The document provides information on several endangered animals found in Peru, including the Andean bear, Andean condor, and titi monkey. The Andean bear is endemic to the Andes mountains and faces threats from habitat loss and hunting. The Andean condor is a sacred symbol in South American culture but its population has declined due to human activities like power lines and loss of prey. Titi monkeys live in family groups and eat fruits and insects, but their forest habitat is threatened.
The document provides information on several endangered animals found in Peru, including the Andean bear, Andean condor, and titi monkey. The Andean bear is endemic to the Andes mountains and faces threats from habitat loss and hunting. The Andean condor is a sacred symbol in South American culture but its population has declined due to human activities like power lines and loss of prey. Titi monkeys live in family groups and eat fruits and insects, but their forest habitat is threatened.
The document provides information on several endangered animals found in Peru, including the Andean bear, Andean condor, and titi monkey. The Andean bear is endemic to the Andes mountains and faces threats from habitat loss and hunting. The Andean condor is a sacred symbol in South American culture but its population has declined due to human activities like power lines and loss of prey. Titi monkeys live in family groups and eat fruits and insects, but their forest habitat is threatened.
The document provides information on several endangered animals found in Peru, including the Andean bear, Andean condor, and titi monkey. The Andean bear is endemic to the Andes mountains and faces threats from habitat loss and hunting. The Andean condor is a sacred symbol in South American culture but its population has declined due to human activities like power lines and loss of prey. Titi monkeys live in family groups and eat fruits and insects, but their forest habitat is threatened.
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ENDANGERED
ANIMALS IN PERU •ANDEAN BEAR •The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is the only bear in South America and is endemic to the tropical andes. Andean bears live along the Andean mountain range from Venezuela to the south of Bolivia and are terrestrial, as well as arboreal. They are omnivorous, although meat is only a small part of their diet. They are also known as ukuku (in Quechua), and as spectacled bear, and they are an important part of the Andean and Amazonian cosmovision. They are thought to be mediators between the worlds of the living and the dead, and the Matsiguenga peoples consider it the creator of life, the Maeni. Internationally, the Andean bear gained fame as Paddington, who travelled to England from “darkest Peru.” • This bear is constantly threatened due to changes in territory use, which has fragmented its habitat size, as well as hunting by humans (usually in retaliation of perceived livestock attacks or for use of their body parts for traditional medicine and rituals). Additionally, its elusive nature prevents it from being extensively researched, which makes its protection and management all the harder. Finally, the responsible institutions for its conservation throughout its distribution are poorly financed and lack resources. • We work with the Andean bear since 1977, when WCS financed Bernard Peyton’s study on Andean bear populations in Peru. Currently, we work to strengthen the institutions that protect the bear through workshops, technical support in planning and monitoring, as well as provisioning of manuals related to human-bear conflict. We are one of the founding members of the Andean Bear Alliance, associated with the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and the IUCN Bear Specialist Group, whose goal is to provide the necessary funding for the conservation efforts of the Andean bear, as well as the coordination for research and conservation efforts throughout its range for greater impact. ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN PERU ANDEAN BEAR 10 facts about the Andean bear: 1. It can measure up to 2 m in height and weight up to 130 kg, with males being bigger than females. 2. It is also known as the spectacled bear, due to the markings around its eyes that look like eyeglasses. 3. What do pandas and Andean bears have in common? The two of them have huge heads in comparison with their bodies! 4. In addition to plants, Andean bears also eat insects, and rarely, eggs and animal meat. 5. Many cultures believe that their claws have medicinal properties, which is a threat to their population. 6. Although they don’t seem it, Andean bears are great swimmers and climbers. 7. They build platforms on top of trees where they take naps and take their food to digest. 8. Andean bears are solitary, but they seem to leave messages on trees for other individuals, signaling their path with their odors. 9. They don’t hibernate. 10. An Andean bear female can have 2 to 4 cubs per pregnancy. ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN PERU ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN PERU The Andean Condor As one of the largest flying land birds, the Andean Condor is a magnificent sight and a must-see species for all birders visiting the Andes. Sadly, this once common bird is now quite local and a visit to a known roosting area is often the best way to ensure one sees it. Few birds have as complex a relationship with man as the Andean Condor. As a species that specializes in consuming the remains of large mammals in open habitats, it undoubtedly declined after the arrival of humans in South America led to the extinction of the continent’s megafauna. Likewise, it is certain that it prospered following the arrival of the conquistadores with their cattle and horses, which acted as replacement megafauna in the Andean highlands. In the last century, the species was actively persecuted for its habit of eating eggs of the Guano birds on coastal islands and its range and population were both considerably reduced. The Condor is a very important bird in South American culture. It was revered as a sacred bird that represented the Hanan Pacha (the heavenly world) in the Andean mythology and is well represented in iconography in cultural sites from many different cultures including the Inca, Chachapoyas, Mochica and Nazca. In modern times the Condor is the national bird of 5 Andean Countries and many places are named after it. Contemporary music and literature speak of it, and it is even the lead character in a long-running syndicated cartoon. The condor is also famed for its role in the controversial Yawar Fiesta (Blood Festival) where a condor is attached to the back of a bull which is then fought before the bull is recaptured and the condor released. Despite its unclear and debated origins, the Yawar Fiesta is considered an important cultural tradition by some. It is undoubtedly having an impact on an already depleted population that is also facing new threats such as high tension powerlines, further reductions in prey, competition for food with feral dogs, and poisoning. The Andean Condor is one of the slowest reproducing birds in the world and any increase in mortality will likely further diminish its population ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN PERU •Conservation initiatives and particularly ecotourism are an important way to encourage local people to value and protect the remaining condors and visitors can contribute to the conservation of this spectacular bird. The best places to watch condors in Peru include: •Colca Canyon is perhaps the most famous site for watching condors in the world. A morning at the spectacular Cruz del Cóndor viewpoint gives fantastic eye-level views of condors against the backdrop on one of the world’s deepest and most spectacular canyons. There are many hotels, restaurants and local guides. •The Apurimac canyon near Chonta village provides a similar experience to Colca but much closer to Cusco (about 3 hours) and here the condor watching is best in the afternoons. From the car, there is a hike of about 3 km to the best viewing areas. •The Sondondo valley in Ayacucho is another roost site that offers good condor viewing and is a bit more off the traditional tourist route. Nearby Pampas Galeras National Reserve offers additional opportunities to see condors. •Soraypampa in Cusco, the starting point for the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu is also a good locality but sighting will generally be flying high overhead. •San Fernando National Reserve in Ica is perhaps the most reliable site for condors on the coast of Peru. Accessed from Marcona and there is a community run lodge. •Paracas National Reserve is another coastal locality that regularly hosts condors though they can be in the remoter southern part of the reserve. •The Santa Eulalia valley inland from Lima is a regular spot for condors, though most observations tend to be quite distant. •The Illescas peninsula on the coast of Piura is hard to access but provides good views of Condors in a beautiful coastal setting. •Other regular sites for seeing condors include: Abra Porculla, Chaparri Reserve, Leymebamba, Huascarán National Park and Machu Picchu National Sanctuary. ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN PERU •Physical DescriptionMale and female titi monkeys look the same. Both are chestnut brown with a gray, non- prehensile tail and black face. •SizeThe average weight for titi monkeys is about 2.2 pounds (1 kilograms). These monkeys typically have a total head and body length of around 13 inches (33 centimeter), with tails that are an additional one-third to one-fourth of this length. •Native HabitatTiti monkeys are found in Brazil in the Amazon River basin, in forests and swamps along river and lake shores in the lower tree canopy. They are arboreal and rarely come to the forest floor. Titis move through the ENDANGER understory of the forest quadrupedally, as well as by leaping. However, when feeding they sit vertically on branches and
ED trunks. Titi monkeys generally stay in low canopy forest, near
rivers. They may rest quietly in dense vegetation for long periods. ANIMALS •CommunicationTiti monkeys are considerably more vocal
IN PERU than most other Neotropical primates. Their vocalizations are also more complex than those made by most other monkeys. Pairs of titis have been known to engage in duets with other pairs at dawn. •This loud territorial call is composed of a series of short sequences of noises that sound like "chirrup-pump" and can be heard for up to 1.6 miles (1 kilometer). However, except during these territorial calls, they can be rather quiet. ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN PERU Food/Eating HabitsThese monkeys are a primarily fruit-eating species, but they also eat leaves, seeds and some insects. They forage in small groups that begin feeding in the early morning and continue throughout the day. A mid-day rest period typically interrupts their daily feeding.
At the Smithsonian's National Zoo, titi monkeys eat fruit, vegetables and greens and have access to crickets and mealworms.
Social StructureFamily groups are strongly territorial. A family group consists of a
monogamous adult pair and their offspring from several seasons. Juveniles leave their family group after two to three years.
Grooming is an important activity that serves to strengthen social bonds among members of the group. Family members groom each other often, especially during the mid-day rest.
Tail entwining—when two individuals sit with their tails wrapped around each other—is used to reinforce bonds amongst pairs. Tail twining is especially common between the adult male and female and takes place when two family members are sitting together. This is true whether the monkeys are awake or asleep. ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN PERU •Reproduction and DevelopmentFemale titi monkeys give birth to a single offspring after a gestation of 160 days, with births typically occurring between November and March. Females give birth to about one baby a year. Young are weaned at about 8 months of age. The males helps care for the baby by carrying it when the female is not nursing. •Sleep HabitsLike most Neotropical primates, titi monkeys are strongly diurnal. They typically sleep together in a vine-encrusted tree and often return to the same tree night after night. •LifespanTiti monkeys can live into their early 20s.
