candidate species

[ kan-di-deyt spee-sheez, spee-seez, kan-di-dit ]

nounBiology, Ecology.

any plant or animal species that is a candidate for designation as an endangered species or threatened species: Thanks to conservation efforts, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service no longer classifies this New England rabbit as a candidate species.

Origin of candidate species

¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Words Nearby candidate species

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Scientific definitions for candidate species

candidate species

[ kăn′dĭ-dāt′ ]

A plant or animal species that is classified by a government agency as a candidate for possible listing as an endangered or threatened species.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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