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Save the whales, spot the snakes: Celebrate Endangered Species Day in Mass. See the list.

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Save the whales, spot the snakes: Celebrate Endangered Species Day in Mass. See the list.


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  • Massachusetts recognizes May 16 as Endangered Species Day, highlighting 453 endangered plants and animals.
  • Eleven mammals are endangered, including six whale species and five bat species.
  • Endangered species also include nine bird species, eight reptiles (including five sea turtles), and four fish.

Massachusetts officials are urging people to recognize endangered animals in the state on May 16, Endangered Species Day.

There are 453 plants and animals listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act. Several either live on Cape Cod or use the peninsula as an important migration stop, including the North Atlantic right whale, the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, and the upland sandpiper. The North Atlantic right whale and another endangered bird, the roseate tern, are featured on specialty Cape & Islands license plates, and a short tree named the split-leaved hawthorn can be found only on Martha’s Vineyard.

Some of these endangered animals, like the peregrine falcon and the bald eagle, have seen their numbers increase after restoration and conservation efforts. But Mass Wildlife says that there is “still much work to be done.”

On Endangered Species Day and every day, Mass Wildlife encourages residents to report rare species when they see them at the Heritage Hub, to donate, and to learn more about the species.

What are the endangered animals in Massachusetts?

There are 453 plants and animals considered endangered, threatened or “special concern” in Massachusetts. They include animals of all types, from mammals to crustaceans to dragonflies. 

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There are 224 species listed as endangered in Massachusetts. Eleven of them are mammals.

Here are the eleven endangered mammals in Massachusetts, six of which are whales:

  • Sei whale
  • Blue whale
  • Fin whale
  • North Atlantic right whale
  • Humpback whale
  • Eastern small-footed bat
  • Little brown bat
  • Northern long-eared bat
  • Indiana bat
  • Tricolored bat
  • Sperm whale

What are the endangered birds in Massachusetts?

There are nine endangered birds in Massachusetts:

  • Short-eared owl
  • Upland sandpiper
  • American bittern
  • Sedge wren
  • Least bittern
  • Leach’s storm-petral
  • Pied-billed grebe
  • Roseate tern
  • Golden-winged warbler

Piping plovers, with nesting habits that result in Cape Cod beach restrictions each year, are threatened, but not endangered, according to Mass Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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What are the endangered reptiles in Massachusetts?

There are eight endangered reptiles in Massachusetts, including five sea turtles:

  • Copperhead snake
  • Timber rattlesnake
  • Leatherback sea turtle
  • Atlantic hawksbill sea turtle
  • Bog turtle
  • Kemp’s ridley sea turtle
  • Eastern ratsnake
  • Northern red-bellied cooter

What are the endangered fish in Massachusetts?

There are four endangered fish in Massachusetts:

  • Shortnose sturgeon
  • Atlantic sturgeon
  • Northern redbelly dace
  • Lake chub

What are the endangered plants in Massachusetts?

There are 159 endangered plants listed in Massachusetts.

They include the purple cress, named for its pale purple flowers, and the split-leaved hawthorn, a tall shrub or a short tree found only on Martha’s Vineyard.



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Massachusetts

A magical holiday village is tucked inside Massachusetts’ most famous candle store

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A magical holiday village is tucked inside Massachusetts’ most famous candle store


Yankee Candle is a staple in the Bay State, famous for its colorful jars full of fragrance and warm light.

And while its candles can essentially be bought from anywhere, the mothership of the iconic candles lies in South Deerfield at Yankee Candle Village.

The flagship store, known for its ginormous collection of Yankee Candle scents and retail goods, is a winter holiday destination for those in New England.

  • This is the most popular candle scent in Massachusetts, according to The Loupe

Leading up to Christmas, the store turns into a complete holiday stop.

Now on prominent display are the brand’s many different winter scents, including such classics as Red Apple Wreath and Balsam & Cedar, and such holiday scents as Christmas Cookie and North Pole Greetings.

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Bavarian Christmas Village, arguably the most festive room in Yankee Candle Village, is Christmas all year. Guests will stroll through an enchanted forest featuring a 25-foot-tall Christmas tree, nutcrackers, winter village displays and even indoor snow that falls every 4 minutes.

  • ‘Disneyland’ Leverett estate of Yankee Candle founder Michael J. Kittredge II for sale at $23 million

But scattered throughout the flagship store are hints of Christmas and a winter wonderland — from the home section filled with holiday kitchen decor to the Toy Shop filled with jolly trinkets.

Santa even pays a visit to the Yankee Candle Village, hosting a storytime with kids every Monday through Thursday at 11:30 a.m.

And if the shopping and holiday joy become overwhelming, the store even has cafes that offer a bite to eat. Guests can also indulge in sweet treats in its candy store or try freshly made fudge.

Yankee Candle Village is located at 25 Greenfield Road in South Deerfield. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  • Yankee Candle will close 20 stores; parent to lay off 900 employees



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Two stranded dolphins rescued from Massachusetts marsh

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Two stranded dolphins rescued from Massachusetts marsh


It swims in the family.

A mother and calf wandered off the beaten path and got stranded in a Massachusetts marsh, forcing an emergency mammal rescue crew to save the wayward dolphin pair.

On Dec. 8, the Wareham Department of Natural Resources responded to a report of two stranded dolphins in the area of Beaverdam Creek off of the Weweantic River, a 17-mile tributary that drains into Buzzards Bay, which directly connects to the Atlantic Ocean.

When crews arrived, two common dolphins were located alive and active, but partially out of the water stranded in the marsh, according to the Wareham Department of Natural Resources.

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Responding authorities alerted the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Marine Mammal Stranding Response Team, based in Cape Cod.

IFAW team members put the dolphins on stretchers and brought them to safety, where they conducted preliminary tests on the wayward dolphins.

The IFAW team placed the dolphins onto stretchers to bring them to safety. Wareham Department of Natural Resources

“Our teams were easily able to extract the animals and transport them via our custom-built rescue vehicle,” Stacey Hedman, senior director of communications for IFAW, said.

The dolphins were weighed; the smaller of the two weighed approximately 90 lbs, and the larger mammal around 150 lbs.

Upon further analysis, it was revealed that the dolphins were an adult female and a socially-dependent juvenile female, a mother and calf pair.

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The small dolphin weighed 90 lbs, with the larger one coming in at roughly 150 lbs. Wareham Department of Natural Resources
Upon further analysis, it was revealed that the dolphins were an adult female and a socially-dependent juvenile female, a mother and calf pair. IFAW

According to Hedman, IFAW had some concerns over the mother’s decreased responsiveness and abnormal blood work, though it was deemed the pair was healthy enough to release back into the ocean at West Dennis Beach in Dennis, Mass.

“By releasing them into an area with many other dolphins around, this would hopefully increase their chances of socialization and survival. Both animals have satellite tags that are still successfully tracking,” Hedman said.



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Man seriously injured after being thrown from moving vehicle during domestic dispute

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Man seriously injured after being thrown from moving vehicle during domestic dispute


A 19-year-old Massachusetts man was seriously injured after he was thrown from a moving vehicle he had grabbed onto during a domestic dispute Thursday morning.

Duxbury police said they responded to a report of an injured male who might have been struck by a vehicle on Chandler Street around 5:22 a.m. and found a 19-year-old Pembroke man lying in the roadway with serious injuries.

Through interviews with witnesses, officers learned that the man had gone to his ex-girlfriend’s residence on Chandler Street to confront her current boyfriend. An altercation ensued, during which police said the 19-year-old appears to have jumped on the hood of a vehicle and was then thrown from the moving vehicle.

The incident remains under investigation, police said. At this time, they said no charges have been filed.

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