Last revised: July 2007
Threatened or Endangered Species
Scope: This is a selective guide to finding information on threatened or endangered species. An endagenered animal or plant species is one that is threatened with extinction. Without concerted efforts to protect it, the species will become extinct. A threatened species is still abundant but declining so rapidly that it is likely to become extinct. Birds are especially threatened, followed by primates, fish and various species of plants, and amphibians. Habitat alteration, commercial hunting and harvesting, hunting for sport and subsistence, introduction of alien species, and pest and predator control threaten species. In other cases, the species may have always been rare. Email the subject area specialist at sgagnon@umd.edu for more information.
Atlases and lists of threatened or endangered species
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
URL: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html - International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
URL:http://www.iucnredlist.org/ - World Wildlife Fund
URL:http://www.worldwildlife.org/endangered/index.cfm - National Parks Service
URL: http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/endangeredspecies/index.cfm - Burton, John. The Atlas of Endangered Species. New York, N.Y.: Macmillian, 1991.
LOCATION: UMCP McKeldin Reference
CALL NUMBERQH75 .A85 1991/ 1998 edition on order - Mackay, Richard. The Penguin Atlas of Endangered Species. New York, N.Y. : The Penguin Group, 2002.
LOCATION: McKeldin Reference
CALL NUMBER: QH75 .M24 2002
- Pollock, Steven. The Atlas of Endangered Species New York, N.Y. : Facts on File, 1993.
LOCATION: McKeldin Reference
CALL NUMBER: G1046.C3P6 1993
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
- Allaby, Michael, editor. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Zoology. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1991.
Location: McKeldin Reference
CALL NUMBER: QL9 .C66 1999
Covers all animal taxa and other topics such as evolution, behavior, cytology, zoogeography, taxanomy and genetics. - Beacham, Walton; Castronova, Frank; Sessine, Suzanne, editors. Beacham's Guide to Endangered Species of North America. Ospre, F.L. : Beacham Publications, 1998-2001.
Location: McKeldin Reference Stacks
CALL NUMBER: QH77 .N56 B43 2001 - Beacham, Walton; Beetz, Kirk, editors. Beacham's Guide to International Endangered Species. Osprey, F.L. : Beacham Publications, 1998-2001.
Location: McKeldin Reference Stacks
CALL NUMBER: QL82 .B435 1998
- Birds of North America UM only
URL: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/BNA/
Comprehensive resource on bird life. - Encyclopedia of Life Sciences UM only
http://www.mrw.interscience.wiley.com/emrw/047001590X/home
General encyclopedia of all biological sciences topics. - Grzimek, Berhnard. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Detroit, M.I.: Gale Publishing, 2003-2004.
LOCATION: McKeldin Reference QL7 .G7813 2003
Comprehensive source of information on animal life. See index volume to locate information on specific species using its common or scientific name.
Directories of Conservation Organizations
LOCATION: McKeldin Reference
CALL NUMBER: QH75 .A1 G74 2003
LOCATION: McKeldin Reference
CALL NUMBER: SK361 .N42
Directory of United States and international agencies involved in conservation. Search for federal, state, non-government non-profit, non-governtment for profit agencies, and educational institutions.
LOCATION: McKeldin Reference
CALL NUMBER: GE 20 .E586
LOCATION: McKeldin Reference
CALL NUMBER: QH75 .A1 G74 2003
Finding books on a species
Search for books in the University System of Maryland using the library catalog. Suggested ways to search include subject and keywords, a few examples of subjects and keywords are listed below.
subject beginning with:
endangered species
nature conservation
Wildlife conservation
words anywhere: california condor
Finding Articles on a species
To find articles in research journals, search any of the following databases using keywords that describe your topic.
- Animal Behavior Abstracts 1982-present. UM only
Covers significant papers relevant to animal behavior, with subjects ranging from neurophysiology to behavioral ecology, from genetics to applied ethology.
- BIOSIS Previews 1970-present. UM only
BIOSIS Previews provides the most comprehensive coverage to the literature of the life sciences. Coverage includes primary research articles in the basic areas of biology. - Ecology Abstracts 1982-present. UM only
Provides access to the scientific journal literature in ecology and environmental sciences. Coverage: Includes literature on evolutionary biology, economics, and systems analysis as they relate to ecosystems or the environment. - Plant Science Abstracts1994-present. UM only
Provides access to articles on plant pathology, symbiosis, biochemistry, genetics, biotechnology, techniques and environmental biology.
- Science Citation Index Expanded 1945-present. UM only
The Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI) is an important tool for locating research articles. SCI coverage is multidisciplinary and allows you to see the cited references (bibliography) of a particular article, number of times an article has been cited and related records. Online access is available from 1945-present. - Zoological Record 1978-present. UM only
Zoological Record (ZR) provides the most comprehensive coverage to the world's zoological literature. ZR provides complete coverage to taxonomy and nomenclature and other areas such as ecology, behavior, life cycle, methodology, physiology and others.
Environmental law and policy
- Endangered Species Act of 1973 from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/whatwedo.html#General - Federal Register
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html - Greenwire UM only
Daily coverage of environmental and energy policy. - Land Letter UM only
A Washington DC weekly newsletter on natural resources policy. - Lexis-Nexis Congressional UM only
Congressional documents from 1789 to present. Includes full text of legislative histories, laws, and regulations.
Maryland Resources
- Endangered Animals of Maryland ,from Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/rteanimals.asp - Endangered Plants of Maryland ,from Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/rteplants.asp
Remote Access via Research Port
Access Library databases and online journals while you are off campus using the Research Port interface. You must log in using your barcode number (14 digit number on the back of your University of Maryland student ID card) and your last name.
