in SC.
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The mammal is native to forested regions and has medium to dark brown fur on the back and pale brown underneath.
Due to habitat loss and a fatal fungal disease, the bat population is facing severe population drops.
Green Sea Turtle
The Green Sea Turtle is a threatened species in SC. It’s the largest species of hard-shelled sea turtle and the only adult sea turtle that is primarily herbivorous; the reptile weighs, on average, around 440 pounds.
The green turtle has a worldwide distribution in tropical and subtropical waters. Within the U.S., green turtles nest in small numbers in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and in larger numbers in Florida.
Habitat loss from coastal development, hunting, and accidental capture in fishing gear are the biggest threats the Green Sea Turtle faces.
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Full list of endangered/threatened animals in SC
Amphibians
Frosted Flatwoods salamander: Threatened
Birds
- Bermuda Petrel: endangered
- Eastern Black Rail: threatened
- Piping Plover: threatened
- Red-cockaded woodpecker: threatened
- Roseate tern: endangered
- Rufa Red Knot: threatened
Clams
- Carolina heelsplitter: endangered
- Longsolid: threatened
Flowering Plants
- American chaffseed: endangered
- Bunched arrowhead: endangered
- Canby’s dropwort: endangered
- Golden sedge: endangered
- Harperella: endangered
- Little amphianthus: threatened
- Miccosukee gooseberry: threatened
- Michaux’s sumac: endangered
- Mountain sweet pitcher-plant: endangered
- Ocmulgee skullcap: endangered
- Persistent trillium: endangered
- Pondberry: endangered
- Relict trillium: endangered
- Rough-leaved loosestrife: endangered
- Schweinitz’s sunflower: endangered
- Seabeach amaranth: threatened
- Small whorled pogonia: threatened
- Smooth coneflower: threatened
- Swamp pink: threatened
- White fringeless orchid: threatened
- White irisette: endangered
Lichens
Rock gnome lichen: endangered
Mammals
- Gray Bat: endangered: endangered
- Indiana Bat: endangered
- Northern Long-Eared Bat: endangered
- West Indian Manatee: threatened
Reptiles
- Bog Turtle: threatened
- Green Sea Turtle: threatened
- Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle: endangered
- Leatherback Sea Turtle: endangered
- Loggerhead Sea Turtle: threatened