19+ Specialist Species Examples: Detailed Facts

Specialized species can be defined as those organisms that require special resources to live in the environment. Those resources include habitat and food resources to survive. We will look at specialized species examples in this article.

Let us see specialized species examples.

In this article, we will learn about specialized species examples in detail. They are those organisms that require special and limited resources to survive in nature. Examples of the most common specialized species are kolas, panda, tiger, etc. We will look at Specialized species examples to understand more about these living organisms.

Panda

They are considered a true specialist species. They are herbivorous animals. They live only in a specific condition and have specific food resources, mainly bamboo. They are the most common specialist species examples.

Panda
Image credit: Pixabay

River otter   

They are known as North American rice otters, commonly called northern river otters or river otters. They live only in a specific condition, only in the Northern American region. They are semiaquatic mammals. Due to protective fur, they also manage to survive in a cold climate and help in swimming.

River otter
Image credit: Pixabay

Owls

Some species of owls, like-California owls, spotted owls, and barn owls, are specialist species. They are nocturnal species that are specific feeders and live in special habitats, and thus they are specialist species examples. 

Owl
Image credit: Pixabay

Koala

These are the most common specialist species examples that only feed on eucalyptus tree leaves. They are found in the Australian region and are considered true obligate specialists. They belong to the category of marsupial mammals.

Koala
Image credit: Pixabay

Sword-billed hummingbird

They are commonly called swordbills and are only found in the South American regions.There are about 320 species of hummingbird in the world. They are known for many common names like- coquette, fairy, hill star, wood star, sapphire, topaz, sun gem, and sylph. The sword-billed hummingbird bill is usually long and slightly downward.

Venus flytrap

The scientific name of this specialist species is Dionaea muscipula. It is a carnivorous plant. They are known to be habitat specialists found in pine leaves in Carolinas. It is also considered an endangered species. Since it is a carnivorous plant, it feeds on insects and arachnids by catching them, and a trapping structure in the pant does it. The plant is found in North and South Carolina, the United States. They are also found in that environments where nitrogen and phosphorous are not present in high concentrations.

specialist species examples
Specialist species example from Forest Atlas

Giraffes

Giraffe belongs to the genus Giraffa, known to be the tallest mammal globally with towering legs and long necks. It is considered a specialist feeder because of the food. It only eats the leaves of trees, which makes them specialist species. It does not graze like an animal or eat grass from the ground.

Giraffes
Image credit: Pixabay

Grey Kangaroos

They are marsupials mammals that are found in Australian regions. The main characteristics of this organism are hopping and bouncing on hind legs, which is a common way of locomotion in this specialist species.

grey kangaroos
Image credit: Pixabay

Tiger salamander

The scientific name stands for Ambystoma tigrinum. These specialist species belong to the mole salamander, an amphibian, and it is one of the largest salamanders found in North America. They are considered specialist species because they can not raise babies until they live in a wetland habitat.

Tiger Salamander
Image credit: Pixabay

Canada lynx

It is a specialist species example which is mainly carnivorous specialist. Its scientific name stands for Lynx canadensis. It is a predator specialist who only feeds on the snowshoe hareLepus americanus). They are found in the forested mountain areas of North American regions.

specialist species examples
Specialist species examples from Wikepedia

Collias crocea

It is a small clouded yellow butterfly that belongs to the family Pieridae. It is found mainly in Northern America, Southern and Central Europe regions.

Leptotes pirithous

It is commonly known as the Lang’s short-tailed blue or common zebra blue. It is a species of butterfly which belongs to a family ofLycaenidae. It is commonly found in southern Europe, Africa, and Asia regions. It is a specialist species example due to its species habitat in the wasteland, cultivated areas, and gardens.

Cynthia 

The most common species of this group are- Painted lady, Australian painted lady, West coast lady, and Western painted lady. It is a group of colorful butterflies that belongs to the family Nymphalidae.

Pyronia Cecilia

The commonly used name for this species is the southern gatekeeper. It is a species of butterfly commonly found in Southern Europe and North Africa. It is only present in rough, open areas, and due to this feature,it is considered a specialist species examples.

Lycacena phlaeas

It is commonly called the small copper, American copper, and common copper. It is a species of butterfly that is only in woodland, wasteground, and heathland.

Walrus

The scientific name is Odobenus rosmarus. It is a flippered marine animal that comes under mammals. It is a specialist species because it is only found in Northern Hemisphere and the Arctic Ocean.

Grizzly bear

It is a species of mammal whose scientific name is Ursus arctos horribillis. It is also known as the North American brown bear because its habitat is limited to the North American region. Due to this feature, it is considered a specialist species examples. They are omnivorous animals.

specialist species examples
Specialist species examples from One green planet

Hieracium pilosella 

It is a herbaceous plant that is weedy and is found in England, Canada, and United States. It only grows in nitrogen-deficient soil.

Lasiommata megera

It is a species of butterfly which is commonly called the wall, or wall brown. It belongs to the family of Nymphalidae. It is found only in the Palearctic realm.

Lotus corniculatus

It is a famous specialist species example commonly known as the birdsfoot trefoil. It is an invasive species. The flower species is only found or native to Eurasia and North America. It is seen only in the wetlands, grasslands, and riparian areas.

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