| Species Category |
Description |
Endangered Rating (1–10) |
| Marine Mammals |
Three local whale species are protected under the Endangered Species Act:
the sperm whale, the humpback whale, and the sei whale.
Other cetaceans include short-finned pilot whales, pygmy killer whales,
Bryde’s whales, Cuvier’s beaked whales, melon-headed whales,
pygmy sperm whales, dwarf sperm whales, spinner dolphins,
bottlenose dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins,
striped dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, and rough-toothed dolphins.
All marine mammals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
|
This averaged between 3 and 8 depending upon the climate. |
| Fish |
A wide variety of fish live in the waters of the Islands Unit.
Pelagic fishes include blue marlin, sharks, mahimahi,
spearfish, sailfish, and wahoo.
The waters of Farallon de Pajaros (Uracas), Maug, and Asuncion
support some of the largest biomass of reef fishes
in the Mariana Archipelago.
|
This averaged between 4 and 6 depending upon the climate. |
| Corals |
Farallon de Pajaros, Maug, and Asuncion are ringed by coral ecosystems
that contain one of the most diverse collections of stony corals
in the Western Pacific, including more than 300 species.
|
This averaged between 1 and 5 depending upon the climate. |
| Sea Turtles |
The remoteness of the Islands Unit helps preserve habitat
for rare sea turtles. Green sea turtles are listed as threatened,
and hawksbill turtles are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
They are recognized as threatened/endangered species by the CNMI Government.
|
This averaged between 2 and 7 depending upon the climate. |
| Xenophyophores |
During a July 2011 voyage to the Mariana Trench, research
ers documented
the deepest known existence of xenophyophores,
single-celled organisms found in deep-sea environments.
Also known as "giant amoebas", they often exceed 4 inches in diameter.
|
This averaged between 8 and 10 depending upon the climate. |
