and the grass Oryza barthii. The seasonally-flooded grasslands include Hyparrhenia rufa and Echinochloa pyramidalis, with Hyparrhenia dominant in the least-flooded areas, Echinochloa in more frequently-flooded areas, and Vossia nearest the permanent wetlands. The middle and upper reaches of the Ugalla River include a seasonally-inundated floodplain long and up to wide. The floodplain supports extensive grasslands, dominated by the grasses Echinochloa haploclada, Themeda triandra, Setaria spp., Andropogon spp., Eragrostis spp., Digitaria spp., and Sporobolus spp. The floodplains include scattered trees including Combretum fragrans, C. obovatum and C. purpureiflorum, groves of the palm Borassus aethiopum, and small patches of closed-canopy forest on large termite mounds. Vulnerable and endangered animals in the wetland include Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex), Wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus), African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), Sitatunga (Tragalephus spekii) and Central African slender-snouted crocodile (Mecistops leptorhynchus). The wetlands are home to 50 species of fish, including the Dark stonebasher (Pollimyrus nigricans) and various endangered, endemic, and food species. Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) and hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) are common in the wetlands. Concerns have been raised over hippo poaching in the river basin by the Wanyahosa people, who prefer the meat over fish. Protected areas The Malagarasi-Muyovozi Wetlands became a designated a Ramsar site on April 13, 2000. It is the country's first Ramsar Site. At it is the world's third-largest Ramsar Site. References External links Photographs on flickr Rivers of Tanzania Rivers of Burundi Burundi–Tanzania border Central Zambezian miombo woodlands Geography of Kigoma Region International rivers of Africa Tributaries of Lake Tanganyika Ramsar sites in Tanzania Zambezian flooded grasslands