State List of Endangered & Threatened Species

Endangered and Threatened inland fish and wildlife species in Maine are listed either under Maine's Endangered Species Act [MESA], the U.S. Endangered Species Act [ESA], or both. Species listed under MESA receive state protection; species listed under ESA receive federal protection; and species listed under both receive state and federal protection.

The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife holds management responsibility for inland fish and wildlife listed under MESA, and shares responsibility with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] for inland fish and wildlife listed under ESA.

Endangered and Threatened marine species are listed under Maine's Marine Endangered Species Act or ESA. The Maine Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) has responsibility for these species.

The Maine Endangered Species Act applies only to animals - plants are not included in the legislation. The Maine Natural Areas Program maintains an "official" list of rare and endangered plants in Maine.

There are currently 26 inland fish and wildlife species listed as Endangered and 31 listed as Threatened under Maine's Endangered Species Act [MESA], some of which are also listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act [ESA].

Information about the status, life history, and conservation of each listed species is available in a fact sheet linked to the species name in the following lists. Fact sheets are available in PDF format.

Species listed through the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife under Title 12 § 12803. Marine species listed separately through the Maine Department of Marine Resources under Title 12 § 6975, and federally listed species not listed under Maine's Endangered Species Act, are not included in this list.

Maine's Endangered Species

October 25, 2023

Birds

Fish

  • Redfin Pickerel (Esox americanus americanus)

Invertebrates

Beetles

  • Cobblestone Tiger Beetle (Cicindela marginipennis)

Bumble Bees

  • Ashton's Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus ashtoni)

Butterflies and Skippers

Snails

  • Six-whorl Vertigo (Vertigo morsei)

Mammals

  • Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus)
  • New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) (species plan)
  • Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis)**

Reptiles

Snakes

Turtles

Maine's Threatened Species

October 25, 2023

Birds

Fish

Invertebrates

Beetles

  • Margined Tiger Beetle (Ellipsoptera marginata)

Butterflies and Skippers

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Freshwater Mussels

Mayflies

Moths

Mammals

  • Eastern Small-footed Bat (Myotis leibii)
  • Northern Bog Lemming (PDF) (Synaptomys borealis)
  • Tri-colored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus)

Reptiles

* Federally listed as Endangered
** Federally listed as Threatened