Species of Greatest Conservation Need
1124 species
| Scientifc Name | Common Name | Taxonomic Group | SGCN Status | Federal Status | State Status | Global Rank | State Rank | Endemic | General Habitat Type(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feresa attenuata | pygmy killer whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | T 07/18/1977 |
G4 | S1 | No | Inhabit tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, including the Gulf of Mexico. Commonly found in deeper, offshore waters where they dive for their prey (squids and fishes), but may occassionally occur close to shore. They are very rare and migration patterns are unknown. |
| Globicephala macrorhynchus | short-finned pilot whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | T 07/18/1977 |
G5 | S1 | No | Inhabit tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters worldwide, including the Gulf of Mexico. Commonly found in deeper waters (>1,000 feet) and continental shelf where they make deep dives to capture squid, but may come closer to shore. Migration patterns unknown. |
| Kogia breviceps | pygmy sperm whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | T 07/18/1977 |
G4 | S1 | No | Inhabits tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters world wide. Commonly found in deep water over the continental slope and rarely seen at the surface. Dives to great depths (over 1,000 feet) to hunt for squid, fish, and crustaceans.Migration patterns are unknown. |
| Kogia simus | dwarf sperm whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | T 07/18/1977 |
G4 | S1 | No | Inhabits tropical and temperate waters world wide, Commonly found in deep waters near the continental shelf and rarely seen at the surface, but may be more coastal than the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). Dives to great depths (1,000 feet) to hunt for squid, fish, and crustaceans. Migration patterns are unknown. |
| Megaptera novaeangliae | humpback whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | E 06/02/1970 |
Not Listed | G4 | SNR | No | Inhabits tropical, subtropical, temperate, and subpolar waters world wide. Migrate up to 5,000 miles between colder water (feeding grounds) and warmer water (calving grounds) each year. They will use both open ocean and coastal waters, sometimes including inshore areas such as bays, and are often found near the surface; however, this species is rare in the Gulf of Mexico. The northwest Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico distinct population segment is not considered at risk of extinction and is not listed as Endangered on the Endangered Species Act. |
| Mesoplodon densirostris | Blainville's beaked whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G4 | S1 | No | Not applicable. |
| Mesoplodon europaeus | Gervais's beaked whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | T 07/18/1977 |
G4 | S1 | No | Inhabit tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters of the northern Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean. Commonly found in deep water and open ocean where they prey upon squids. They are difficult to distinguish from others in their family (Mesoplodon) and are cryptic and skittish, but the most commonly stranded species on the US southeastern coast. Migration patterns are unknown. |
| Orcinus orca | killer whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | T 07/18/1977 |
G4G5 | S1 | No | Inhabits tropical, subtropical, temperate, and polar waters world wide. In the Gulf of Mexico, they are commonly found in oceanic waters ranging from 256-2,652 meters deep beyond the 1,000 meter isobath and a very rarely found over the continental shelf and may be entirely absent from nearshore waters. May come in contact with pelagic longline fisheries targeting tunas and billfishes. |
| Physeter macrocephalus | sperm whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | E 06/02/1970 |
E 03/30/2020 |
G3G4 | S1 | No | Inhabits tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters world wide, avoiding icey waters. Distribution is highly dependent on their food source (squids, sharks, skates, and fish), breeding, and composition of the pod. In general, this species migrates from north to south in the winter and south to north in the summer; however, individuals in tropical and temperate waters don't seem to migrate at all. Routinely dive to catch their prey (2,000-10,000 feet) and generally occupies water at least 3,300 feet deep near ocean trenches. |
| Pseudorca crassidens | false killer whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | T 07/18/1977 |
G4 | S1 | No | Inhabit tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters world wide, including the Gulf of Mexico. Commonly found in deep, offshore waters deeper than 3,300 feet, making dives of up to 2,000 meters to catch their prey (fishes and squids). Gulf of Mexico distinct population segment is not well studied. |
| Stenella clymene | clymene dolphin | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G4 | S1 | No | Habitat description is not available at this time. |
| Stenella frontalis | Atlantic spotted dolphin | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | T 07/18/1977 |
G5 | S1 | No | Inhabit warm tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters throughout the Atlantic Ocean, including the Gulf of Mexico. Commonly found along the continental shelf and coastal waters that are 65-820 feet deep, usually inside or near 185 m contour (within 250-350 km of coast); occassionally found in deeper waters. Often dive to 30-200 feet preying upon fish, invertebrates, and cephalopods. |
| Stenella longirostris | spinner dolphin | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G5 | S1 | No | Habitat description is not available at this time. |
| Steno bredanensis | roughtoothed dolphin | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | T 07/18/1977 |
G4 | S1 | No | Inhabits tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters worldwide, including the Gulf of Mexico. Records in Texas are only known from strandings. Commonly found in deep, oceanic water over 1,500-2,000 meters deep and ranging in temperature from 17-25 degrees Celsius. May associate with other cetaceans. Prey on squids and fish. No known migration patterns. |
| Trichechus manatus | West Indian manatee | Mammals - Marine | Yes | T 05/05/2017 |
T 03/30/2020 |
G2G3 | S3 | No | Large rivers, brackish water bays, coastal waters. Warm waters of the tropics, in rivers and brackish bays but may also survive in salt water habitats. Very sensitive to cold water temperatures. Rarely occurring as far north as Texas. Gulf and bay system; opportunistic, aquatic herbivore. |
| Tursiops truncatus | Atlantic bottlenose dolphin | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G5 | S2 | No | Habitat description is not available at this time. |
| Ziphius cavirostris | Cuvier's beaked whale | Mammals - Marine | Yes | Not Listed | T 07/18/1977 |
G4 | S1 | No | Inhabit tropical, subtropical, and temperate waters world wide, including the Gulf of Mexico. Commonly found in water over 3,300 feet deep near the continetal shelf near steep slopes or canyons, avoiding coastal areas. Mostly pelagic apparently confined by the 1,00 meter bthymetric contour. frequenly make deep dives to capture prey (squids and fishes). |
| Abronia ameliae | Amelia's sand-verbena | Plants | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G3 | S3 | Yes | Endemic to South Texas; Occurs on deep, well-drained sandy soils of the South Texas Sand Sheet in grassy and/or herbaceous dominated openings within coastal live oak woodlands or mesquite-coastal live oak woodlands. Perennial; Flowering Mar-June |
| Abronia macrocarpa | large-fruited sand-verbena | Plants | Yes | E 09/28/1988 |
E 12/30/1988 |
G2? | S2? | Yes | Restricted to sparse herbaceous vegetation in deep, somewhat excessively drained sands in openings in Post oak woodlands, sometimes in active blowouts; all known sites underlain by sandy Eocene strata; Perennial; Flowering late February-May (-June; also in the fall following periods of high rainfall) |
| Achnatherum curvifolium | Guadalupe needlegrass | Plants | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G3 | S2 | No | Usually in rocky limestone areas in the Guadalupe, Delaware, and Dead Horse Mountains (Carr 2015). |
| Acleisanthes acutifolia | Havard trumpets | Plants | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G3 | S1 | No | In xeric limestone or gypseous habitats; Perennial; Flowering July-Sept |
| Acleisanthes crassifolia | Texas trumpets | Plants | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G2 | S2 | No | Shallow, well-drained, calcareous, gravelly loams over caliche on gentle to moderate slopes, often in sparsely vegetated openings in cenizo (Leucophyllum frutescens) shrublands; known populations occur on Austin Chalk (Cretaceous) or Uvalde Gravel (Pleistocene); Perennial; Flowering March-November; Fruiting April-December |
| Acleisanthes parvifolia | littleleaf moonpod | Plants | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G3 | S3 | No | Found on xeric clay or shale exposures; Perennial; Flowering April-Sept; Fruiting June-Sept |
| Acleisanthes wrightii | Wright's trumpets | Plants | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G2 | S2 | No | Open semi-desert grasslands and shrublands on shallow stony soils over limestone on low hills and flats; Perennial; Flowering spring-fall, probably also in response to rains |
| Adelia vaseyi | Vasey's adelia | Plants | Yes | Not Listed | Not Listed | G3 | S3 | No | Mostly subtropical evergreen/deciduous woodlands on loamy soils of Rio Grande Delta, but occassionally in shrublands on more xeric sandy to gravelly upland sites; Perennial; Flowering January-June |