Species of Greatest Conservation Need

**Species of Greatest Conservation Need** (Updated: 06/16/2025)
Scientifc Name	Common Name	Taxonomic Group	SGCN Status	Federal Status	State Status	Global Rank	State Rank	Endemic	General Habitat Type(s)
Oryzomys couesi	Coues' rice rat	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/01/1987	G5	S2	No	Cattail-bulrush marsh with shallower zone of aquatic grasses (Echinochloa, Panicum, Paspalidium) near the shoreline; shade trees around the shoreline are important features. Freshwater marshes.
Oryzomys couesi aquaticus	Coues' rice rat	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/01/1987	G5T2T4	S2	No	Cattail-bulrush marsh with shallower zone of aquatic grasses near the shoreline; shade trees around the shoreline are important features; prefers salt and freshwater, as well as grassy areas near water; breeds April-August
Ovis canadensis	mountain sheep	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4	S2	No	Sparsely vegetated, rough, rocky, mountainous terrain.
Parastrellus hesperus	western pipistrelle	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S3S4	No	Desert to pine-oak woodland. Cliffs and rock crevices provide roosts.
Perimyotis subflavus	tricolored bat	Mammals	Yes	PE 09/14/2022	Not Listed	G3G4	S2	No	Forest, woodland and riparian areas are important. Caves are very important to this species.
Peromyscus truei comanche	Palo Duro mouse	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	T 07/18/1977	G5T2	S2	Yes	Rocky, juniper-mesquite-covered slopes of steep-walled canyons on the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado. Also described as - escarpment of the Llano Estacado; rocky slopes with juniper, brush, and shortgrasses; primarily nocturnal.
Puma concolor	mountain lion	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S2S3	No	Generalist; found in a wide range of habitats statewide. Found most frequently in rugged mountains & riparian zones.
Sigmodon fulviventer	tawny-bellied cotton rat	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	T 03/30/2020	G5	S1	No	Known in Texas from a single location in the Trans-Pecos. Insufficient information to determine habitat preferences.
Spilogale interrupta	plains spotted skunk	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G3	S1S3	No	Generalist; open fields, prairies, croplands, fence rows, farmyards, forest edges, and woodlands; prefers wooded, brushy areas and tallgrass prairie
Spilogale putorius	eastern spotted skunk	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4	S1S3	No	Generalist; open fields prairies, croplands, fence rows, farmyards, forest edges & woodlands. Prefer wooded, brushy areas & tallgrass prairies. S.p. ssp. interrupta found in wooded areas and tallgrass prairies, preferring rocky canyons and outcrops when such sites are available.
Sylvilagus robustus	Davis Mountains cottontail	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G1G2	S3	No	Primarily limited to the Davis Mountains in the Trans Pecos . Brushy pastures, brushy edges of cultivated fields, and well-drained streamsides; active mostly at twilight and at night, where they may forage in a variety of habitats, including open pastures, meadows, or even lawns; rest during daytime in thickets or in underground burrows and small culverts; feed on grasses, forbs, twigs and bark; not sociable and seldom seen feeding together
Tamias canipes	gray-footed chipmunk	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G4	S2S3	No	High elevation (1800-2500 meters) forest-dwelling chipmunk occurring in dense stands of mixed timber and on brushy hillsides with rock crevices or downed logs along forest edges. Occurs in Texas only in the Sierra Diablo and Guadalupe Mountains in the Trans-Pecos; favorite habitat is downed logs near edges of clearings; also occur in dense stands of mixed timber (oaks, pines, firs) and on brushy hillsides, especially with rock crevices.
Thomomys bottae guadalupensis	Guadalupe southern pocket gopher	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5T2	S2	No	Known from Guadalupe Mountains; habitat variable, ranging from loose sands and silts to tight clays; dry deserts to montane meadows; active year round, mostly underground; diet variable, but mostly roots and tubers; breeds continuously, but main season in spring
Thomomys bottae limpiae	Limpia southern pocket gopher	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5T2	S2	Yes	Limpia Canyon area of Davis Mountains; habitat variable, ranging from loose sands and silts to tight clays; active year round, mostly underground; diet variable, but mostly roots and tubers; breeds continuously, but main season in spring
Thomomys bottae texensis	Limpia Creek pocket gopher	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5T2	S2	Yes	Throughout Davis Mountains; habitat variable, ranging from lower canyons to higher coniferous woodlands; loose sands and silts to tight clays; dry deserts to montane meadows; active year round, mostly underground; diet variable, but mostly roots and tubers; breeds continuously, but main season in spring
Ursus americanus	black bear	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	T 01/30/1997	G5	S3	No	Generalist. Historically found throughout Texas. In Chisos, prefers higher elevations where pinyon-oaks predominate; also occasionally sighted in desert scrub of Trans-Pecos (Black Gap Wildlife Management Area) and Edwards Plateau in juniper-oak habitat. For ssp. luteolus, bottomland hardwoods, floodplain forests, upland hardwoods with mixed pine; marsh. Bottomland hardwoods and large tracts of inaccessible forested areas.
Ursus americanus luteolus	Louisiana black bear	Mammals	Yes	DL 03/11/2016	T 01/30/1997	G5T2	SNA	No	Bottomland hardwoods, floodplain forests, upland hardwoods with mixed pine; marsh. Possible as transient; bottomland hardwoods and large tracts of inaccessible forested areas.
Vulpes velox	swift fox	Mammals	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G3	S1?	No	Restricted to current and historic shortgrass prairie. Open deserts or grasslands; sparsely vegetated habitats; western and northern portions of Panhandle.
Balaenoptera acutorostrata	minke whale	Mammals - Marine	Yes	Not Listed	Not Listed	G5	S1	No	Habitat description is not available at this time.
Balaenoptera borealis	sei whale	Mammals - Marine	Yes	E 03/30/2020	E 03/30/2020	G5?	SNR	No	Habitat description is not available at this time.
Balaenoptera edeni brydei	Bryde's whale	Mammals - Marine	Yes	Not Listed	E 03/27/2020	GNR	SNR	No	Habitat description is not available at this time.
Balaenoptera musculus	blue whale	Mammals - Marine	Yes	E 06/02/1970	E 03/30/2020	G3G4	SH	No	Inhabits tropical, subtropical, temperate, and subpolar waters worldwide, but are infrequently sighted in the Gulf of Mexico. They migrate seasonally between summer feeding grounds and winter breeeding grounds, but specifics vary. Commonly observed at the surface in open ocean.
Balaenoptera physalus	finback whale	Mammals - Marine	Yes	E 06/02/1970	E 05/15/1975	G3G4	S1	No	Inhabit tropical, subtropical, temperate, and subpolar waters worldwide, but are less common in the tropics preferring cooler water. Commonly found in deep, offshore waters and migrate in the open ocean from the poles (feeding grounds) to warmer waters in the winter to give birth. They feed on krill, squid, and small schooling fish sometimes with other baleen whale species. They are very rare in the Gulf of Mexico and reported sightings are likely vagrants (Witt et al. 2011).
Balaenoptera ricei	Rice's whale	Mammals - Marine	Yes	E 04/15/2019	E 04/15/2019	G1	SNR	No	Habitat description is not available at this time.
Eubalaena glacialis	North Atlantic right whale	Mammals - Marine	Yes	E 06/02/1970	E 03/30/2020	G1	S1	No	Inhabits subtropical and temperate waters in the northern Atlantic. Commonly found in coastal waters or clsoe to the continental shelf near the surface. They migrate from feeding grounds in cooler waters (Canada and New England) to warmer waters of the southeast US (South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida) to give birth in the fall/winter - both areas are identified as critical habitat by NOAA-NMFS. Nursery areas are in shallow, coastal waters. This species is very rare in the Gulf of Mexico and the few reported sightings are likely vagrants (Ward-Geiger etal 2011).