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Saving Florida's Less-Understood Imperiled Species

Brown pelican. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Brown pelican. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Wildlife authorities have a new plan for bringing back 60 of the state's imperiled species.

The plan focuses on species that are less well-known and researched.

The goal is to learn more about the species and then educate the public on how to help conserve the animals.

Claire Blunden of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says one of the species is the Sherman's short-tailed shrew, a mammal found in Central Florida.

"It's a medium brown little critter that lives in the forest. It lives in the soil, and we've had a lot of trouble finding, capturing and studying that."

She says the shrew is of special concern primarily because of the loss of habitat due to development.

The plan also includes a few better-known species like the brown pelican and roseate spoonbill.

Amy Green covered the environment for WMFE until 2023. Her work included the 2020 podcast DRAINED.