African Elephant Eastern Black Rhinoceros Amazon River Dolphin/Boto Handley’s Nectar Bat Blue Whale Marsh Deer Colombian Woolly Monkey Spectacled Bear
	Name:  African Elephant (Loxodonta Africana) Status:  Vulnerable Population:  400,000 - 660,000 Size:  Up to 11 ft. Weight:  7,000-13,200 lbs Lifespan:  60-70 years     Location and Habitat: Africa. Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests, Flooded Grasslands and Savannas, Miombo Woodlands, Acacia Savannas. Threats: In the 1980’s, it is estimated that 100,000 elephants were being killed per year. Since the International Ivory Ban in 1990, ivory trade has been reduced, although illegal trafficking continues. Today, the primary threat to this vulnerable species is loss of habitat due to agricultural expansion. Less than 20% of this elephant’s range is under formal protection. African Elephants are the world’s largest living land animal. Elephants use one tusk more than the other, similar to the way humans are right or left handed. Extremely social animals, elephants appear to grieve for lost friends and help the wounded. They take care of the tusks and bones of the dead, handling and examining them. Name:  Amazon River Dolphin/Boto (Inia geoffrensis) Status:  Vulnerable Population:  10,000 -90,000 Size:  Up to 8.5 ft. Weight:  Up to 400 lbs Lifespan:  15 -25 years     Location and Habitat: Botos are found throughout the Amazon and Orinoco watersheds. This includes Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela. Threats: Boto populations are being threatened by the damming of rivers, deforestation and pollution. Botos are the largest freshwater dolphins. Traditionally, Botos were never hunted because of an Amazon River myth. It was believed that at night, Botos would become handsome young men who would seduce young women. Before returning to the river in the morning, they would shift back into the shape of a Boto. Even today, it is said that hundreds of people have the Boto listed on their birth certificates as their father. Name:  Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) Status:  Endangered Population:  10,000 -14,000 Size:  80 – 100 ft Weight:  120-174 tons Lifespan:  35 – 40 years Location and Habitat: Living primarily along the surface, Blue Whales can be found in all of the oceans of the world. Threats: Prior to 1964, Blue Whales were hunted commercially for meat and oil, leading to drastic population declines. Currently, these animals are greatly threatened by global climate change and its impact on krill – the Blue Whale’s food source. The largest of the Blue Whales has a heart the size of a Volkswagen Beetle! It weighs about 1,000 lbs. They need big hearts to pump the over 14,000 lbs. of blood they have in their bodies! Blue Whales may be the loudest animals on earth, reaching noise levels of up to 188 decibels. To put it in perspective, human shouting is at about 70 decibels. At these noise levels, experts believe they can communicate across oceans. Name:  Colombian Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix lugens) Status:  Vulnerable Population:  Unknown Size:  44 – 55” (head to tail) Weight:  12 – 24 lbs Lifespan:  20 -25 years     Location and Habitat: Colombia and Venezuela. Subtropical and tropical forests. Threats: Colombian Woolly Monkey populations are being threatened by the destruction of rainforest trees – their primary habitat. Male Colombian Woolly Monkeys are rarely seen feeding in the same tree, as they develop a hierarchical social structure. Their favorite type of food is fruit, but these monkeys also eat vegetables and insects. Name:  Eastern Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) Status:  Critically Endangered Population:  Approximately 498 Eastern Black Rhinos remain in the wild. It is believed that 172 live in captivity. Size:  Up to 12.5 ft. long Weight:  1900 – 3,000 lbs Lifespan:  50-60 years Location and Habitat: Over 86% of the remaining population resides in Kenya. Small groups remain in Ethiopia and Rwanda. Threats: The biggest threat to this subspecies is poaching. Rhino horns are traded for use in traditional medicines and ornaments. The Eastern Black Rhino is disappearing faster than any other large animal on earth. Population counts have declined by over 90% in the last 3 generations. Black Rhinos can’t sweat! To lower their body temperature in the African heat, these animals spend a large part of each day standing in mud banks and shallow water. Name:  Handley’s Nectar Bat (Lonchophylla handleyi) Status:  Vulnerable Population:  Unknown Size:  Unknown Weight:  Unknown Lifespan:  Unknown Location and Habitat: Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Threats: Handley’s Nectar Bat populations are being threatened by deforestation and its effects on the agave plant – the bat’s primary source of nectar. Handley's Nectar Bat is a relatively newly recognized species, as it was only identified in 1980. Previously, animals of this species were grouped with Lonchophylla robusta until Hill described differences in the external scull structure. Name:  Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus) Status:  Vulnerable Population:  Unknown Size:  6-6.5 ft. long Lifespan:  Unknown Location and Habitat: Amazon River Basin within Peru, Brazil and Argentina. Threats: Marsh Deer populations are being threatened by habitat destruction through agricultural activities and dam construction. Poaching and cattle disease are also major threats to this species’ survival. Marsh Deer antlers are mostly decorative - the male of the species do not spar for breeding privileges. The Marsh Deer is the largest native species of deer in South America. Name:  Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) Status:  Vulnerable Population:  Estimates vary between 2,000 -18,000 Size:  60-72 in. long Weight:  140 – 385 lbs. Lifespan:  Approximately 25 years Location and Habitat: Andean Mountains of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. Spectacled Bears are highly adaptable, but are most commonly found in heavy forests. Threats: Spectacled Bear populations are threatened as a result of clear-cutting forests near the Andes Mountains in Peru and Colombia. Illegal poaching for fur and meat continues due to lack of enforcement resources. Next to the Giant Panda, the Spectacled Bear is the most endangered species of bear on the globe. They are the only surviving species of bear native to South America. Each bear has a unique pattern of markings around its eyes, creating the appearance of spectacles. Bears can recognize each other based on these markings.

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