A cactus is no longer endangered because scientists split it into two species

The US Fish and Wildlife Service removed the Colorado hookless cactus from the endangered species list. This means developers and landowners in its habitat no longer face federal restrictions on their projects.

The Endangered Species Act imposes significant restrictions on land use and development in areas where protected species live. Removing a species from the list can free up land for construction, resource extraction, or other economic activities. This particular delisting happened because scientists reclassified one species into two, and then found neither of the new species met the criteria for protection.