The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently marked Endangered Species Day by bringing attention to six lesser known endangered marine species.
In a May 20 news release, NOAA Fisheries highlighted the class of species, adding most people probably don’t know how are endangered they are. The six species are the Atlantic sturgeon, false killer whale, olive ridley sea turtle, smalltooth sawfish, gulf grouper and bowhead whale.
"In an ecosystem, each species plays an important role, whether it’s as small as a coral polyp or big as a whale," the release reported. "So when a single species is in danger of extinction, it can affect the entire ecosystem."
While the Atlantic sturgeon is hailed as a fish that grow up to 16 feet, the olive ridley sea turtle is described "as one of the smallest sea turtles in the world with a heart-shaped shell,” according to the release.
Researchers added the sturgeon’s initial decline started in the 1800s, when its eggs became valuable for caviar. The release reported people began swarming the eastern U.S. in an effort to harvest these eggs in a period known as the Black Gold Rush.
NOAA estimates there are fewer than 200 false killer whales remaining, and they are found all around the world in both tropical and subtropical oceans, sharing strong social bonds and forming groups that hunt and share food together, according to the release. False killer whales are actually a species of dolphin.
The olive ridley sea turtle gets its name from the olive gray-green color of its heart-shaped shell, while the smalltooth sawfish, found off the coast of Florida, is known for the electro-sensitive organs it relies on in searching for prey, the NOAA release reported.
According to the release, bowhead whales are the best at adapting to living in icy water, with thick skulls known for breaking through sea ice.
Found in the Gulf of California, the gulf grouper are one of the top predators found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the release reported. Researchers note gulf groupers mature as females, before transitioning to males at some point over their 48-year lifespan.
