34 Rare species
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| Caller-Times file |
The Coastal Bend has some of nature's rarest treasures - nearly
a dozen endangered species, which attract scientists, good-hearted
nature lovers, tourists and state, federal and private grant
money.
Whooping cranes
Five feet tall, 7-foot wingspan, 40-year life span.
They travel 2,400 miles from their nesting grounds in Wood Buffalo
National Park in Canada's Northwest Territories to their winter
home at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
Population
About 400 in North America now. Fifteen in 1941.
Visitors
About 15,000 take boat tours, and about 70,000
visitors visit the birds' winter home at Aransas National Wildlife
Refuge.
KEMP'S RIDLEY
Among the smallest sea turtles. Their coastal nesting
habitat is threatened by beach development. A program at the
Padre Island National Seashore researches the turtles, incubates
eggs of nests found on the coast, releases hatchlings, attempts
to imprint baby turtles with new nesting ground habits.
Grant money
$135,000 this past year.
Staffers
Three year-round researchers plus scores of seasonal
volunteers.
Nests discovered
Eight along the Texas Gulf Coast, including four
on north Padre Island and one on Mustang Island.
Hatchlings released last year
More than 400.
Population
Adult populations of Kemp's ridley turtles reached
a low of 1,100 in 1985. Since then, their numbers have grown
to about 9,000.
ATTWATER PRAIRIE CHICKEN
Wild fowl that live in grasslands and coastal areas,
aren't related to chickens but are a type of grouse, in danger
because of loss of habitat. Prairie chickens do not migrate.
Anatomy
About 16.5 to 18 inches long, weighs about 1.5
to 2 pounds, has a 28-inch wingspan.
Diet
Leaves, seeds, rose hips, insects.
Population
No more than a few score remain in the wild. Estimates
put the population at fewer than 50. Some live on private lands,
but most live in reserves in Eagle Lake and in Galveston County.
SOUTH TEXAS AMBROSIA
Flowering plant that grows to between 6 inches
and 1 foot in height. Its habitat has been located in portions
of Nueces and Kleberg counties.
Reproduction
Flowers are inconspicuous with male and female
flowers separate on the same plant. Asexual reproduction from
rhizomes is common.
Population
Last year, there were about 550 plants counted
in the wild.
Other endangered species
Brown pelican, Hawksbill sea turtle, Jaguarundi,
Leatherback sea turtle, Northern aplomado falcon, Ocelot