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Reader question: Please explain “threatened species” in the following: Florida’s black bears are fascinating animals that once roamed the state in large numbers. Today, it is designated as a threatened species by the State of Florida. Is it the same as “endangered species”? My comments: Yes, it is. The two phrases are exactly the same except that “threatened” sounds less formal, more colloquial, everyday. Endangered, on the other hand, if full of “danger” and seriousness. In other words a “threatened species” is simpler and easier to grasp for the average man whereas “endangered species” is a phrase probably all professional people prefer. Otherwise a threatened species and an endangered one are the same. They by and large face the same problem, or fate: extinction. By definition, threatened or endangered species are fast dwindling in number and are “vulnerable to extinction in the near future”, according to Wikipedia. “World Conservation Union…is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories: vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered, depending on the degree to which they are threatened.” By that token, we can probably say that the above-mentioned Florida black bear is vulnerable – threatened but not facing immediate extinction. The Chinese giant panda is endangered, meaning their situation is serious. The Yangtze dolphin, on the other hand, is critically endangered – there’s not been an official sighting of this sleek swimmer in the wild in five years, according to a report I saw the other day on Sina.com. | 
