Source: TH

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Context :

For the first time, Ganges dolphins found 6,324 dolphins in the Ganges and its tributaries. A survey was conducted to estimate the population. And the survey was conducted between 2021 and 2023.

About the Gangetic Dolphin

• Scientific Name: Platanista gangetica
• Common Names: Blind Dolphin, Ganges Dolphin, Ganges Susu, Hihu, Side-swimming Dolphin, South Asian River Dolphin
• Habitat:
  • • The Ganges dolphin is a freshwater species found in the Ganges Brahmaputra Meghna & Karnaphuli Sangu river systems spread across Nepal, India & Bangladesh.
    • In 2010, the Ministry of Environment and Forests declared the Ganges River Dolphin as the National Aquatic Animal of India.

Features of the Gangetic Dolphin

• Physical Characteristics:
  • • The dolphin has a long snout, thin snout, round belly, thick body and large fins.
    • It can weigh up to 150 kg.
    • The babies are chocolate brown at birth & they gradually turn brownish grey as they grow.
    • Males grow up to 2.12 metres and females can reach up to 2.67 metres.
• Vision: The Ganges dolphin has no lenses in its eyes. It makes them essentially blind. This is why it is also called the blind dolphin.
• Hunting & Bio-sonar:
  • • These dolphins have a highly developed bio sonar system.
    • So it allows them to navigate the waters of the river & it also helps them to hunt fish.
    • They also emit ultrasonic sounds that bounce off prey.
    • It helps them to see the fish in their minds before they catch it.
• Breathing:
  • • They are mammals. It means that Gangetic dolphins cannot breathe underwater.
    • They have to surface every 30 to 120 seconds to breathe.
    • They are called susu in many local languages ​​because of the sound they make when they surface.

Conservation Status

• IUCN: Endangered
• Wildlife (Protection) Act: Schedule-I
• CITES: Appendix I

Source: TH