2 animal species once found in Georgia removed from endangered species list due to extinction

Two species of mussels previously found in Georgia will no longer be included in the Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put out a notice on Monday that 21 species of animals were delisted from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) after being declared extinct. The Southern acornshell, last seen in 1973 and added to the ESA in 1993, and the Upland combshell, last seen in the 1980s and also added to the ESA in 1993, were the only two species listed that had a known presence in Georgia.

Both species were proposed for delisting in 2021. The last known collection of both species was from the Conasauga River in North Georgia, according to the USFWS.

“Federal protection came too late to reverse these species’ decline, and it’s a wake-up call on the importance of conserving imperiled species before it’s too late,” Service Director Martha Williams said in a press release.

Alabama was listed as a known environment for seven of the now-extinct mussel species. Hawaii was listed as the known habitat for eight now-extinct birds.

To see a full list of endangered species in Georgia, go to the USFWS website.

According to the release, the official delisting will publish in the Federal Register on Oct. 17 and is effective 30 days later.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Extinct mussel species previously found in Georgia removed from ESA