14 February 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks keeps an updated list of which native Kansas species are in danger of extinction. The list includes 22 endangered species and 30 threatened species, the majority of which are aquatic in nature.
The KDWP defines endangered species as any species of wildlife whose continued existence as a viable component of the state’s wild fauna is determined to be in jeopardy. Threatened species are defined as any species of wildlife which appears likely, within the foreseeable future, to become an endangered species.
Current endangered species in Kansas include:
Mammals
Gray Bat – Myotis grisescens
Black-Footed Ferret –Mustela nigripes
Fish
Pallid Sturgeon – Scaphirhynchus albus
Peppered Chub – Macrhybopsis tetranema
Arkansas River Shiner – Notropis girardi
Sicklefin Chub – Macrhybopsis meeki
Silver Chub – Macrhybopsis storeriana
Birds
Least Tern – Sterna antillarum
Whooping Crane – Grus americana
Invertebrates
American Burying Beetle – Nicrophorus americanus
Elktoe Mussel – Alasmidonta marginata
Ellipse Mussel – Venustaconcha ellipsiformis
Flat Floater Mussel – Anodonta suborbiculata
Mucket Mussel – Actinonaias ligamentina
Neosho Mucket Mussel – Lampsilis rafinesqueana
Scott Optioservus Riffle Beetle – Optioservus phaeus
Rabbitsfoot Mussel – Quadrula cylindrica
Slender Walker Snail – Pomatiopsis lapidaria
Western Fanshell Mussel –Cyprogenia aberti
Cylindrical Papershell Mussel –Anodontoides ferussacianus
Amphibians
Cave Salamander – Eurycea lucifuga
Grotto Salamander – Eurycea spelaea
The current list of threatened species include:
Mammals
Eastern Spotted Skunk – Spilogale putorius
Northern Long-eared Bat – Myotis septentrionalis
Fish
Blackside Darter – Percina maculata
Flathead Chub – Platygobio gracilis
Hornyhead Chub – Nocomis biguttatus
Neosho Madtom – Noturus placidus
Plains Minnow – Hybognathus placitus
Redspot Chub – Nocomis asper
Shoal Chub – Macrhybopsis hyostoma
Sturgeon Chub – Macrhybopsis gelida
Topeka Shiner – Notropis topeka
Western Silvery Minnow –Hybognathus argyritis
Birds
Piping Plover – Charadrius melodus
Snowy Plover – Charadrius alexandrinus
Invertebrates
Butterfly Mussel – Ellipsaria lineolata
Delta Hydrobe – Probythinella emarginata
Fluted Shell Mussel – Lasmigona costata
Ouachita Kidneyshell Mussel – Ptychobranchus occidentalis
Rock Pocketbook Mussel –Arcidens confragosus
Sharp Hornsnail – Pleurocera acuta
Amphibians
Eastern Narrowmouth Toad – Gastrophryne carolinensis
Eastern Newt – Notophthalmus viridescens
Green Frog – Lithobates clamitans
Green Toad – Anaxyrus debilis
Longtail Salamander – Eurycea longicauda
Strecker’s Chorus Frog – Pseudacris streckeri
Reptiles
Broadhead Skink – Plestiodon laticeps
Checkered Garter Snake – Thamnophis marcianus
New Mexico Threadsnake – Rena dissecta
Chelonia
Northern Map Turtle – Graptemys geographica
Another species, the Lesser Prairie Chicken, may be added to this list in coming days. The Kansas Legislature is currently debating the topic of adding the Lesser Prairie Chicken as a threatened species after it received the designation by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife. The KDWP is supporting legislation disapproving of this designation, claiming that the USFW’s ruling was not warranted.
For more information on threatened and endangered species in Kansas along with plans to help them recover, click here.