South Florida Rainbow Snake: © JD Willson, 2006, Discoverlife.org

The south Florida rainbow snake and Florida fairy shrimp may have names that sound magical, but the magic may have run out for both of them. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, both species are probably extinct.

These two freshwater animals were in the long, long line for federal protection, but they never made it onto the Endangered Species list. The Florida fairy shrimp lived in a single pond just a few miles south of Gainesville. Its home, like the tiny creature, is gone now, destroyed by development. The south Florida rainbow snake was known to live in Fish Eating Creek, which flows into Lake Okeechobee.

There are hundreds of candidates waiting for Endangered Species Act protection, including several from the Sunshine State. Hopefully for them, things won’t go dark before they get the help they need to survive.

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