National Parks With the Most Endangered Species

How many plant and animal species are there in the world? The National Institutes of Health estimates the total at 7.8 million; National Geographic suggests 8.7 million. That’s a mind-boggling number either way. But what’s important to remember is that these are (very) educated guesses and that fewer than 1.5 million species have actually been identified and described thus far — and the overwhelming majority of these species aren’t pretty flowers or majestic animals, but tiny insects.

The United States is home to more than 200,000 species of various living things, which earns it a place as one of just 17 megadiverse countries in the world. Of those species, about 3,000 count as (non-insect) fauna, including roughly 300 species each of reptiles and amphibians, 400 of mammals, 800 of birds, and 1,100 of fish.

Those quantities are in real danger of shrinking, however. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), about 400 animal species (bugs excluded) in America are endangered (which the FWS defines as “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range”) and more than 150 are threatened (“likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range”).

Our national parks are home to hundreds of at-risk species, according to the National Park Service (NPS). Those parks are good places for them. “Park lands and waters provide protected places for threatened or endangered species to find food, raise their young, grow and rest,” the NPS notes, “[w]hile National Park Service…scientists and managers work to sustain and recover at-risk species populations.” (Parks can be dangerous to humans, though. Here’s a list of America’s deadliest national parks.)

More than 330 million people enjoy national parks each year, and the NPS offers a series of recommendations that will help to keep the animals within their boundaries safe and thriving:

• Practice safe wildlife viewing (don’t get too close to or interact with animals);
• Follow park rules and obey closures (this includes keeping pets on a leash and avoiding areas marked as off-limits);
• “Stop the spread” (avoid introducing invasive species into the parks — for instance by cleaning, draining, and drying boats and fishing gear to prevent aquatic invasives);
• Store or dispose of food properly (animals who eat too much human food get “food-conditioned” and can become aggressive, necessitating their removal and sometimes killing by park managers);
• Stay on trails (going off them can damage plants that animals depend on for food and sometimes animals themselves); and
• “Be a role model” (basically by following the rest of the rules).

To determine the national parks with the most animal-endangered species, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on species occurrences from the National Park Service’s NPSpecies site, which lists the individual species found in each national park, and species endangerment status from the Animal Welfare Institute. (The NPS notes that “While there are at least 19 naming designations [i.e., national monuments, national preserves, national historic sites, etc.], these units are commonly referred to as ‘parks.’”) Parks were ranked based on the total number of unique threatened or endangered mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, and crustacean species reported within the park. Supplemental data on park size is based on shapefile data from the NPS. Species rarity is based on the number of occurrences of a specific species in all national lands throughout the United States. Data is current as of January 2024.

30. Cape National Monument (Alaska)

• Number of animal species: 237
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 10
• Park size: 649,475 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Polar Bear, Bowhead Whale, Spectacled Eider, Steller’s Eider, Brown Bear

29. North Cascades National Park (Washington)

• Number of animal species: 347
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 11
• Park size: 501,380 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Grizzly Bear, Northern Spotted Owl, Bull Trout, Marbled Murrelet, Chum

28. Olympic National Park (Washington)

• Number of animal species: 438
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 11
• Park size: 915,127 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Spotted Owl, Atlantic Salmon, Eulachon, Bull Trout, Northern Sea Lion

27. Assateague Island National Seashore (Maryland)

• Number of animal species: 505
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 11
• Park size: 48,757 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: North Atlantic Right Whale, Blue Whale, Sei Whale, Atlantic Ridley, Fin Whale

26. Dry Tortugas National Park (Florida)

• Number of animal species: 580
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 11
• Park size: 65,579 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Nassau Grouper, Rough Cactus Coral, False Killer Whale, Staghorn Coral, Elkhorn Coral

25. Cape Lookout National Seashore (North Carolina)

• Number of animal species: 627
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 11
• Park size: 28,418 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Atlantic Sturgeon, Smalltooth Sawfish, Hawksbill; Carey, Kemp’s Or Atlantic Ridley, Scalloped Hammerhead

24. Fort Matanzas National Monument (Florida)

• Number of animal species: 380
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 12
• Park size: 274 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Anastasia Beach Mouse, Gopher Tortoise, Caribbean Manatee, Kemp’s Ridley Turtle, Scalloped Hammerhead

23. Cape Cod National Seashore (Massachusetts)

• Number of animal species: 527
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 12
• Park size: 44,309 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Northern Right Whale, Blue Whale, Sei Whale, Atlantic Ridley, Finback Whale

22. Gateway National Recreation Area (New Jersey)

• Number of animal species: 538
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 12
• Park size: 27,159 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Roseate Tern, Sei Whale, Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, Fin Whale, Humpback Whale

21. Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve (Alaska)

• Number of animal species: 182
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 13
• Park size: 466,061 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Northern Sea Otter, Steller’s Eider, Eulachon, Steller’s Sea Lion, Brown Bear

20. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve (Alaska)

• Number of animal species: 247
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 13
• Park size: 2,785,111 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Spotted Seal, Polar Bear, Black Right Whale, Spectacled Eider, Steller’s Eider

19. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (Alaska)

• Number of animal species: 257
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 13
• Park size: 2,629,467 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Sea Otter, Beluga, Eulachon, Killer Whale, Brown Bear

18. Wrangell – St Elias National Park and Preserve (Alaska)

• Number of animal species: 336
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 13
• Park size: 8,321,668 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Wood Bison, Woodland Caribou, Eulachon, Northern Sea Lion, Brown Bear

17. Katmai National Park and Preserve (Alaska)

• Number of animal species: 254
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 15
• Park size: 3,688,012 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Sea Otter, Steller’s Eider, Eulachon, Northern Sea Lion, Killer Whale

16. Sitka National Historical Park (Alaska)

• Number of animal species: 462
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 15
• Park size: 116 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Canary Rockfish, Rasphead Rockfish, Steller’s Eider, Green Sturgeon, White Sturgeon

15. Cumberland Island National Seashore (Georgia)

• Number of animal species: 504
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 15
• Park size: 38,363 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, Kirtland’s Warbler, Gopher Tortoise, Florida Manatee, Hawksbill Carey

14. Kenai Fjords National Park (Alaska)

• Number of animal species: 239
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 16
• Park size: 667,069 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Yelloweye Rockfish, Gray Whale, Eulachon, Northern Sea Lion, Fin Whale

13. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (Alaska)

• Number of animal species: 361
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 16
• Park size: 12,994 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Green Sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Bocaccio, Atlantic Salmon, Eulachon

12. Padre Island National Seashore (Texas)

• Number of animal species: 590
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 16
• Park size: 130,556 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Massasauga, Olive Ridley, False Killer Whale, Band-Rumped Storm Petrel, Carey

11. Cape Hatteras National Seashore (North Carolina)

• Number of animal species: 756
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 16
• Park size: 31,131 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Atlantic Sturgeon, False Killer Whale, Band-Rumped Storm-Petrel, Smalltooth Sawfish, Hawksbill, Carey

10. Canaveral National Seashore (Florida)

• Number of animal species: 531
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 17
• Park size: 58,460 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Atlantic Sturgeon, Southeast Beach Mouse, Atlantic Salt Marsh Snake, Black Right Whale, Florida Scrub-Jay, Gopher Tortoise

9. Channel Islands National Park (California)

• Number of animal species: 678
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 17
• Park size: 245,685 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: White Abalone, Black Abalone, Sea Otter, Guadalupe Fur Seal, Canary Rockfish

8. Gulf Islands National Seashore (Florida)

• Number of animal species: 846
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 17
• Park size: 130,412 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Perdido Key Beach Mouse, Atlantic Sturgeon, Eastern Indigo Snake, Gopher Tortoise, Manatee; Manati

7. Fire Island National Seashore (New York)

• Number of animal species: 441
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 18
• Park size: 19,706 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Roseate Tern, Beluga, North Atlantic Right Whale, Atlantic Sturgeon, Blue Whale

6. Everglades National Park (Florida)

• Number of animal species: 700
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 18
• Park size: 1,531,768 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Key Largo Cotton

5. Biscayne National Park (Florida)

• Number of animal species: 864
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 19
• Park size: 173,835 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Key Largo Woodrat, American Crocodile, Eastern Indigo Snake, Nassau Grouper, Smalltooth Sawfish

4. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (Alaska)

• Number of animal species: 624
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 23
• Park size: 3,226,579 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Canary Rockfish, Yelloweye Rockfish, Green Sturgeon, White Sturgeon, Bocaccio

3. Golden Gate National Recreation Area (California)

• Number of animal species: 639
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 24
• Park size: 82,467 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Clapper Rail, San Francisco Garter Snake, Delta Smelt, Southern Sea Otter, Guadalupe Fur Seal

2. Redwood National Park (California)

• Number of animal species: 650
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 25
• Park size: 142,365 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Olive Ridley, Canary Rockfish, Rasphead Rockfish, False Killer Whale, Green Sturgeon

1. Point Reyes National Seashore (California)

• Number of animal species: 600
• Number of threatened and endangered animal species: 26
• Park size: 71,865 acres
• Rarest threatened and endangered species: Northern Red-Legged Frog, Sea Otter, Guadalupe Fur Seal, Western Snowy Plover, Tidewater Goby