Category: species page

Black Caiman

Black caiman by Bernard Dupont

Black caimen

The black caiman is found over quite an area (see map) and is considered low risk – but also conservation dependent, suggesting that its status could change fast with the wrong regulations. It is thought to have a population of greater than 1 million. It was once considered common, but was hunted to near extinction (for its skin), before rules allowed its recovery. Current threats include low level hunting by local people, (though this is thought sustainable provided no further pressure) habitat loss due to deforestation and increased competition from Spectacled caiman which are making a comeback.

It is found throughout the amazon basin. Generally occurring in shallow, freshwater habitats such as slow-moving rivers, streams and lakes, though found to ventures into flooded savannah and wetlands as well.

They grow up to 5m which makes them large compared to many other caiman species. Being black gives it fantastic camouflage when hunting which usually occurs at night, though it may also allow better absorption of heat.

We will add any links to the bottom of the page, below the video and the list of articles on this subject. If you work in tourism or hospitality, or conservation of this species, we would be interested in hearing from you. Join us as a member, allowing you to list your destinations on our site (we work on commission so it cost nothing to be listed), or as a researcher/conservationist so that you can add news on this species to this website.

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Yacare caiman

Yacare caiman

The yacare caiman, which is also commonly know as the jacare caiman, paraguayan caiman, piranha caiman, red caiman and southern spectacled caiman. Generally eating fish snails and occasionally snakes, they have been known to take Capybara. When small they are predated by birds such as storks.

In the 1980s they were destined for extinction, due to overhunting (their hide is more usable than other species. Brazil banned their hunting in 1992, and by 2013 they had largely recovered, with around 10 million in the Pantanal alone.

This ICUN listed this species as least concern in 1996. It has been listed as threatened in the US fish and wildlife services since 2000. As of 2010 CITES lists it as appendix 2 species on CITES (allows some trade – but is meant to come with some controls, which mean that the harvesting remains sustainable, and does not push the species towards extinction). The current estimates are around 200,000 populations size in the wild.

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Broad-snouted caiman

Broad-snouted caiman by Tim Sagorski

Broad-snouted Caiman

Found in eastern and central South America, including the Southeast of Brazil, northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia. It is generally found in still or slow-moving water, located in freshwater marshes, swamps, and mangroves and will readily use man-made cow ponds.

Generally, growing to 2-2.5m, males have been recorded 3.5m in length. In captivity, they have been found to weigh 23-65kg as adults, though large males of 2.6m usually exceed 80kg.

Relying on external temperature to regulate its body temperature. They feed on small invertebrates, and can crush shells to eat turtles and snails. As they grow they increase the number of birds fish amphibians and reptiles that they will eat as well.

Hunting started in the 1940s, as its skin is valued for its smooth texture. Thankfully, hunting has been banned in most countries and numbers are recovering. It is considered endangered.

The population is estimated at 250,000-500,000.

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Spectacled caymen

Specticaled caymen by gailhampshire

Spectacled caiman

Spectacled caiman are are also known as white caiman, common caiman and even speckled caiman.

The diet of the spectacled caiman includes crabs and snail in the wet season, while it will eat fish in the dry season. Larger members will regularly consume mammals as well. Analysis of stomach content, has shown that more than 50% also regularly consume grass and seeds. 

They can make 9 different sounds to communicate, along with 13 visual displays that have been recorded. Females grow to a length of 1.2m while males grow to 1.4m. It has been introduced into Cuba Puerto Rico and Florida (where it is often mistaken for alligators.

The populations is estimated to be in the millions with Venezuela housing 4 million alone (though numbers are not this high in every country, with Peru only hosting one area that is suitable). Initially not hunted due to bumps in its skin, as the crocodile population declined it has started to be hunted, however, due to the hunters generally targeting large males which largely protects the population. In areas where they have been introduced, the effect is thought to be negative, with the Cuban crocodile population reducing as a result. They have also replaced the black caiman in parts of the Amazon.

It is currently listed as least concern, though 2 subspecies are on the CITES Appendix 2 and one on Appendix 1.

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Asian Elephant

Asian elephant

The Asian elephant is the third elephant species that still lives in the wild.

There are four subspecies of the Asian elephant which are the Indian elephant the Sumatran elephant, the Borneon elephant and the sri  lankan elephant. While the elephant species of Asia are considered one species, many have been split for quite some time.

  • Indian elephant – the Indian elephant has a current estimated elephant population of 20,000-25,000 (from last year). This is down from a population of 40,000-50,000 just 20 years ago. These are spread across 33 reserves in India, spread across 14 states. Cambodia, China, Laos Malaysia Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. There is enough space for this number to grow significantly if only allowed the space.
  • Sri lankan elephant – 2100-3000. It is the largest subspecies, and most are easily picked out, given the fact that they have areas of their skin without coloration. There is significant conflict, which really requires a change in how to manage them – conflict is not only bad for the elephants, but also for the people. Wild elephants are also worth a great deal in tourism, and if managed well it can raise the living standards of those who live nearby.
  • Sumatran elephant – 2400-2800 remain, with around 25 scattered fragmented habitats remain. Over 69% of the Sumatran elephant habitat has been lost in the last 25 years.
  • Bornean Elephant – around 1500 remain in the wild, and are generally called pygmy elephants. They have lost 60% of their range in the last 40 years.
As we connect with people, destinations will appear below (above the news)
In terms of news articles, I have put it in separately. The first news is to do with Indian elephants, then Sri Lankan elephants, then Borneon Elephants, then Sumatran elephants.


As we add links, to see each species we will list these at the bottom of the page. It is also possible that each of these subspecies will have to be split up onto separate pages in the future. These subspecies are often endangered, and the biggest difference that we can make, is to show the people who live alongside these animals, that they are worth money. The easiest way to do this is through tourism. As these links grow, we will separate out the subspecies.

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African forest Elephant

African Forest elephants

There are three species of elephant, the African savanna elephant, African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. 

With the African species, Forest elephants have declined 86% between 1986 and 2015, African Bush elephants declined 60% 1965 and 2015 leaving just over 400,000. African forest elephants are thought to number between 100,000 and 150,000.

Perhaps the most scary fact is that the African forest elephant was only declared as a separate species in 2021 only 2 years ago. These species are not particularly similar – indeed the Asian elephant is more genetically similar to the mammoth, than the African savannah elephant is to the African forest elephant! 

The African forest elephants population has declined precipitably in the last few years. Given the recognition that the forest elephant is a separate species only came 2 years ago, it is hard to get accurate historic figures. Never-the-less, the combined african elephant species population was thought to be around 26 million in 1800, and 1.34 million in 1976. The estimate is currently around 100-200,000 forest elephants. One of the problems, is that the African forest elephant is an essential part of the ecosystem. There are many trees, which rely on forest elephants to carry their seeds through the forest, so that they germinate a good distance from the original plant (more than a few of the same plant in the same area, causes the pest that feeds on the tree to multiply to the point where it can kill the tree. While it is true that other animals like gorillas and chimpanzees can do this, they do it far less. Should the forest elephant be lost, the African rainforest is likely to be far less capable of of handling the various changes, like climate change that is coming.

The last strongholds are in Gabon (a survey last year suggested Gabon has 95,000 forest elephants, rather than the 60,000 that was originally thought) and the Republic of the Congo and Democratic republic of the Cong, with smaller populations remaining in other African countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea) and Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Ghana in west Africa. There is much space for forest elephants to greatly recover, if the poaching is able to stop.

Below this, you will see a video on this species, and below this is a list of any times that the african forest elephant has been mentioned within this blog.

Below this, at the bottom of the page, we hope to list places where you can go to see this species in the wild – if you work in conservation or tourism around this species, do get in touch. we would love to list you, and it costs nothing to be listed, we merely work on commission.

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Grey Rhebok

This species is native to South Africa, as well as Swaziland and Eswatini. It is a small antelope species and its latin name is Capreolus which means little goat.

Grey Rheybok

Only the males have horns, which are straight. They are found in the higher altitudes of South Africa. They have thick coats which allow them to cope with the cold. There are around 500 in the Kruger, but are harder to find than most of the other species of antelope that inhabit this park.

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Waterbuck

The waterbuck is a reasonably large antelope species which is found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A waterbuck found near water

Waterbuck have a relatively simple defence strategy of running into water if threatened. While there was a theory that an oil they release was intended to put off crocodiles, it does not appear to work, and waterbuck do sometimes become supper for crocodiles. Being quite large, perhaps crocodiles usually ignore them. There are just 2 recognized subspecies, though this is down from around 8 after a new assessment.

It is assessed as least concern (the Defassa waterbuck subspecies is considered near threatened.

Puku

Puku

 

 

A mid-sized antelope found on the wet grasslands of the Southern DRC along with Namibia Tanzania, Zambia and the Okovango.

There are 2 subspecies

  • Senga Puku (Kobus vardonii senganus)
  • Southern puku (Kobus vardonii vardonii)
Found in marshy areas, they eat virtually any species of grasses. Females gather in herds of around 20, except during the rainy season, these will merge to form herds up to 50.
They are found in a variety of areas across the top of Southern African, and the bottom of central Africa. Places like the Okovango delta are the core of their range.
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Kob

Kob antelope – this one in the Queen Elizabeth national park of Uganda

Found in central Africa, as well as parts of East and West Africa. They are generally found in wet places, particularly places like floodplains. In east Africa, the Ugandan Kob and the white eared kob (found in south Sudan and surrounding countries) both join in on migrations that happen in the areas around where they live.

Once found across much of equatorial Africa, it is also extinct in a few countries including the extreme east of the continent, in both Kenya and Tanzania.

Female kobs can live in herds of thousands, while male herds can number in their hundreds, and follow the female herds closely. One of the biggest spectactles of the natural world is the migration across South Sudan, of almost 1 million white eared kob along with various other species. Hopefully, one of these days, the situation in South Sudan will be stable enough for this area to become a tourist hotspot, and lift much of the country out of poverty.

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