Endangered NJ Species

Sometimes the most majestic and beautiful of creatures are also the most threatened. Here are just some of the numerous animals in New Jersey that are in danger of extinction, along with their profiles. Learning about these animals is often the first step to cherishing and protecting them.

THE BALD EAGLE

Wing span: 6-7 feet
Larger than most other birds
Food: Fish during warm months; Waterfowl, muskrat, and carrion during winter and early spring
Live in New Jersey all year round
Build their nests above the forest canopy
In 1970, there was only one pair of nesting Bald Eagles left.
- NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Endangered and Nongame Species Program artificially incubated a young bird and sent it back to the nest to grow
- For six years, the Eagles failed to produce young
- Decline was due to the use of DDT, which was banned in 1972 - DDT caused the eggshell to thin
- Biologists in NJ initiated restoration efforts which helped to increase the population
- 2012: 119 active pairs of Bald Eagles
Still endangered because their mortality rates are high (80%) and do not reproduce until four or five years

THE BOG TURTLE

tiny, dark turtle
Orange patch behind either side of head
one of the smallest turtles in North America- 7.6 to 10 cm long
Habitat: Limestone fens, bogs and wet, grassy pastures
1974: Endangered in NJ
1997: Federally threatened species
Rare; only in rural portions of NJ
Urbanization and Industrial farming destroy their habita

THE BOBCAT

Medium sized cat
Two feet tall
Yellowish brown to reddish brown fur
Short bobbed tail (three to seven inches long) that is black at tip
Hunt at night and day
Extremely shy animals so are barely seen but due to population increase they have become more visible
Habitat: North America, Coniferous and Mixed forest in North; Swamp and Coastal areas in Florida; Desert and scrubland in Southwestern US
Decline in population due to deforestation and changes in practices in agriculture
Currently on Endangered list in NJ but population is on rise
Diet: rabbits, mice, squirrels, turkeys, small or sick deer
Excellent vision and hearing
European settlement brought problems for the bobcats because the bobcats were hunted and trapped for their pelts, and land was beginning to be used differently, which did not work for the bobcats

1950s and 1960s: death of many bobcats due to car accidents because of growing roads and new developments
1991: Endangered in NJ
Limitations to growing Bobcat population in NJ: habitat loss and fragmentation, changes in land use, car accidents, busy roads, barriers between habitats preventing free movement