Photo: Ryan Hagerty / USFWS — Public Domain
Reintroduced
Featured
Colorado's Threatened and Endangered Wildlife
Profiles of 60 listed and at-risk Colorado animals: why they're in trouble and what's being done.
In the news Is the Gray Wolf Being Delisted? What the Federal Push Means for Colorado
Photo: NPS / M. Reed — Public domain
60
Listed & at-risk animals
8
Federally endangered
14
Federally threatened
13
Critical habitat designated
13
Federally listed plants
Explore Threatened Colorado
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Photo: Shaula Hedwall / USFWS — Public Domain -
Photo: Alan Schmierer — CC0 19 animals
Native & Rare
Native animals Colorado watches closely that are not on the threatened list.
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Photo: Tom Koerner / USFWS — Public Domain -
Photo: NPS / Jim Peaco — Public Domain 10 species
Lost & Extinct
Animals Colorado has lost in recorded history, and the ones that came back.
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Photo: W.L. Wagner / Smithsonian NMNH — CC0 -
Colorado's headline species
Browse all 60 species →
Photo: Lori Iverson / USFWS — Public Domain
Reintroduced 
Photo: Ryan Pennesi / U.S. Forest Service — Public Domain
Reintroduced 
Photo: Blue Mountains – Oregon Conservation Strategy — Public Domain
Return Planned 
Photo: Joe Ferreira / USFWS — Public Domain
Photo: Chris Kennedy / USFWS — Public Domain
Latest news
All news →
Photo: NPS / Jacob W. Frank — Public domain Recovery & Reintroduction
Is the Gray Wolf Being Delisted? What the Federal Push Means for Colorado
A presidential order and a letter from the U.S. Department of Agriculture have restarted the debate over federal wolf protections. Here's what it would and wouldn't change in Colorado.
Policy & Listings
Where Colorado's Candidates for Governor Stand on Wolves and Wildlife
Recovery & Reintroduction
Why Colorado Can't Get More Wolves, and What Decides the Program's Next Year
Policy & Listings
Wildlife on Colorado's 2026 Ballot: Amendment 83 and Proposition 137
Seasonal & Field Guide
Tarantula Migration in Colorado: Why Males Roam the Comanche National Grassland Each Fall
Colorado Wolf Tracker
LIVE
Checked against CPW Next CPW map update:
- 45 wolves as of Sept. 24, 2026 · CPW
- 20 pups born in 2026 as of Sept. 24, 2026 · CPW
- 4 reproducing packs as of Sept. 24, 2026 · CPW
Latest wolf news: Is the Gray Wolf Being Delisted? What the Federal Push Means for Colorado
See the Wolf TrackerQuestions people ask
All questions →-
How Many Endangered Species Are in Colorado?
Colorado's own list names 19 endangered and 12 threatened animals. Federally, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Colorado offices oversee more than 40 species that are threatened, endangered or under review, including 13 listed plants confirmed growing in Colorado.
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What Is the Most Endangered Animal in Colorado?
There's no official ranking, but two animals stand out. About 300 black-footed ferrets live in the wild across North America, and Colorado's bonytail survive only through hatchery stocking, with no self-sustaining wild population.
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Why Are Animals Endangered in Colorado?
Mostly because their habitat has been lost, broken up or changed. Among the species profiled here, climate change and drought affect the most, followed by habitat loss and water diversion, and many species face more than one threat.
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How many wolves are in Colorado?
CPW counted 45 on September 24, 2026, but the number changes month to month; our Wolf Tracker follows each CPW update. CPW expects that total to fall by March 2027 because of typical pup survival.
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Could grizzlies come back to Colorado?
Not on their own and not under any plan; see Could Grizzlies Return to Colorado? for the federal proposals and the distances involved. Author David Petersen told Colorado Public Radio in 2019 that the San Juans still look suitable: "The physical habitat is here, but the cultural, social, political habitat is not."
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What's the difference between endangered and threatened?
Under the federal Endangered Species Act, an endangered species is one “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” A threatened species is one “likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.”
Threats
The threats that reach the most species on this site.
- Habitat Loss & Fragmentation 39 species
- Climate Change & Drought 30 species
- Water Diversion & Dewatering 24 species
- Nonnative Fish 16 species
Our purpose
Colorado's threatened and endangered species deserve more than agency reports and status tables. They deserve to be understood.
Threatened Colorado is a free, ad-free resource built by two Colorado natives on a mission to raise awareness and support conservation of the state's threatened and endangered wildlife. Independent and reader-supported, with no funder with an agenda. Just the science, the stories, and the stakes. If it's helped you, you can support the site.