Endemic vs Native
Endemic and Native are two words in English language that should be used with difference. The word ‘endemic’ is used in the sense of ‘widespread’ and the word ‘native’ is used in the sense of ‘resident’ or ‘local’. This is the main difference between the meanings of the two words, namely, endemic and native.
It is interesting to note that the terms are applied to species, and thus, there are two related terms, namely, endemic species and native species. Endemic species are native to a particular region and are found in that area only. On the other hand, native species found naturally in that region. Native species are found to occur in other regions too naturally. This is the main difference between the senses of endemic and native.
Native is sometimes called as indigenous. A species can be indigenous to a number of regions or places at a time. On the other hand, an endemic species is exclusive to a limited area. Hence, both the terms are different when it comes to the limitation of area. Native is not limited by area. On the other hand, endemic is certainly limited by area. This is one of the main differences between endemic and native.
Giraffes for that matter are found generally in Africa, and hence, they can be said to be native to Africa. People can find giraffes particularly in Kenya and other African countries. Hence Giraffe is one among endemic species. On the other hand, take an animal like squirrel for example.
You can find squirrel well spread in different areas of the world. Hence, it belongs to the native species. These terms are applicable to the living beings found in the deep sea too. Some of the species are known to be native to several areas, whereas some of them are to be endemic to some of the well known oceans or seas.
A certain type of fish called the Moorish Idols is indigenous to Hawaii. In other words, this type of fish is available naturally there. At the same time they occur quite naturally at other places and regions too. Hence they can be called native, and they are not endemic in character. They are known to occur in the Indo-Pacific region as well.
The Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse is a kind of fish that occurs only in Hawaii, and not in any other part of the globe, and hence, it is endemic in character.