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Coloring Book

United States 

Environmental Protection Agency (7506P) 

Washington, DC 20460 

735-K-08-001 

May 2008 
Hi, Reader!

This coloring book is published by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Pesticide Programs. 

Did you know that when people use pesticides to kill insects 

and other pests, they can also endanger the lives of plants and 

animals? That’s why EPA has a program to protect threatened 

and endangered species from contact with pesticides that 

might be harmful. 

If EPA determines that a pesticide may put at risk an 

endangered or threatened species, EPA will tell you on the label 

of the pesticide container how to find out what you need to do 

to protect that species. EPA will have a bulletin that explains 

how to use the product in a way that will not harm the species. 

The plants and animals shown in this coloring book are not 

always threatened by pesticides; however, they do represent 

many different species our program is protecting. 

Endangered Species Protection Program 
What Are Endangered 

and Threatened 

Species? 

A century ago, a bird called the 

passenger pigeon lived in North 

America. There were so many 

passenger pigeons that people often 

saw thousands, even millions, of birds 

flying overhead. Today, there is not 

a single one left. What happened? 

The passenger pigeon became 

extinct. All passenger pigeons 

disappeared from the earth entirely. 

The passenger pigeon became extinct 

for two reasons. First, the forests 

where it lived were cut down to make 

way for farms and cities. Second, 

many pigeons were shot for sport and 

because they were good to eat. At 

that time, there were no hunting laws 

to protect endangered species like 

there are now. 

The passenger pigeon is one of 

the many plants and animals that once 

lived on our planet and have become 

extinct. For example, dinosaurs, 

mammoths, and saber-toothed tigers all 

became extinct long ago. More 

recently, the dodo bird and the sea mink 

also have disappeared. Extinction has 

been going on since life began on earth 

but today, extinction is happening faster 

than ever 

before. 

There 

are more 

than 1,000 

endangered 

or 

threatened 

species in the United States today. Can 

you count to 1,000? Endangered 

species are those plants and animals 

that are so rare, they are in danger of 

becoming extinct. Threatened species 

are plants and animals whose numbers 

are very low or becoming low quickly. 

Threatened species are not endangered 

yet, but are likely to become 

endangered in the future. 

How Do Plants and Animals Become 

Extinct? 

Species disappear because of 

changes to the earth that are caused 

either by nature or by the actions of 

people. Sometimes a natural 

event, like a volcano erupting, 

can kill an entire species. 

Other times, extinction will 

happen slowly as nature 

changes our world. For 

example, after the Ice Age, 

when the great glaciers 

melted and the earth became 

warmer, many species died 

because they could not live in 

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a warmer climate. New 

species that could 

survive a warmer 

environment took their 

places. 

People can also 

cause the extinction of 

plants and animals. The 

main reason that many 

species are endangered or threatened 

today is because people have changed 

the species’ homes or habitats. A 

habitat includes not only the other 

plants and animals in an area, but all of 

the things needed for the species’ to 

live — food, water, and shelter. The 

United States has many habitats, from 

ocean beaches to mountain tops. Every 

species requires a certain habitat in 

order to live. A cactus, for example, 

needs the sunny, dry desert to grow. 

A polar bear, 

on the other 

hand, would 

not live in a 

desert, 

because it 

could not find 

enough food 

and water. 

Pollution 

can also 

affect 

wildlife and 

contribute to 

extinction. 

The Nashville crayfish is endangered 

mainly because the creek where it lives 

has been polluted. Pesticides and 

other chemicals can harm plants and 

animals if they are not used correctly. 

The bald eagle is one bird that was 

harmed by pesticides. In the past, a 

pesticide called DDT was used by many 

farmers. Rains washed the pesticide 

into lakes and streams, where it 

poisoned fish. After eating the 

poisoned fish, the eagles would lay 

eggs with very thin shells. These eggs 

were usually crushed before they 

could hatch. Today, people are not 

allowed to use DDT. 

This coloring book will show you 

21 endangered and threatened plants 

and animals found in the United States. 

As you color these pages, you will 

journey to oceans, swamps, deserts, 

and islands and bring to life a variety 

of plants and animals. If we all work 

together, we can continue to share the 

earth with these fascinating and 

important species and enjoy them in 

the wild — not only in the pages of 

books. 

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The fish gets its name from its 

short, pointy nose. The shortnose 

sturgeon is shaped like a torpedo. 

This helps it swim very fast. The 

fish lives in rivers. In the winter 

and spring, it swims upstream to lay 

eggs. The trip can be over 100 

miles long! Then, in the summer and 

fall, the fish swims to its second 

home in the ocean. 

In what states is this species found? 

3
 
Do you see the squiggly line on the 

river bottom? It wasn’t made by a 

snake or a worm. It was made by a 

dwarf wedge mussel when it dragged 

itself along the river bottom. These 

animals look like small clams. Like 

small clams, they have hard shells 

and soft bodies. Female mussels can 

carry thousands of eggs inside their 

very small shells! 

In what states is this species found? 

4
 
The Nashville crayfish looks like a 

very small lobster. Like a lobster, 

the crayfish has claws that can pinch. 

Ouch! As a young crayfish grows, it 

gets too big for its shell. When this 

happens, it grows a bigger shell. 

Then it casts off the old, smaller 

shell. This is similar to a snake 

shedding its skin when it grows. 

In what state is this species found? 

5
 
TAP TAP TAP! High up in the trunk 

of a pine tree, the red-cockaded 

woodpecker digs a hole with its 

sharp beak. Sap flows from the 

tree and collects around the hole. 

The sap is sticky like glue. This 

keeps the woodpecker safe from 

predators, such as snakes. We need 

to protect the pine trees so the redcockaded woodpecker will have a 

home. 

In what states is this species found? 

6
 
When full grown, the eastern 

indigo snake is longer than most 

people are tall! Indigo is the blueblack color of the snake’s skin. 

This snake eats birds, frogs, and 

even other snakes. Snakes smell 

with their tongues. Stick out your 

tongue like a snake. What do 

humans smell with? 

In what states is this species found? 

7
 
West Indian Manatee
 

This gentle animal lives in the coastal 

waters of Georgia, Florida, Texas, and 

Puerto Rico. It is about 10 feet long 

and can weigh up to 2,000 pounds — as 

much as a car! Manatees are 

herbivores (meaning they eat only 

plants). After eating they may swim 

to the bottom of the water and rest. 

Manatees can hold their breath for up 

to 12 minutes at a time! 

In what states is this species found? 

8
 
This little lizard with bulging eyes is 

quite an acrobat. It races easily 

across cliffs and can even walk 

upside down! Full-grown Monito 

geckos are about as big as your 

thumb — only 1-1/2 inches long. 

In what state is this species found? 

9
 
The Florida panther has a cowlick 

of fur in the middle of its back 

that sticks out. Like housecats, 

the Florida panther keeps clean by 

licking its fur. These graceful cats 

make a lot of different noises to 

communicate with one another. 

They chirp, peep, growl, and hiss. 

Panther kittens make a sound like a 

whistle to tell their their mother 

where they are. 

In what state is this species found? 

10
 
This plant eats insects! Do you 

like to eat insects? When an 

insect lands on one of the 

plant’s leaves, it gets stuck in a 

gooey liquid. Then the insect 

slides down the leaf and into 

the plant’s empty stem. The 

insect is digested just like we 

digest food in our stomachs. 

In what states is this species found? 

11
 
These birds are about 4 feet tall 

when standing straight up on their 

feet. Sometimes, a group of cranes 

will dance in a great circle. The 

cranes bow to their partners and 

leap into the air. This tall, grayish 

bird lives in savannah habitats and is 

very rare. 

In what state is this species found? 

12
 
This bat has big ears and orangered fur. During the day, it sleeps 

hanging upside down inside caves. 

At night, the bat hunts for moths 

and other insects. On summer 

evenings, you might see bats flying 

back to their caves. Hungry 

babies are waiting to be fed! 

In what states is this species found? 

13
 
These little fish have leopard spots 

and leopard speed! They zip through 

rivers in a wink of an eye, darting 

after the insects they eat. Leopard 

darters grow to only 3 inches long 

and live for 1 to 3 years. 

In what states is this species found? 

14
 
The Wyoming toad has green skin In what state is this species found?

with dark blotches. This coloring 

helps it blend into the grass to hide 

from animals that might want to eat 

it. These toads have lived in 

Wyoming a long time — since the 

great glaciers of the Ice Age 

disappeared more than 12,000 years 

ago! 

15
 
This tiny cactus is only 6 inches 

tall. and grows in the desert of 

southern Texas. The plant’s pink 

and purple flowers with red 

centers are very pretty but watch 

out because this plant, like most 

cacti, has spines as sharp as pins! 

In what state is this species found? 

16
 
Oo-loo-woo, sings the male prairie 

chicken to his mate. Prairie 

chickens sing and dance every 

spring in the grasslands of Texas. 

Their dancing area is called the 

“booming ground” because of the 

loud songs of the males. 

In what state is this species found? 

17
 
This tortoise lives in the deserts 

of Arizona, southern Utah, 

Nevada, and California. Actually, 

it mostly lives under the desert! 

In the summer, the tortoise digs 

tunnels underground to hide from 

the sun. Then all winter it sleeps, 

or “hibernates,” in deep holes. 

In what states is this species found? 

18
 
Some insects are endangered, too. 

The valley elderberry longhorn 

beetle lives only in California. 

Female beetles lay their eggs in 

cracks and crevices in tree bark. 

From the time egg is laid, it takes 2 

years for an adult beetle, with its 

bright green wings trimmed with 

orange, to appear! 

In what state is this species found? 

19
 
The mission blue butterfly flies and 

flutters, looking for just the right 

flower in which to lay its eggs. In a 

few weeks, these eggs hatch into 

caterpillars. Sometimes, these 

caterpillars are guarded by ants that 

protect them from enemies like flies 

and other insects. The caterpillars 

“pay” the ants back by giving off a 

sweet liquid that the ant likes to eat. 

In what state is this species found? 

20
 
The Mauna Kea silversword is 

found only in the State of Hawaii 

on the island of Maui. The pretty 

pink flowers of this plant can rise 

over 7 feet high! At the bottom 

of the plant is a ball of pointed, 

silvery leaves that look like 

swords. The leaves are sharp like 

swords, too. 

In what state is this species found? 

21
 
The bald eagle is our national symbol 

and represents strength, courage, and 

freedom. Its eyesight is so good that 

it can spot a fish from more than a 

mile away! It is so fast that it can 

swoop down through the air at 100 

miles an hour to catch this tasty meal 

with its strong claws. Until recently, 

it was endangered. The population of 

eagles had gone down rapidly with the 

use of DDT. DDT was banned and 

now the eagle population is rebuilding. 

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In what states is this species found? 
You’d look pretty short standing 

next to this 8-foot tall bear! The 

grizzly bear is one of the biggest 

animals in North America. Adult 

grizzly bears are shy and usually 

live alone. Young cubs stay with 

their mother for several years 

while she teaches them to hunt, 

fish, and find berries and nuts. 

In what states is this species found? 

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Index of Species’ Common Name, 


Scientific Name, and Status 


PAGE COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME STATUS 

3 Shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum Endangered 

4 Dwarf wedge mussel Alasmidonta heterodon Endangered 

5 Nashville crayfish Orconectes shoupi Endangered 

6 Red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides borealis Endangered 

7 Eastern indigo snake Drymarchon corais couperi Threatened 

8 Florida manatee Trichechus manatus Endangered 

9 Monito gecko Sphaerodactylus micropithecus Endangered 

10 Florida panther Felis concolor coryi Endangered 

11 Green pitcher plant Sarracenia oreophila Endangered 

12 Mississippi sandhill crane Grus canadensis pulla Endangered 

13 Ozark big-eared bat Plecotus townsendii ingens Endangered 

14 Leopard darter Percina pantherina Threatened 

15 Wyoming toad Bufo hemiophrys baxteri Endangered 

16 Black lace cactus Echinocereus reichenbachii var. Endangered 

albertii 

17 Attwater’s greater prairie Tympanuchus cupido attwateri Endangered 

chicken 

18 Desert tortoise Gopherus agassizii Threatened 

19 Valley elderberry longhorn Desmocerus californicus dimorphus Threatened 

beetle 

20 Mission blue butterfly Icaricia icarioides missionensis Endangered 

21 Mauna Kea silversword Agyroxiphium sandwicense spp. Endangered 

sandwicense 

22 Bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus No longer 

Endangered 

 (As of June 

2007) 

23 Grizzly bear Ursus arctos (=U.a. horribilis) Threatened 

To learn more about how EPA, the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service protect endangered 

species, please visit the following Web sites: 

EPA - www.epa.gov/espp 

FWS - http://www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html 

NOAA Fisheries Service - http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/ 

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