Conservation Spotlight: Amazon River Dolphin

The Amazon River Dolphin, or the boto, is a type of dolphin that dwells in areas in South America. You can find this dolphin throughout the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Perú, and Venezuela. While the populations of this dolphin are abundant in many areas, there are some areas they’re considered particularly vulnerable, for various reasons. They’re a truly unique species, especially with the beautiful color of their skin. Learn more about the Amazon River Dolphin!

What are they?

This species of dolphin is much like other members of the family, except they dwell in rivers. There are other types of river dolphins located throughout the world, but they’re all different in certain ways. The most unique feature of this type of river dolphin is the pink color of their skin. The Amazon River Dolphins comes in shades of pink and gray. This unique coloration occurs because of their individual capillaries, exposure to sunlight, and diet. There are lots of other small features that also set them apart from dolphins around the world.

Why are they endangered?

Various issues contribute to the threatened status of the Amazon River Dolphin. One of the biggest issues is pollution of their rivers. Without proper regulation, large amounts of pollution enters the Amazon River, which affects all the organisms residing there. These dolphins don’t have anywhere else to go, so they’re harmed by this pollution. The contamination itself can hurt them or it can also kill off their food supply.

The boto’s diet mainly consists of catfish, which is in high demand by fisherman in the Amazon River area. As humans harvest much of the dolphins’ food source, it’s more difficult for them to survive. Some people hunt the dolphins themselves in order to use the dolphin parts as bait (often for the dolphins’ own food source - catfish). Though there are currently high numbers of this dolphin, their population has been rapidly decreasing.

How can you help?

It’s likely you haven’t heard of the Amazon River Dolphin before, however, now that you know more about this species, maybe you’re looking for some way to help them. One of the best steps you can take is simply raising awareness. Share information, on social media or with people you know, about the boto. The more people realize the impact their actions have on animals, the better chance we have of saving those animals. You can also choose to donate to causes that support helping out these animals and promoting conservation.

Conservation Success Story: California Condor

Conservation efforts are continuously underway to help out various species of animals that are endangered or treacherously close to extinction. Many times, these animals go extinct anyway and there isn’t much we can do to reverse the damage already caused. However, there are times when a true success story occurs. One of the most well-known is the story of the California condor, pulled back from the brink of extinction over the last few years. Along the way, there were many challenges that had to be overcome, but the condors did it.

The plight of the condors

Not an attractive creature, the California condor is the largest bird in North America, though that almost become an outdated fact. These condors once roamed across the western part of the United States, but as humans destroyed their habitat, hunted them, and indirectly poisoned them with lead, the birds were not doing well. They have wingspans of around 10 feet and majestically soar through the sky. They can even live up to 60 years old and are considered sacred by Native Americans.

In the late 70s, the California condor almost became extinct because only a couple dozen of the birds were left. There are various issues that led to this decline, but it’s difficult to pinpoint one overarching reason for the near extinction of these great birds. Researchers have also learned from fossils that the condor populations were significantly depleted even before Europeans came to the United States, likely because they were running out of abundant food sources. When people first began paying attention to the plight of the California condor, the future looked bleak.

Methods used to save their population

At first, no one was sure what to do to help out the California condor. The condor reproduced only after they were mature around eight years old and had one egg every couple of years. Scientists first began removing eggs from nests to raise in captivity, because the loss of an egg often prompted a condor to lay another that year. Soon, there were programs for breeding in captivity as well and the condor received protection from the Endangered Species Act.

By the late 80s, only around 10 condors remained. That was when drastic measures were taken and all birds were taken into captivity. Within a few years, scientists began reintroducing condors into the wild, though noticed captive born condors didn’t function well in the wild and many birds were still dying. Methods of raising the baby condors had to be drastically changed and mirror more closely how adult condors raised their young. Eventually, scientists saw success.

How condors are thriving today

After hard work, the condors are doing better than they have in decades. Now, there are nearly 500 condors and around half of them live in the wild. California condors have even begun laying eggs and raising chicks in the wild. There is still a long way to go for this species to be completely stable, but through careful attention from experts and concerned citizens, condors should be well on their way to frequenting the western skies once again.

The Importance of Helping Endangered Species

Some people wonder why we need to worry about different species going extinct when there are so many other types of animals in the world. It may not seem like a big deal if a few kinds of insects or mammals are no longer around. People argue that creatures have always gone extinct and it’s the natural order of life. Unfortunately, research shows that extinctions are happening at a rate that is not natural and most likely directly related to human activities. It’s up to us to help sustain the environment around us and make sure the other creatures that inhabit our planet continue to exist. By helping endangered species, we’re upholding a balanced ecological web; this goal is important for many reasons.

Balanced biosphere

Likely the most important reason we need to work to protect endangered species is that they help balance our biosphere. The biosphere is the combination of all ecosystems that exist on Earth. For an ecosystem to remain balanced, all species contributing to that ecosystem need to be present and doing their jobs. For example, without predators in a forested area, deer populations usually swell to outrageous numbers, causing property damage and car accidents, along with other issues such as overgrazing native plants. Most species have much smaller influences in ecosystems, many of which we still do not understand. It’s important to help this balance remain as much as possible to avoid any serious consequences.

Medical advancements

Many organisms have made incredible contributions to medical advancements and helped us develop technology that saves human lives. Penicillin was created from a simple fungus that people paid little attention to until it’ medical value was revealed. Toxins from various plants have been proven to possess great medicinal value and help with certain illnesses. We’ve learned incredible treatments from small species and there are millions more left to discover. For example, only 5 percent of the oceans have been explored and water covers 70 percent of the Earth. There are likely many more species we have yet to find that can contribute to medical advancements and possibly cure serious diseases.

Healthy agriculture

In order to produce agriculture, healthy ecosystems are vital. Insects such as bees pollinate the plants, which would have to be done by hand if these insects go extinct. When there’s less variety in a type of agriculture and the plant or animal contracts a disease, it can wipe out the entire species. Multiple types of plants or animals contribute to genetic diversity, which allows them to adapt and often prevents diseases from destroying their entire populations. By having various types of a single plant, for example, scientists are more likely to be able to find traits from one strain of plant that can be used to create more sustainable, higher producing, or disease resistant crops