Once a species is listed as endangered or threatened it is protected by a number of rules and regulations. In addition, the body parts and products of endangered or threatened species cannot be imported, exported, or sold.
Threatened species have low or declining population numbers.
Their populations are facing serious problems. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 defines a threatened species as one that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range if factors contributing to their population decline or habitat degradation or loss continue. Endangered species are still alive today but exist in numbers so low or are decreasing so rapidly that they are in immediate danger of extinction. The Endangered Species Act of 1973 defines an endangered species as any plant or animal species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Extinct species are species that are gone forever.