Endangered
An endangered species has so few individuals that the species could soon become extinct in all or
most of its natural range.
Extirpated
An extirpated species is one that has disappeared from a specified geographic area, such as a state
or country, but not from the whole planet. For instance, the brown bear was extirpated from
Illinois--it can no longer be found in this state, though it still inhabits other parts of the United
States.
Extinct
An extinct species is one that has completely disappeared from the earth.