Fresh water dolphins are curious, friendly and intelligent.
Scarcely known and hardly ever seen by humans. These mammals are found only in the Amazon River and parts of Asia including the Ganges, India’s sacred and longest river.
Under enormous threat from commercial fishing and pollution, the river dolphins act as a barometer of river health in basins where they live. Along with sea turtles and sharks, these dolphins are some of the oldest creatures on earth.
Surprisingly a dolphin is not a fish. Warm blooded they breath air through lungs just like other mammals, and make frequent visits to the surface of the water for this reason. Feeding mainly on fish, river dolphins are known to be intelligent, having a brain nearly 40% bigger than humans.
Four fresh water species of river dolphin have been found in South America, and two sub species of the South East Asia river dolphin have been recorded. All are highly endangered.
Most marine dolphins work together when hunting for food, but the Amazon river dolphin is one of the few that hunt alone. This might be due to needing less food than some of the other types of dolphins.
Dolphins live in pods, a male is called a bull, a female a cow and the young are called calves. When giving birth the other cows surround the mother to be, protect her and encourage her. They’ll assist with bringing the baby to the surface for its first breath of air.
See river dolphins in the wild
