UCSC Rare Species Fact Sheets

A trail of cougar tracks along an early morning fire road

The rich biodiversity found on the UCSC campus includes several rare species, including some that have been found nowhere else on Earth. With a few exceptions, each of the species listed below has some kind of conservation status on a federal, state, or international level. These range from the IUCN Red List to the Federal Endangered Species Act to the California Endangered Species Act to the California Native Plant Society Rare Plant Rankings to other state, federal, or international rankings. 

Click on species names below to download pdfs created by UCSC undergraduate students during a remote-learning internship during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021 academic year).

 

AMPHIBIANS
Aneides niger Santa Cruz black salamander
Dicamptodon ensatus California giant salamander
Rana draytonii California red-legged frog
BIRDS
Ammodramus savannarum grasshopper sparrow (nesting)
Aquila chrysaetos golden eagle
Athene cunicularia burrowing owl
Contopus cooperi olive-sided flycatcher
Elanus leucurus white-tailed kite
Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus Bryant's savannah sparrow
MOSS
Dacryophyllum falcifolium Tear drop moss
FUNGI
Hygrocybe/Gliophorus flavifolia/flavifolius Golden-gilled Waxy cap
Leptonia carnea
Porpolomopsis calyptriformis Pink Waxcap
Pouzarella spp.
INVERTEBRATES
Cicindela ohlone Ohlone tiger beetle
Danaus plexippus pop. 1 Monarch butterfly--CA overwintering population
Fissiicreagris imperialis Empire Cave pseudoscorpion
Meta dolloff Dolloff cave spider
Stygobromus imperialis Empire Cave amphipod
Stygobromus mackenziei MacKenzie's cave amphipod
Telema sp. Santa Cruz telemid spider
MAMMALS
Antrozous pallidus pallid bat
Corynorhinus townsendii Townsend's big-eared bat
Lasiurus blossevillii Western red bat
Neotoma fuscipes annectans San Francisco dusky-footed woodrat
Puma concolor mountain lion
Taxidea taxus American badger
FLOWERING PLANTS
Arctostaphylos andersonii Santa Cruz manzanita
Calochortus uniflorus Monterey mariposa
Carex saliniformis salt sedge
Horkelia marinensis Point Reyes horkelia
Hosackia gracilis Harlequin lotus, Witch's teeth
Microseris paludosa marsh microseris
Perideridia gairdneri Gairdner's yampah
Plagiobothrys diffusus San Francisco popcorn flower
Toxicoscordion fontanum marsh zigadenous
Trifolium buckwestorium Santa Cruz clover
Trifolium polyodon Pacific Grove Clover
REPTILE
Actinemys pallida Southwestern pond turtle