Here are four species- an owl, a cactus, a snake and a cat - that people are trying to protect:

PYGMY OWL

* Probably the most controversial endangered species in Tucson, the pygmy owl's presence has stopped construction of roads and a school on the Northwest Side.

Pygmy owls like to live in the holes of saguaros and trees, where they sometimes store food.

The owl is only about 6 inches tall and weighs just 2.5 ounces, but it's tough enough to eat other birds, lizards and small mammals.

PIMA PINEAPPLE CACTUS

* This plant is a relative of the big saguaro cactus that most people recognize.

It has flowers that are bright yellow and fruit that is green and sweet. Squirrels, jack rabbits and some birds eat the fruit and then spread the seeds.

Threats to this cactus include moths, beetles, competition with introduced grasses and humans who disturb the places where the cactus lives.

JAGUAR

* The jaguar is the largest cat in North America, sometimes weighing more than 300 pounds.

In recent years, they've only been sighted occasionally in Arizona. Many more live in Mexico.

The jaguar eats more than 85 species of animals, including birds, turtles, livestock, deer and armadillos. People in Brazil even claim the jaguar sometimes uses its tail to catch fish.

TUCSON SHOVEL-NOSED SNAKE

* This snake grows to be 10 to 17 inches long, and its name comes from the shape of its snout.

It eats insects, spiders, scorpions and centipedes, sometimes striking.

It moves mostly at night with a sideways, swaying motion on sand or loose soil, sometimes going beneath the ground. The snake will flee from bright light, and during the day it usually rests under a creosote bush.

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