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The Arrau turtle, aka South American river turtle, giant South American turtle, giant Amazon River turtle, Arrau sideneck turtle, Amazon River turtle, or the Arrau, hails from South America. They face the threats of poaching and trafficking for the illegal pet trade. Mega, hydroelectric dams flood critical nesting beaches, alter […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The redtail catfish, aka cajaro, banana catfish, or pirarara is the only extant species of its genus, Phractocephalus, that hails from South America. These fish face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of deforestation, agricultural runoff, and large-scale basin alterations that disrupt the slow-moving tributaries and […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The flathead catfish, aka mudcat or shovelhead cat, an invasive species in some locales, is the 2nd largest catfish in North America after the blue catfish. Seeing as they are highly targeted by recreational anglers and commercial harvesters, they face the threat of overfishing. They also face the threats of […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The California golden trout has been the official freshwater state fish of California since 1947. They are closely related to 2 rainbow trout subspecies. These fish face the threats of hybridization and introgression which can cause genetic pollution due to interbreeding with other trout species. This has caused such a […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The cutthroat trout is actually a clade of 4 species of the family Salmonidae that are native to the cold-water tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. They face the threats of habitat loss, destruction, and division at the hands of dams and waterway […]

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The iridescent shark, aka iridescent shark catfish, despite its primary common name, is not an actual shark, but a species of catfish. They dwell in the Mekong basin as well as the Chao Phraya River in southeastern Asia, and are heavily cultivated for food in that region. These fish face […]

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The Tequila splitfin, aka Tequila fish, gets its specific epithet from the Tequila Volcano, which is situated nearby. They are endemic to the Ameca River basin in west-central Mexico. Their current distribution is restricted to a single spring pool in Teuchitlán, only 13 feet in diameter. These fish face the […]

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The kaluga sturgeon, aka river beluga, is the 2nd largest sturgeon after the beluga sturgeon. These giants can be found in the Amur River basin from Russia to China and near Hokkaido in Japan. These giants face the threats of overfishing and over harvesting of their roe (eggs); habitat loss […]

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The Eiselt’s caecilian is a type of caecilian that hails from Brazil and possibly Bolivia. These unique and fascinating creatures are amphibians. They prefer to dwell in warm, turbid, fast-flowing waters within the lowland Brazilian Amazon basin, primarily in the Madeira River and near the mouth of the Amazon River. […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Amazonian manatee can be found in the rivers of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. They are the smallest of the 3 manatee species. Sadly, these manatees face numerous threats such as habitat loss and destruction at the hands of residential and commercial development, farming, ranching, logging, freshwater & marine […]

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