Protected Species at LANL

A Selection of Species Profiles

• Black-footed Ferret
• Mexican Spotted Owl
• Southwestern Willow Flycatcher


• Jemez Mountains Salamander
• Spotted Bat
• Wood Lily

Black-footed Ferret (Federally Protected)

• Name
• Black-footed Ferret - Mustela nigripes
• Status
• Federal endangered
• Description
• The Black-footed Ferret is 18 to 24 inches long, including a 5- to 6-inch tail. It weighs only one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half pounds, with males slightly larger than females. The Black-footed Ferret is well adapted to its prairie environment. Its color and markings blend so well with grassland soils and plants that it is hard to detect until it moves.
• Habitat
• Grasslands with prairie dog towns greater than 32 ha (80 ac).
• Occurrence
• The presence of the Black-footed Ferret has not been confirmed in the area, and the area does not have the appropriate habitat components.

Mexican Spotted Owl (Federally Protected)

• Name
• Mexican Spotted Owl - Strix occidentalis lucida
• Status
• Federal threatened
• Description
• The Mexican Spotted Owl is one of three subspecies of spotted owl—Mexican, California, and Northern. This strictly nocturnal bird is fairly large, 42 to 53 cm (16.5 to 21 in.) tall. It is dark brown with a puffy head and has white spots on its head, back, and chest and barred underparts. Unlike most other owls, the Mexican Spotted Owl is dark-eyed rather than yellow-eyed.
• Habitat
• Mixed Conifer, Ponderosa Pine. The Mexican Spotted Owl prefers tall, old-growth forests in canyons and moist areas for breeding. It will forage for woodrats and mice in forests, woodlands, and rocky areas.
• Occurrence
• The Mexican Spotted Owl is a resident and has been confirmed on Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos County, Bandelier National Monument, and Santa Fe National Forest lands. Critical habitat has been designated in Santa Fe National Forest.
• Read more »
• 1998 Monitoring Report on the Status of Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Species at Los Alamos National Laboratory (pdf)

Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Federally Protected)

• Name
• Southwestern Willow Flycatcher - Empidonax traillii extimus
• Status
• Federal endangered
• Description
• The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher measures about 5.75 inches (15 cm) in length and weighs only about 0.4 ounces (12 g). Overall, it is roughly the size of a small sparrow. Both sexes look alike. The flycatcher's appearance is overall greenish or brownish gray above, with a white throat that contrasts with a pale olive breast. The belly is pale yellow. Two white wing bars are visible, but the eye ring is faint or absent. The upper mandible is dark, and the lower mandible light. It closely resembles the other races of Willow Flycatcher, and several other species of the Empidonax genus, particularly the closely related Alder Flycatcher (Empidonax alnorum). The Empidonax flycatchers are renowned as one of the most difficult groups of birds to distinguish by sight alone. Unless you are an expert birder, the most reliable way to distinguish the Willow Flycatchers from other similar flycatcher species is not to rely upon its appearance, but rather through its distinct "fitz-bew" song.
• Habitat
• The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher breeds in dense riparian habitats along rivers, streams, or other wetlands. The vegetation can be dominated by dense growths of willows (Salix sp.), seepwillow (Baccharis sp.), or other shrubs and medium-sized trees. There may be an overstory of cottonwood (Populus sp.), tamarisk (Tamarix sp.), or other large trees, but this is not always the case. In some areas, the Flycatcher will nest in habitats dominated by tamarisk and Russian olive (Eleagnus angustifolia). One of the most important characteristics of the habitat appears to be the presence of dense vegetation, usually throughout all vegetation layers present. Almost all Southwestern Willow Flycatcher breeding habitats are close to water (less than 20 yards) or very saturated soil. This water may be in the form of large rivers, smaller streams, springs, or marshes. At some sites, surface water is present early in the nesting season, but gradually dries up as the season progresses. Ultimately, the breeding site must have a water table high enough to support riparian vegetation.
• Occurrence
• The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher is known to breed along the Rio Grande in New Mexico. They have been recorded on Los Alamos National Laboratory lands, but breeding has not been confirmed. 
• Read more »
• 1998 Monitoring Report on the Status of Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Species at Los Alamos National Laboratory (pdf)

Jemez Mountains Salamander (Sensitive)

• Name
• Jemez Mountains Salamander - Plethodon neomexicanus
• Status
• Federal species of concern, State endangered
• Description
• The Jemez Mountains Salamander is elongated, from 50 to 110 mm (2 to 5 in.), is brown with fine brassy striping, and has small fore and hind limbs. It can be identified by a hairline furrow that extends from the nostril to the edge of the upper lip. This salamander is endemic to the Jemez Mountains.
• Habitat
• Mixed Conifer. The Jemez Mountains Salamander requires shaded and moist wooded canyon slopes with loose, rocky soil that are at elevations from 2,200 to 2,282 meters (7,225 to 9,250 feet.)
• Occurrence
• The presence of the Jemez Mountains Salamander has been confirmed on Los Alamos County, Bandelier National Monument, and Santa Fe National Forest lands and is believed to be on Los Alamos National Laboratory lands as well.
• Read more »
• Amphibians and Reptiles of Los Alamos County (p. i-vi, 1-25) 1.7MB
  (p. 26-42) 3.1MB
  (p. 43-60) 3.4MB
  (p. 61-84) 4.1MB

Spotted Bat (Sensitive)

• Name
• Spotted Bat - Euderma maculatum
• Status
• State threatened
• Description
• The Spotted Bat carries a unique white spot on its rump and each shoulder. It has huge pink ears and is dark sepia in color.
• Habitat
• Riparian, Mixed Conifer, Piñon/Juniper, Ponderosa Pine. The Spotted Bat roosts in cliff crevices and other situations, often near water with an abundance of moths and other insects in the area.
• Occurrence
• The presence of the Spotted Bat has been confirmed by capture at watering sites on adjacent lands of Bandelier National Monument and Santa Fe National Forest. Habitat and plant communities favored by the Spotted Bat are well represented within Los Alamos National Laboratory boundaries, and its distinctive echolocation calls have been heard on Los Alamos National Laboratory lands. The Spotted Bat has also been observed foraging in mixed Ponderosa Pine and Piñon/Juniper communities in Pueblo Canyon on Los Alamos County property.
• Read more »
• Continued Studies of Bat Species of Concern in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico (pdf 93Kb)
• A Study of Bat Populations at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Bandelier National Monument, Jemez Mountains, New Mexico (pdf 2.2Mb)

Wood Lily (Sensitive)

• Name
• Wood Lily - Lilium philadelphicum
• Status
• State endangered
• Description
• On a slender stalk, the Wood Lily stands to 40 cm (15 in.). Six petals that are yellowish in the center, changing to bright orange on the outside, make up the flower that adorns the top. At regular intervals down the length of the stalk grow numerous slender leaves.
• Habitat
• Riparian, Ponderosa Pine, Mixed Conifer, Spruce/Fir. The Wood Lily can be found in canyons above 2,285 meters (7,500 feet) and usually occurs in areas of old-growth conifers.
• Occurrence
• The presence of the Wood Lily has been confirmed on Los Alamos County, Bandelier National Monument, and Santa Fe National Forest lands.