10 endangered species call VA home: Here’s what they are & how to help

Learn about the 10 endangered species that live in Virginia and what you can do to help them.

Virginia is home to a diverse range of wildlife, but some of its unique species are teetering on the brink of extinction. From the rare snowshoe hare to the mysterious eastern hellbender, 10 species face critical threats in the state. Understanding these endangered animals and learning how to help protect them is essential for preserving Virginia’s natural heritage.

Here’s a look at these endangered species and what you can do to aid their survival.

Snowshoe hare

A state endangered mammal, the snowshoe hare weighs about 3-5 pounds. Its coat is primarily rusty brown during the summer but turns almost entirely white in the winter. Breeding takes place from April through August, with two to four litters of two to four young produced per year.

While it likely lived throughout much of the mountainous region of western Virginia, it’s now only found in isolated areas of Highland County. Logging and the burning of red spruce forests resulted in extinction throughout many areas. The hare prefers cool, shrubby bogs or swampland that is thickly overgrown with rhododendron, hemlock, willow, alder, or brush. It also must contend with predators, like the bobcat, gray fox, red-tailed hawk, great horned owl, and barred owl. The normal lifespan is three years.

Red-cockaded woodpecker

Both state and federally endangered, the red-cockaded woodpecker is a relatively small black-and-white woodpecker that has distinctive large, white “peck patches.” The name comes from a tiny red streak, called a “cockade,” that is only found on males. It’s found in fragmented portions of Southeast Virginia.

Uniquely, this species of woodpecker is social. It lives in family groups with a highly developed, cooperative breeding system. It forms family groups that use clusters of trees to develop nesting cavities. The groups consist of two to six birds, with one monogamous breeding pair and one to four helpers. It has been documented to live up to 18 years.

Muhlenberg turtle 

The Muhlenberg turtle, which can be found in six counties in Southwest Virginia in the southern Blue Ridge Plateau, is designated as being state endangered. It inhabits sphagnum bogs or wet sedge meadows in or near slow-moving streams with a muddy bottom. Small, it has a maximum length of 4.5 inches. Its carapace is light brown to mahogany or black. The turtle doesn’t sexually mature until it’s 6, with breeding taking place from late April to early June. The eggs hatch in the fall. 

Cumberland slider

Designated as having a great conservation need by the Virginia Wildlife Action Plan, the Cumberland slider is a large freshwater turtle that can reach up to 11.4 inches in length. Its oval shell is olive to brown with thin yellow stripes. It’s a communal basker, meaning that it usually basks on logs and rocks that protrude out of the water. The turtles breed from March to early June, with females laying between 5-18 eggs. Their nests may be constructed large distances from the water. During the winter, it goes underwater and hibernates in the mud. It has been confirmed in one location in Virginia in the Holston River in Scott County.

Blackbanded sunfish 

Relatively small, the blackbanded sunfish reaches 2-3 inches with a laterally compressed body shape. Its color is primarily opalescent white with brassy sheens. It’s native to southeastern Virginia, with endemic populations occurring only within the Blackwater and Nottoway watersheds of the Chowan basin. Unusually, it thrives in acidic waters with low levels of dissolved oxygen.

Designated as a state endangered species, it’s threatened by competition from non-native species and habitat degradation and loss. It is illegal to target the fish by angling in Virginia. It can live up to three years. 

Barking treefrog

The largest of Virginia’s treefrogs, the barking treefrog can get up to 2.75 inches. The frog can be found in either a green phase or a less often gray phase. Its back is often covered with dark, elliptical, or round spots that are encircled with black. It breeds from March to August in cypress ponds and swamps, with its advertisement sounding like a hound dog barking in the distance. The frog is only found in the eastern half of the commonwealth, primarily in the Coastal Plain in wooded areas with pine or mixed pine-hardwood forests. It is designated as a species with conservation needs. 

James spinymussel 

The James spinymussel, an endangered species of mussel, can be found in small tributaries of the James River in Virginia and West Virginia, along with the Dan/Mayo River systems within the Roanoke River drainage in Virginia and North Carolina. Although about 90% of the mussel’s historic range has been lost, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released the mussel into the main stem of the James River in Central Virginia in 2022 to help reestablish a native population in the James. Pollution is said to be the primary contributor to the shrinking of the mussel’s range. A small freshwater mussel, its shells are 3 inches long and dark brown.

Cumberland plateau salamander 

The Cumberland plateau salamander has a black body with small white spots on its back and larger white spots on its sides. Its belly is slate gray, but its chin and throat are a lighter shade of gray. While it’s similar in appearance to the northern slimy salamander, it can be distinguished based on its location. Found in extreme southwestern Virginia, it likes cool, moist forests. Mating occurs in the fall, with females depositing 9-12 eggs the following summer. Two months later, hatchlings emerge. It’s designated as having a great conservation need.

Shenandoah mountain salamander 

The Shenandoah mountain salamander is an elongated salamander with short legs and a tail that is longer than its body. It reaches up to 5.4 inches in length. With a white throat, it has a black belly with some white and brown mottling. In Virginia, it’s only known to be found in Rockingham County, where it likes hardwood forests on mountain slopes and ravines that have an abundance of flat rocks. It mates in the spring with females depositing three to eight eggs, however, a secondary breeding event occurs in the fall. It’s listed as being a species of “greatest conservation need” in Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan.

Eastern hellbender

With a lifespan of 30-35 years in the wild, the eastern hellbender is a large, stout-bodied, fully aquatic salamander. Adults can reach 30 inches in length and weigh up to 4 pounds. Their brown bodies often have markings that are either darker or lighter than their skin color. The salamander prefers clear, fast-flowing, well-oxygenated streams and rivers in Southwest Virginia.

In Virginia, it’s included in the action plan as a species of greatest conservation need. Degradation of stream quality is largely to blame for the decline of the eastern hellbender. To protect the eastern hellbender, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources has done multiple research studies, deployed nest boxes, helped with stream habitat restoration, and worked to educate the public about the salamander.

How to get involved

If you’re questioning what you can do to help after learning about some of the endangered species that call Virginia home, consider getting involved in a group like the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, which helps to restore and protect the lands, rivers, and streams of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It provides interested community members with volunteer opportunities across the watershed, along with tools and resources to make a difference in their own backyards. 

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.