INDUS RIVER DOLPHIN:

About: Indus dolphins are mammals, not fish. They come up to the surface for air, and
as humans do, they give birth to live young, which feed on their mothers' milk. The Indus
River dolphin is one of four river dolphin species and subspecies in the world that spend
all their lives in freshwater.
Habitat: Found in silt laden turbid water, the Indus River dolphin once inhabited nearly
the entire lower Indus River system. Currently, however, it is confined to the range
highlighted on the map.
Weight: The Indus River dolphin weighs 70-110 kg (155 - 245 lbs).
Length: The maximum size is 2.5m (8.2 ft), with males smaller than females.
Colour: Mid gray-brown.
Eyes: The dolphin is functionally blind and has no lens in its tiny eye.
Teeth: Adults have between 30 and 36 sharp teeth on each side of the rostrum. The
teeth are very long, protruding at the end of the rostrum.
Rostrum: River dolphins possess a much longer snout (rostrum) than most oceanic
dolphins, up to one fifth of their body length.
Breathe: Dolphins breathe through a blowhole located on the top of their heads.
Neck: The neck is narrow and relatively flexible, easing its movements in the
complicated river environment.
Flippers: The dolphin has very broad flippers to help it stabilise at slow swimming
speed.
Reproduction: The gestation period for the dolphins is approximately 10 months and it
is believed that the babies are born in spring. When a baby is born it is about 70 cm long
(almost the length of a domestic cat and the mother helps it to the surface to breathe.
Babies stay close to their mother for the first six months of their life.
Life span: Scientists think that these dolphins can live for approximately 20 years.
Diet: The Indus River dolphin eats crustaceans such as prawns, as well as fish such as
gobies, catfish and carp.

Why is it endangered?: The Indus River dolphin (Platanista minor) is one of the world's
rarest mammals and the second most endangered freshwater river dolphin. Approximately 1,100
specimens of this species exist today in a small fraction of their former range, the lower reaches
of the Indus River in Pakistan. However, the population of this species has gradually declined
because of various factors, including water pollution, poaching, fragmentation of habitat due to
barrages, and dolphin strandings in the irrigation canals. Numbers have dramatically declined
since the construction of the irrigation system in the Indus. Most individuals now remain in a
1,200 km stretch of the Indus River.

Common Name: Indus River dolphin, bhulan, blind river dolphin, Indus dolphin, side
swimming dolphin;
Plataniste de l'Indus (Fr);
n del Indo (Sp)