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California contains the greatest number of native species and the greatest number of endemic species in the United States. There are about 6,272 native plant taxa, with 2,153 endemics, 51 native species of amphibians, 84 native species of reptiles, 433 regularly-occurring bird species, 197 native mammal species, and 67 native freshwater fish species, to name just the vertebrates ( Source: Atlas of the Biodiversity of California ). http://www.nbii.gov/portal/server.pt/community/animals_and_plants/965 (broken link)
Catalina Island has at least 50 endemic species and subspecies, including six plants, five mammals, three birds and a number of invertebrates. There are also several undescribed species that may end up qualifying as endemic as well. A partial list of the most common endemic species is below:
MAMMALS
Catalina Beechey ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi nesioticus)
Santa Catalina Island fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae)
Santa Catalina Island deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus catalinae)
Santa Catalina Island harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys megalotis catalinae)
Santa Catalina Island shrew (Sorex ornatus willetti)
BIRDS
Bewick’s wren (Thryomanes bewickii catalinae)
Catalina California quail (Callipepla californica catalinensis)
Catalina Hutton’s vireo (Vireo huttoni unitti)
INVERTEBRATES
Avalon hairstreak butterfly (Strymon avalona)
Scarab beetle (Coenonycha clypeata)
Scarab beetle (Coenonycha fulva)
Scarab beetle (Phobetus ciliatus)
Scarab beetle (Serica catalina)
Catalina Walkingstick (Pseudosermyle catalina)
Catalina shield-back cricket (Neduba propsti)
Catalina orangetip butterfly (Anthocharis cethura catalina) Catalina Island Conservancy
Yeah I guess California would be more than Hawaii. Hawaii just entered my mind because its away from other places and an island chain.
I guess my birth-state of Arkansas has
Arkansas fatmucket and the Speckled pocketbook - Kinds of mussel, mollusks.
Hell Creek Crayfish and another kind of crayfish.
Magazine Mountain middle-toothed snail
Arkansas was place that had a reported sighting of the ivory-billed woodpecker that gained news attention, even being referenced in an episode of Grey's Anatomy. However I guess there's been no further sightings and reason to doubt that one. In fact I guess it's plausible that was a mis-identification.
...Arkansas was place that had a reported sighting of the ivory-billed woodpecker that gained news attention, even being referenced in an episode of Grey's Anatomy. However I guess there's been no further sightings and reason to doubt that one. In fact I guess it's plausible that was a mis-identification.
oh...is that what that was! I thought it was just a red-headed chicken...oops.
Nutria are an introduced species - originally from South America, and they are - or have the potential to - spread into other Southeastern states. No one realized how invasive they could be when they were first introduced, which of course is true for several plant species as well: guavas are native to Central and South America, but have gone wild in parts of Florida and Hawaii and are considered a pest plant, and kudzu, which is native to Japan, but has run rampant across much of the American Southeast (isolated pockets of it have been found as far away from the Southeast as Oregon, and it has spread northward on the East Coast of the US as well).
Coati or coatimundi and ringtail cats, relatives of the raccoon.
Jaguar, there have been several sightings in southern AZ in the last 15 years. Researchers say it was only two and they probably only crossed to hunt so it's a stretch but they're here.
The Gila Monster, one of the two largest lizards in North America, who both happen to be venomous. It's the only one in the US.
Allegheny Wood Rat- Western PA
Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake- Southern Ontario (Bruce Penninsula)
Snail Darter - the Deleware River (famously so)
Bull Trout- Lake Superior
California Condor - California (if they still exist at all?)
Others less specific:
Roosevelt Elk- Northern Pacific Coast
Blacktail Deer- Northern Pacific Coast
Pine Marten- Northern Rockies (and other parts of the world)
Spotted Bass- Tennessee/Kentucky
Eastern Arizona and New Mexico I believe are the only states that have breeding populations of Mexican Grey Wolves after reintroduction in the 1990's.
How about the Kaibab Squirrel, found only in the Kaibab National Forest and the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon (an area of about 100 sq. miles).
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