Amazon river dolphin

Of the animals that live within the Amazon River itself, this pink freshwater dolphin is a crowd favorite. Also called a botto or a pink river dolphin, tens of thousands of the long-nosed creatures remain.

But, because of threats caused by dams and by water and food contamination from mining, the dolphin is classified as vulnerable by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Some fishers even injure or kill them, believing they’re a threat to diminishing fish stocks.

Steps are underway to help. For example, in 2018, Peru created a new national park, Yaguas, near the Colombian border to help protect the pink dolphins and Amazon’s other unique wildlife.