Endangered Animals of Colombia

Author: María Camila Quevedo Rubiano. Editorial: R& Q inspiration.

• Giant Beetle or Elephant Beetle Megasoma elephas

• Black-soul of Calima Magnolia calimaensis

• Tapir or Danta Tapirus terrestris

• Pink River Dolphin

Inia geoffrensis

• Military Macaw Ara militaris

• Yellow-eared Parrot

Ognorhynchus icterotis

• Carey Turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata

• Orinoco crocodile

Crocodylus intermedius

• Red-banded poison frog

Dendrobates lehmanni

• Long-whiskered catfish Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum

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Giant Beetle or Elephant Beetle

Megasoma elephas.

Family: Scarabaeidae Subfamily: Dynastinae

They are Coleoptera (strong shell knows Elytra) . This scarab has a bright black integument, someone carry almost complete a yellow or red part in their body. The male has strong horn know as pubescence, is the most important feature and the female come up with pubescence in the middle of her body and something the difference with male is the green color in her elytra .

INSECT

Geographic distribution: The giant beetle inhabit in Center and South America, since México to Colombia and Venezuela . In Colombia, the beetle distributed to department of: Cesar, Antioquia , Boyacá, Chocó, Santander, Tolima y Valle

Ecology It´s not know much about habits and behavior. The adults have a nocturnal activities and they feel attract for electricity light. The larvae develop in decomposition wood and the adults feed of many fruits like: mangos, banana and orange. And the female prefer lay the eggs in the trees, but sometimes mammals or birds eat it.

Threats The beetles have lost the natural habits cause of human activities as: fell trees or burning in the rain forestwhere scarabs living , then the specie could be decrease the habits where female lay her eggs. Also, this species have a value of collection and it is a illegal traffic. The horn is used to craft and to make necklaces.

Conservation To preserve the species is necessary don't fell trees to avoid the damage in his habitats, neither burnt the forest

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Conservation status

Black-soul of Calima Magnolia calimaensis

Magnoliaceas Family: Magnoliaceae

Geographic distribution Its a biology family of trees and shrubbery that distributed in template and tropical areas. This species find in Choco, Bajo Calima, the western of the department Valle del Cauca and the altitude is 100 m.a.s. Almanegra is endemic and unique of Colombia

PLANT

Threats It´s considered in a Critical endangered because the habit have been reduced with an area less to 100 km2. In the department of Valle del Cauca the forest has been exploited so much. This specie don't has been protect. In fact, after this terrible human activities, the investigators haven´t found this species.

The common name (Almanegra del Camino) is because their wood has a dark lines, this plant distributed across the Calima river .

Ecology. It´s a tree canopy, is meaning that live in a top . This is growing in rain forest and rain forest tropical. The Almanegra has a flower and fruits in some seasons in the year, specially on December. The wood is used to fix it and sold in the industry

Conservation The investigators suggest study the Bajo Calima area to search the specie and made diagnostic about state of conservation. Also, confirm the if Almanegra lived , the investigators would made many strategies to the species

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Conservation status

The Danta is one of the most primitive Mammals in the world according to their natural history. They size about 2 meters and his coat is reddish or brown; lives near to water, taking refuge from predators. It’s a nocturnal animal.

MAMMALS

Tapir or Danta Tapirus terrestris

Family: Tapiridae

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Threats The tapirs are threaten for the destruction of habitats and the human hunting for food or fur; Tapir´s predators are: jaguars, crocodiles, anacondas and tigers.

Conservation

It’s necessary a project of conservation such as: Natural parks for restore their habitat. Also in house and schools help to children the importance of preserve this animal.

Ecology. This animal habits in the jungle and eats all kinds of vegetables with the proboscis in his mouth. The tapir is a faster animal for avoid that their depredators eat him.

Geographic distribution Colombia Tapir habits in the warm jungles of Colombia and the Amazonia rainforest near of the rivers. There are 3 species in Colombia: Tapirus pinchaque, Tapirus bairdii and Tapirus terrestris

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Conservation status

It´s the biggest river's dolphin in the world. The feature in adults is pink color in their body. The female and male are different because the male are size bigger than female. It´s shape is like a torpedo.

Pink River Dolphin Inia geoffrensis Family: Iniidae

Geographic distribution This dolphin live in Amazon and Orinoco rivers across Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil

Threats This specie has insufficient data cause there are not a specific number about of endangered. Also, dolphin hasn´t been hunted significantly. But, their oil is use to electricity and make medicines

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Conservation Due at his beautiful color pink is catch captivity in aquariums, specially in the United States, Venezuela and Europe, also the fishing of his food by the humans affected this endangered specie

MAMMALS

Ecology It´s a solitary animal, only the mother and his breeding living in groups, the dolphins only groups for mating in the wet season. The pink dolphins live longer than other dolphins, 33 years approximately.

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Conservation status

Military Macaw Ara militaris

Family: Pssittacidae

BIRDS

Geographic distribution Ara militaris has a big distribution since Mexico to Argentina. In Colombia live in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the East cordillera. Also, in the central cordillera and the little part of the west cordillera

Ecology There are 10.000 birds, many lives in nests and its a specie recognized in Santa Marta. Ara militaris habits in rain forest and near to Santa Marta in the jungle in 2000 m.a.s of altitude. This birds made migratory flights to Amazonas though the east cordillera. They feed seeds and nuts.

Threats There are many birds of this specie, specially in Santa Marta cause of migratory fly or deforestation, for this reason in Santa Marta there are many kind of birds. Also, the hunt has growing because people consider it like a pet and aborigine use the feathers in ceremonies.

Conservation People have created natural parks in Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, Pinachos, Tingua, Serrania de la Macarena and Cueva de los Guacharos.

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Conservation status

Yellow-eared parrot Ognorhynchus icterotis

Family: Psittacidae

It´s a big parrot that habits in the Colombian mountains, is a good flyer and one of the most representative birds of the country. They sizes around 43cm, his body is green with yellow marks in the ears, this characteristic gives the common name that gives one of the species

most threatened.

Threats The Yellow-eared parrot has been seriously threatened due to the exploitation of palm wax, this plant is the habitat of the parrot and his food source, also have been hunted to be sold as a pet. Geographic distribution

Lives in the Colombian mountains between 1800–3000 meters above sea level, specially in the central cordillera of the country.

Ecology The Parrot feeds and live in the highest part of the palm wax. They groups with other parrots for search food in long distances .

Conservation This specie increased its population by conservation projects in the country, one of them puts artificial nests for recoveries this endangered bird, also the prohibition of products made by palm wax.

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BIRDS

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Conservation status

REPTILE

Carey Turtle Eretmochelys imbricata

Family: Cheloniidae

It´s a marine specie has a flat shell, they are adapted to the ocean and turtle are a good swimming raising 24 km/h . The adults turtle size 60 cm and 90 cm in the shell, the weight is 50 and 80 kg. The shell color is brown, yellow and golden and the shape is like a heart with a thick layers.

Threats This specie has a depredator like shark and the eggs are feed of crabs, fox, rats, birds, and off course humans. Carrey turtle is Critical endangered for human activities, for example: Catch the animal about their meat, shell to make bracelets, brush, bags, clips to hair, etc.

Geographic distribution Principal life in tropical areas in the Pacific, Indic and Atlantic ocean. Inhabits in lakes, oceanic islands and continental shelfs

Ecology Turtle feed sponges are toxic that it could be cause death of other animals that feed Carey turtle, also feed, jellyfish, mollusks and this species contained poison The adults life in deep water.

Conservation Conservational groups have made deals to prohibit sell it and protect this specie, avoiding that export and import the animal, also the catching and thearts

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Orinoco crocodile Crocodylus intermedius

Family: Crocodylidae

The Orinoco crocodile is one of the biggest species of the world, the adults sizes 6 meters weighing 380 kg. Its a reptile with coloration gray and yellow that hunt in the night, they have small populations in Colombia, almost extinct.

Threats This specie is hunted since the 19th century for remove his skin and make different products, recently the contamination of the Orinoco river have been affected the reproduction of this reptile.

Geographic distribution The crocodile lives across the Orinoco river and other freshwater affluent´s in Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil.

Ecology Is a good predator, they feed birds, mammals and fishes mostly, even other small caimans. The crocodile reproduces during the dry season because the level of the river is lower than the wet season.

Conservation For preserve the crocodile, the Colombian and Venezuelan biologists make journeys in the rivers for see the populations, and the government of the countries prohibit the hunting of this animal.

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REPTILE

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Conservation status

AMPHIBIANS

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Red-banded poison frog

Dendrobates lehmanni

Family: Dendrobatidae

It´s a frog with a red and black colors is a features that suggest about their poison body, also it´s bright with a aposematic color for defense and warn to predator. Include 180 species. The size is 1,5 cm in adults and many grow to 6 cm.

Geographic distribution The Poison dart frog has a neotropical distribution in Nicaragua to Bolivia and include a big part of North of South America many Caribbean islands . Also, the tropical rainforest include: Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Panama, Guyana, Nicaragua and Hawaii. There are many species in Panamá, Costa Rica, the Chocó in Colombia, Andes, Ecuador and Peru.

Ecology This frogs are diurnal and feed to arthropods. The female lay the eggs in plant root. This specie defend their habitat

Threats Their habits are beings destroy it and this frog lose his habitat, for example the human activities like farming and explotation. Also frog is catch to make a antifungal medicine to cure the fungi in humans.

Conservation The Colombian government have been increased the area where the poison frog lives, and the biologists studies the fungus agent that affect this amphibians.

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Conservation status

It is a big fish with 1, 40 mts of size. The most important feature is the black lines in their body and gray in the stomach. Their body is long, the head is big, and eyes and teeth are small.

FISHES

Long-whiskered catfish

Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum

Family: Pimelodidae

Geographic distribution This fish live in many rivers like: Atrato, Magdalena, Cauca, San Jorge, Orinoco, Meta, Guayabero, Guaviare, Amazonas, Caquetá, Apaporis and Putumayo

Ecology Habits in lakes, a big areas, rivers and surface water. The Long-whiskered catfish feed of: Mylossoma sp, Potamorhina sp, Prochilodu sp, spiders and seeds. When these flogs be in Amazonas made two migrations , one of them its for food and the second is reproductive.

Threats Due it´s a big fish have a strong pressure for the fishery to sell, then the number of individuals have declined. The fishery is excessive and increase every day that in less time this specie critically endangered.

Conservation It has been tried to reduce fishing with control the size of the fish to don't destroy the specie. Also, promote scientific investigation about this species and possible conservation

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Conservation status