David Romito
Biology Librarian
dromito@email.unc.edu
919-962-2264

Can't find the article, book, or report you need at our library? You can request it from another library through interlibrary loan.

This guide presents resources for researching endangered species. It includes books, databases, journals, and websites, as well as helpful hints.

Your first step in doing research will be finding background information on your topic. If you are looking for information on endangered species, one of the most important things you will need is the scientific name of an organism. For example, the scientific name of the red wolf is Canis rufus. An organism may have many common names, but the scientific name is fairly standard in the research literature. You will need to use the scientific name rather than the common name, or perhaps both, to conduct further research. The following selected print and online resources will give you a good start.

Endangered Species Program
This is the site of the United States Government's Endangered Species Program. It includes information on organisms listed as endangered or threatened, including links to federal documents.

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
IUCN, the World Conservation Union, produces this list of species (mostly birds and mammals) from around the world that are in danger of extinction.

Beacham's guide to the endangered species of North America edited by Walton Beacham, Frank V. Castronova, and Suzanne Sessine
and
Beacham's guide to international endangered species edited by Walton Beacham and Kirk H. Beetz
These two publications present brief summaries of the conservation status of selected North American and international endangered species.

Endangered Species Helen Cothran, book editor
Part of the Opposing Viewpoints series, this book is a compilation of short articles discussing diverse opinions about issues surrounding endangered species. It includes a list of organizations to contact and a useful bibliography.

Encyclopedia of Biodiversity
This electronic book can be searched or browsed by subject or title. Articles on endangered species include useful lists of references.