hunting still occurs, an increasing risk to its continued survival in Ecuador is now believed to be the risk of oil spills. The oil exploration also means an increase in boat traffic on the rivers. The Amazonian manatees of Peru have experienced much of their decline due to hunting by human populations for meat, blubber, skin and other materials that can be collected from the manatee. Such hunting is carried out with harpoons, gillnets, and set traps. Much of this hunting occurs in the lakes and streams near the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve in northeastern Peru. The species is slow-moving, docile, and is often found feeding at the surface of the lakes and rivers it inhabits. Manatees are also at risk from pollution, accidental drowning in commercial fishing nets, and the degradation of vegetation by soil erosion resulting from deforestation. Additionally, the indiscriminate release of mercury in mining activities threatens the entire aquatic ecosystem of the Amazon Basin. See also Unihemispheric slow-wave sleep Evolution of sirenians References http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=marine_mammals&menuentry=soorten&id=150&tab=beschrijving Further reading External links ARKive - images and movies of the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) Amazonian Manatee article at sirenian.org Multiple new species of large, living mammals (part III) - Tetrapod zoology. Accessed March 16, 2008. Sirenians Mammals of Colombia Fauna of the Amazon EDGE species Mammals described in 1883 Taxa named by Johann Natterer