The beauty of Arkansas has enraptured many who visit or call it home. The Natural State is known for its mountains, forests, river valleys, and lakes, including the popular Ozarks and Hot Springs National Park.
Arkansas’ diverse landscape also contains an array of wildlife that help sustain the state’s ecosystems. Unfortunately, some of these unique creatures have been included in the Endangered Species List due to their dwindling numbers. As of July 2016, Arkansas had 34 species — 25 animals and nine plants — listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Luckily, the state has offices and strategies to try and save these animals. Established in 1998, the Arkansas Field Office Ecological Services Field Office provides assistance and services to the state, other federal agencies, and the public in service to the state’s conservation mission, policies, and laws.
Likewise, the state’s government has set a roadmap for its wildlife protection activities — the Arkansas Wildlife Action Plan.
It allows agencies and other partners to fit individual and coordinated roles in safeguarding the state’s threatened animals. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission oversees conservation and preservation activities surrounding fish and wildlife in Arkansas, including endangered species.
These agencies and staff work diligently to save Arkansas’ imperiled creatures. Read to learn more about three endangered animals and their fight to thrive again in The Land of Opportunity.
Ozark Big-Eared Bat
Photo Courtesy Richard Stark/USFWS
This species is known for its large ears — a la its name — which are around four times larger than other bats in the area. Ozark big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) primarily occur in Arkansas and Oklahoma — they have been extirpated from southwest Missouri. In the Natural State, the creatures are found in Crawford, Franklin, and Washington counties in northeastern Arkansas and Marion County in north-central Arkansas.
A cave-obligate species, the Ozark big-eared bat “requires limestone and sandstone talus caves surrounded by oak-hickory hardwood forest.”
Many conditions have threatened the mammal’s future, including human disturbance and habitat loss. Another especially deadly factor is white-nose syndrome — a fungal disease.
The bat was listed as an endangered species in 1979. In the early 1990s, the population was only estimated at 1,800. In 1995, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a revised recovery plan to combat the animal’s extinction. The agency also established the Sequoyah/Oklahoma Bat Caves National Wildlife Refuge to protect their habitat.
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Photo Courtesy Renee Bodine/USFWS
The red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) is the only federally endangered woodpecker in Arkansas. A lover of pine trees, which naturally grow in the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, the bird is the only woodpecker species that makes its holes exclusively in living pines, usually older ones. An adult bird can reach 8 to 9 inches long, with a wingspan of 14 to 15 inches.
According to the Nature Conservancy, it is estimated that about 6,000 groups of red-cockaded woodpeckers live in clusters throughout the U.S.
Since 1970, Red-cockaded woodpeckers have been listed as an endangered species. The USFWS estimates between 10,000 and 12,000 remain. According to the Arkansas: The Natural State website, the largest concentration of the birds is in the Ouachita National Forest near Waldron in Scott County. The main threat to these animals is habitat destruction, as the number of older pines and the size of the forests have decreased.
To help the red-cockaded woodpecker thrive, the U.S. Forest Service and other organizations have worked on restoring longleaf pine forests. This work includes America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative and the Million Acre Challenge.
Ozark Hellbender
Photo Courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
The Ozark hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi), a large aquatic salamander, grows between 11 to 21 inches. The species is restricted to southern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas.
According to Waterkeepers Chesapeake, the presence of hellbenders is a sign of a river or stream’s health.
Hellbenders have particular habitat requirements — clean, cool water without contaminants and a stable food chain with plenty of crayfish. This need makes the amphibians extremely vulnerable to disturbance and changes in water quality.
The salamanders were put on the federal endangered species list in 2011. With a lack of juveniles in the population, reproduction may have been limited for some time. USFWS says other causes for decline include disease, illegal collection, nesting and resting area disruption in rivers, and pollution.
The USFWS published a revised recovery plan in 2021 to help revive the Ozark hellbender. Other conservation efforts include caring for the Ozark hellbender’s habitat by decreasing sedimentation and protecting reproduction areas. A captive breeding program by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has also released more than 100 of the salamanders to the Eleven Point River.
