Endangered Plants and Animals in Florida

There are 56 endangered animals on the list I found online and 55 endangered plants. Those numbers are only for Florida! When I was younger I didn't realize that plants could be endangered also. If a single plant or animal becomes extinct on this list it affects the entire food chain. As of May 21, the total number of endangered species on this list (updated daily) was 16,547.

While researching this topic I found that plants and animals can also be considered threatened, which is different than being endangered. This is what I found:

Threatened means that the animal is vulnerable to extinction and the population of the animal is declining. (ex: Certain species of whale population are being threatened.)

Endangered means that the animal will soon be extinct if nothing is done about it. Some endangered animals are being bred in captivity until their numbers increase enough to be released back in the wild. (ex: Bald Eagles are an endangered species of bird. Pandas are an endangered species of bear.)

Extinct means that the animal has completely died out and there aren't any left of this species. (ex: Dinosaurs are an extinct species of reptile. Dodo is an extinct bird.)