4 Endangered Animals Fighting For Survival In Colorado

There are many endangered and threatened animals on Colorado’s radar, many of them iconic state (and US) staples, from rattlesnakes to grizzly bears. Dozens of mammals, reptiles, birds, and fish find themselves in danger as a result of climate change, hunting, habitat shrinkage, and other factors, most of them external. However, in the face of all these declining populations, many efforts have been made on both local and federal levels to aid these species and help get them back on track. Here are four animals in Colorado that are fighting for survival.

Couch’s Spadefoot

Called the spadefoot because of the spade-shaped patterns on their hind feet, these small toads live most of their lives underground and come out annually to lay eggs in the spring and/or summer. They live primarily in bodies of water within grasslands, breeding in temporary pools or rain‑filled ponds. Because of their dependency on this habitat and the negative direction that climate change is taking it, it's important to track their population. While thriving elsewhere, they've been labeled a "State Special Concern" in Colorado and some state sources consider them critically imperiled. A 2020 study in Arizona found that Couch’s spadefoots were able to breed in areas recently burned by wildfire, offering early evidence that the species may be capable of rebounding in post-fire habitats.

Sharp-Tailed Grouse

This unique looking bird, who finds its home in the Colorado grasslands, boasts a purple sack on its neck (males, anyway) to flash during mating season and a pointy tail. Their ideal habitat is a shrub-filled plain, and they feed on seeds, greens, and insects. Having a range of eight states may sound impressive, but this range has shrunk over the years and significantly so in Western Colorado. Efforts have been made and are currently being made to reestablish the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse in this region, with Colorado Parks and Wildlife engaging in a state-wide combination capture and relocation effort in order to transplant the population.

Kit Fox

Also found in Western Colorado, these small rabbit-sized foxes (whose tails make up 40% of their body length) occupy shrublands and arid, semi-desert environments. Thus, they can also be found around the Southwestern United States and even into Mexico. The foxes live in small, underground communities where dens are connected by multiple passageways to easily emerge for nightly hunting. They’ve become endangered in Colorado from a combination of agriculture and human development taking up more and more of their habitat. They’ve also been consistently hunted. Because of these factors, the kit fox has been officially protected since 1994. A group called the Island, Kit & Swift Fox Working Group has worked to collect data on and monitor kit fox populations. As a result, there is now a much better understanding on how to manage populations.

Colorado River Cutthroat Trout

One of four subspecies of Colorado-native trout, these bright and spotted gold-colored fish are found along the Colorado River, with their populations ranging across Wyoming, Colorado and Utah. More recently, their populations have been restricted to lakes and headwater streams. Due to the trout being a cold-water fish species, global warming and climate change has significantly contributed to their decline. A lot of state and federal resources have gone into preserving and restoring the cutthroat trout population, which is considered imperiled and a species of special concern. An effort by Colorado Parks and Wildlife involves working an egg-collection and hatchery operation to aid in this restoration process.

Although these are only four of the dozens of the threatened and/or endangered species in Colorado, they are representative of how much certain populations are struggling to maintain their numbers and habitats. However, although the multitude of fighting species may seem daunting, there are also many efforts to help the struggling wildlife. A lot of local, statewide, and federal time, energy, and money has gone (and continues to go) into preserving these animals and rejuvenating their prominence within the beautiful wilds of Colorado.