Animal Info - Colombia

Threatened Species, Environmental and Social Data (Mammals, Biodiversity/Ecosystems, Population, Area/Land Use, Protected Lands, Economy, Education), References and Links

Threatened Species

Threatened Species: The following list includes all mammals which occur in Colombia and are rated as Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU) in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.

Critically Endangered:
- Gorgas's Rice Rat (Oryzomys gorgasi). (Endemic to Colombia.)
- Handley's Slender Mouse Opossum (Marmosops handleyi). (Endemic to Colombia.)
Endangered:
- Colombian Weasel (Mustela felipei).
- Cotton-top Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus). (Endemic to Colombia.)
- Dryland Mouse Opossum (Marmosa xerophila).
- Giant Armadillo (Priodontes maximus).
- Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis).
- Mountain Tapir (Tapirus pinchaque).
- Pacarana (Dinomys branickii).
- Variegated Spider Monkey (Ateles hybridus). (Recognized as a subspecies, Ateles belzebuth hybridus, in 1996.)
Vulnerable:
- Amazonian Manatee (Trichechus inunguis).
- American Manatee (Trichechus manatus).
- Boto (Amazon River Dolphin) (Inia geoffrensis).
- Brown Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (Sphiggurus vestitus).
- Bush Dog (Speothos venaticus).
- Carriker's Round-eared Bat (Tonatia carrikeri).
- Central American Tapir (Tapirus bairdii).
- Central American Woolly Opossum (Caluromys derbianus).
- Choco Broad-nosed Bat (Platyrrhinus chocoensis). (Endemic to Colombia.)
- Colombian Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix lugens). (Recognized as a subspecies, Lagothrix lagotricha lugens, in 1996.)
- Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla).
- Goeldi's Marmoset (Callimico goeldii).
- Greater Ghost Bat (Diclidurus ingens).
- Greater Long-tailed Bat (Choeroniscus periosus).
- Handley's Nectar Bat (Lonchophylla handleyi).
- Least Big-eared Bat (Micronycteris pusilla).
- Lemurine Night Monkey (Aotus lemurinus).
- Long-haired Spider Monkey (Ateles belzebuth).
- Marinkelle's Sword-nosed Bat (Lonchorhina marinkellei). (Endemic to Colombia.)
- Medem's Collared Titi (Callicebus medemi). (Previously recognized as a subspecies, Callicebus torquatus medemi.)
- Ornate Titi Monkey (Callicebus ornatus). (Recognized as a subspecies, Callicebus cupreus ornatus, in 1996.)
- Red Crested Tree Rat (Diplomys rufodorsalis). (Endemic to Colombia.)
- Red Uakari (Cacajao calvus).
- Southern Long-nosed Bat (Leptonycteris curasoae).
- Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus).
- Sperm Whale (Physeter catodon).
- White-footed Tamarin (Saguinus leucopus). (Endemic to Colombia.)
Other:
- Red Uakari (Cacajao calvus). Rated Vulnerable in the 2002 Red List; rated Lower Risk: Near Threatened in the 2003 Red List.)

Environmental and Social Data

Mammals

Total number of species: 359 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of endemic species: 28 (Groombridge & Jenkins 1994)
Number of threatened species: 1996: 35 (9.7 % of total species) (IUCN 1996); 2000: 37 (10.3 % of total species) (IUCN 2000)

Biodiversity/Ecosystems

Columbia contains portions of the Northern Andean Montane Forests, Andean Yungas, Choco-Darien Moist Forests, Napo Moist Forests, Rio Negro-Jurua Moist Forests, Tumbesian & North Inter-Andean Valleys Dry Forests, Llanos Savannas, North Andean Paramo, Guayanan Highlands Freshwater Ecosystems, Upper Amazon & Orinoco Rivers & Streams, Varzea & Igapo Freshwater Ecosystems, Panama Bight Mangroves, Southern Caribbean Sea, and Panama Bight Marine Ecosystems Global 200 Ecoregions (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
Columbia contains portions of the Tropical Andes and the Darien & Choco Global Biodiversity Hotspots (Cons. Intl. 1999a)
Columbia is a Megadiversity Country (Cons. Intl. 1999b)

Population

Population in 1995: 37,707,000 (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population density in 1995: 33.1 people/sq km (85.7 people/sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Population in 1998: 38,580,949 (World Almanac 1999)
Average population growth rate, 1980 - 1990: 2.0 % (World Bank 1992)

Area/Land Use

Area: 1,138,914 sq km (439,737 sq mi) (Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995)
Percentages of primary world ecosystem types:

Other Coastal Aquatic: 1 %
Major Wetland: 3 %
Polar and Alpine: 1 %
Grass and Shrub: 29 %
Crop and Settlements: 3 %
Interrupted Woods: 13 %
Major Forests: 49 %

(Groombridge 1992)

Percent of land area classified as the following degree of human disturbance: Low: 69 %; Medium: 11 %; High: 20 % (WRI 1994)

Protected Lands

Area: 90,480 sq km (34,925 sq mi) (Groombridge 1992)
Percent of land protected: 7.89 % totally protected; 0.05 % partially protected; 7.94 % totally or partially protected (Groombridge 1992)

Economy

Per capita GNP ($ U.S.) (1991): $1,254 (WRI 1994)
Per capita GDP ($ U.S.) (1996): $5,400 (World Almanac 1999)

Education

Percent of females in secondary education (1989):53 % (World Bank 1992)
Percent adult literacy: Female: 86 % (1990), 76 % (1970); Male: 88 % (1990), 70 % (1970) (WRI 1994)

References and Links

References: Cons. Intl. 1999a, Cons. Intl. 1999b, Groombridge 1992, Groombridge & Jenkins 1994, IUCN 1994, IUCN 1996, IUCN 2000, IUCN 2004, Natl. Geog. Soc. 1995, Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999, World Almanac 1999, World Bank 1992, WRI 1994

General Links (After you get to one of these sites, click on the link for Colombia): CIA World Factbook, Foreign Embassies of Washington, D.C., Library of Congress - Country Studies, University of Texas - Country Maps, Washington Post - Countries, World Resources Institute - Country Profiles; Links for Colombia: The Nature Conservancy - Colombia, WWF - Northern Andes, WWF/World Wide Fund for Nature - Colombia

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Last modified: November 4, 2005;