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Animals of Special Concern


Some species have declining populations. If the population continues to decline, they would be recommended for Threatened or Endangered status. If we protect the animals now, and help maintain adequate populations, they may avoid the dangerously low population levels that lead to Threatened or Endangered status. Some animals are listed as Special Concern because they seem to be rare, but we just don't know how big their population is.

As of February 2006, Michigan had 157 species of special concern on its list.

Local animals that are listed as "special concern" appear below.

 

Birds

   21 birds are species of special concern in Michigan, including the local species shown below.
Forster's tern, sitting on nest  

Cooper's hawk
Accipiter cooperii

Forster's tern
Sterna forsteri
 

Mammals

   4 mammals are species of special concern in Michigan, including the local species shown below.
woodland vole, standing on leaves    

Woodland vole
Microtus pinetorum



 

Amphibians

  

2 amphibians are of special concern in Michigan, but neither one is in the Critter Catalog.

(how handle subspecies?, e.g.:Pseudacris triseriata maculata (Boreal chorus frog)
 

Reptiles

  

There are 6 reptiles of special concern in Michigan. 2 of them are described in the Critter Catalog.
Massasauga rattlesnake wood turtle, juvenile  

Eastern massasauga
Sistrurus catenatus catenatus

Wood turtle
Clemmys insculpta


 

Fish

  

11 fish are species of Special Concern in Michigan, but none of them are described in the Critter Catalog.

Many-Legged

   There are no myriapods or crustaceans on the list of protected species in Michigan.

No-Legs

   8 mussels and about 31 snails have "special concern" status in Michigan, but none of them are described in the Critter Catalog.

Insects

   4 beetles, 39 butterflies and moths, 7 cicadas and hoppers, 12 dragonflies, and 13 grasshoppers and crickets are on the list of "special concern" insects in Michigan, but none of them are described in the Critter Catalog.

Arachnids

   There are no arachnids are on the list of protected species in Michigan.

 

 

University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Questions?
Citation: Dewey, T. A., G. S. Hammond, R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, and T. Jones. 2005. BioKIDS Critter Catalog (online). Accessed at http://www.biokids.umich.edu.
BioKIDS is sponsored in part by the Interagency Education Research Initiative, National Science Foundation, University of Michigan School of Education and Museum of Zoology. Copyright © 2002-2005, The Regents of the University of Michigan. All rights reserved.
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