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Endangered Species That Live Along the Gila River

The Gila river is more than 650 miles long and has been called more than a dozen different names. It winds its way through Arizona and Colorado through some of the oldest protected land in the United States. Despite that protection, there are still many endangered species that call the territory the Gila passes through home.

Gila Monster
- The Gila Monster, which can grow to 2 feet long, is the largest lizard in the United States. Despite their popularity as pets, the lizards are poisonous, and a bite can cause anything from extreme pain to death in a human being. Its primary habitat is in the mesquite bushes that grow along the banks of the Gila. A lot of that area has been cleared or destroyed to make room for agriculture, leaving the Gila Monster with less cover. The Gila Monster was put on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list of endangered animals in 2007 and is still there as of 2011.
Sonora Tiger Salamander
- The Sonora Tiger Salamander can reach lengths of up to 6.5 inches. They have distinctive patterns of light and dark spots or bars on their skin. They spend a great deal of time underground, often utilizing discarded holes dug by rodents. Agriculture efforts in the area have eliminated some of the native plants the salamander needs. The population balance was also adversely affected by the introduction of fish and frogs that look upon them as prey. The Sonora Tiger Salamander was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1997.
Mexican Wolf
- The Mexican wolf was at one point in time completely extinct from the Gila area. In 1998, the government launched a program to take some of them out of captivity to re-establish the packs in this area. As of 2011, the goal of 200 wolves in the wild had not been reached, but a few packs had survived along the river. The Mexican wolf is the smallest gray wolf in North America.
Mexican Spotted Owl
- The Mexican spotted owl has tufted ears and large, dark eyes. They prefer to live in forests, canyons and other places that provide them with cover and hiding spots. The Mexican spotted owl is a threatened animal, although the largest remaining portion of the population resides in the Gila forest. Forest fires are one of the largest traditional threats to the survival of the species. The Mexican spotted owl was added to the list of threatened species in 1993.

Animals & Science