6 Idaho Animals On The Verge Of Extinction

The word "extinction" is heavy, isn't it?

Seriously - stop and say it out loud. The magnitude could be difficult to grasp because we're human beings and unless a world-ending event occurs between now and the time you read this, we can't think of anything that would immediately wipe us out that isn't self-inflicted.

But let's say human beings were wiped out and ceased to exist... what would the world look like?

Bizarre, right?

Unfortunately, that could be the sad reality for six species in Idaho.

What is causing so many animals to go extinct in Idaho?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, "Habitat loss is the primary cause of higher extinction rates." They also say other factors include "habitat changes, over-exploitation of wildlife for commercial purposes, the introduction of harmful nonnative species, pollution, and the spread of diseases."

As Idaho continues to populate, we'll continue to see more consumption which can only be detrimental to endangered animals.

We can only imagine what Idaho's wildlife will look like in 20-30 years, but thankfully Idaho cares and has an extensive database of not just animals, but also plants that are on the verge of being wiped out.

According to the Bureau of Land Management, "there are 178 special status plants, 80 sensitive vertebrates, and 14 sensitive invertebrates."

It's important to note that BLM has three classifications for their list of animals in danger. Those three classifications are: Endangered (E), Threatened (T), and Critical Habitat (CH).

Today, we'll be looking at the animals that are endangered.