(CN) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is removing 21 species, including one mammal and 10 birds, from the endangered species list because they are officially extinct.
“Federal protection came too late to reverse these species’ decline," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams, in a written statement. "It’s a wake-up call on the importance of conserving imperiled species before it’s too late."
The list includes the little Mariana fruit bat, also known as the Guam flying fox. Last seen in 1968, it was added to the endangered species list in 1984. The list also includes Bachman's warbler, one of 435 birds painted by John Audubon for his book, "Birds of America," which hasn't been spotted since the 1980s. Eight of the other birds were varieties of Hawaiian honeycreepers.
Also declared officially extinct are two species of fish and eight species of mussels. They join the list of 650 species in the United States that have likely been lost due to extinction.
Species can go extinct for a variety of reasons, though human behavior often plays a major role. The Guam flying fox was “not an uncommon sight” as late as the 1920s in Guam, a small island and U.S. territory about 1,500 miles east of the Philippines. Just 10 years later, the fox had become a rare site on the island, likely due to the introduction of firearms and increased hunting.
Most species go extinct due to loss of habitat. Clearcutting trees and draining swamps in the 1800s likely led to the decline of Bachman's warbler.
Today, climate change is seen as a major factor in destroying habitat and dooming species.
“Few people realize the extent to which the crises of extinction and climate change are deeply intertwined,” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Both threaten to undo our very way of life, leaving our children with a considerably poorer planet. One silver lining to this sad situation is that protecting and restoring forests, grasslands and other natural habitats will help address both.”
One plant, Nelson's checkerbloom, was also removed from the endangered species list and declared extinct.
The Endangered Species Act was signed by President Richard Nixon nearly 50 years ago, on Dec. 28, 1973. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service claims to have rehabilitated more than 100 plants and animals, having placed them on the endangered species list and then later delisted them, based on their recovery.
"The ultimate goal is to recover these species, so they no longer need the act’s protection," Williams said.
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