Amazon dolphin facts

Welcome to the new A to Z Eco-Explorer, amazon dolphin facts, a series where we explore one environmental subject corresponding to each letter of the alphabet. Read on to learn some amazing facts about this amazing species. The Amazon pink river dolphin is known for its distinct shade of bubblegum pink.

The Amazon River itself is teeming with rich biodiversity: in the dark waters swim piranhas, crocodiles, manatees, and one of our favorites, the Amazon river dolphin. Known to locals as the Boto , or more frequently referred to as the Pink River Dolphin on account of its distinctive coloring, these fascinating creatures are steeped in myth and legend and have evolved to be highly specialized to their environment. Learn more about them before you head to the Amazon with these 15 interesting facts about Pink River Dolphins below. Despite their name, there are actually two other species of river dolphin the Bolivian and Araguaian and the oceanic Gray Dolphin known to locals as the Tucuxi that also call the Amazon river home. However the pink river dolphins are undoubtedly the most recognizable.

Amazon dolphin facts

Amazon river dolphins boto. Every spring when the rains fall in South America, the Amazon River and its tributaries begin to spill their banks. Eventually, thousands of square miles of rainforest are flooded, creating a vast, tree-canopied sea. Into this seasonal sea, which remains for half the year, swims the Amazon river dolphin , or boto. Botos have the characteristic dolphin smile and, unlike their marine cousins, bulbous foreheads and long, skinny beaks. Most strikingly, males can be pink. The coloring is believed to be scar tissue from rough games or fighting over conquests. The brighter the pink, the more attractive the males are to females—at least during mating season, which takes place when the water has receded and males and females are confined to the river channel again. During the wet season, however, females venture far into the flooded forest, likely to escape the aggressive males. A unique adaptation lets botos swim easily between trees and through tangles of branches: unfused neck vertebrae, which allows them to bend at up to a degree angle. Echolocation allows them to navigate and find prey in the dark, muddy water. Botos are the largest of the four river dolphin species, reaching up to eight feet long and pounds.

We know this for a fact, and that is why our naturalist guides are local born-and-bred, with years of experience on the Amazonian way of life. Whitehead

Get ready to explore the vibrant world of these underwater divas with some amazing facts about the pink river dolphin. Hold onto your swim caps, we're about to dive into the world of the Amazon river dolphin, aka the pink river dolphin Inia geoffrensis - the most fabulous and flamboyant member of the dolphin family. But, why are they pink in the first place? How fast can they swim? The exact reason is still not fully understood, but it is believed to be due to a combination of genetics, diet, and environmental factors. One reason for the pink colouration is a result of their diet, which is high in carotenoids — an organic pigment found in the fish and crustaceans they eat. Carotenoids are the most widely distributed pigments in nature and are also present in some species of fungi.

Quite the charmers, male botos sometimes try and win over females by pulling some particularly alluring techniques out of the bag. This may sound comical, but at least two other species are known to perform similar rituals to impress potential mates — chimps, and humans! Botos look very different to marine dolphins. Born gray, adult Amazon River dolphins turn pink or pinkish-grey as they mature, with males being both bigger and pinker than females. With low, ridge-like dorsal fins, long, skinny snouts, plump bodies, chubby cheeks and round, bulbous foreheads, botos have developed a unique look of their own. Even with their generously-sized heads though, botos have fairly small eyes. This may lead you to think that river dolphins struggle to see, but in fact, their eyesight is actually pretty good.

Amazon dolphin facts

If a guy in a hat tries to seduce you from the bank of the Amazon River, beware. He might be a shapeshifter! On the other hand, if you go swimming alone between dusk and dawn, you may also be carried off to their secret lair, which does sound cool.

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In South American culture however, it is considered a mythical figure that has been revered and reviled in equal measure. Humans are the only threat to Amazon river dolphins, hunting them for catfish bait or trapping them accidentally in gill nets. Navigating through the Amazon River is no easy task, but our pink friends have got it all figured out! The issuance of these sounds is related to the time they return to the surface before diving, suggesting a link to food. Similar to other aquatic mammals, bottlenose dolphins show a right-side bias in foraging behaviour, the research found. Retrieved 22 September The Amazon river dolphin has historically been kept in dolphinariums. Others believe the myth served and still serves as a way of hiding the incestuous relations which are quite common in some small, isolated communities along the river. These river dolphins can sport markings that range from mostly gray with some pink spots, to full flamingo pink. Sometimes, they associate with the distantly-related tucuxi Sotalia fluviatilis , and giant otters Pteronura brasiliensis to hunt in a coordinated manner, by gathering and attacking fish stocks at the same time. Size: Up to 8 feet long. In , F.

The local people know Amazon dolphins by many names, including Amazon river dolphin , pink river dolphin, boto, and bufeo, to name a few. These marine mammals get their name from their unique pinkish color, which is more prominent in males. As river dolphins, they live only in fresh water bodies, particularly rivers and tributaries.

Org send us your news. Irrawaddy dolphin O. Lipotes Baiji L. Associated with these legends is the use of various fetishes, such as dried eyeballs and genitalia. Journal of Fish Biology. It might be more commonly associated with dolphins and bats, but nature's own sonar system could be harnessed by blind people too. Genetics and Molecular Research. This underworld place is said to be 'Atlantis-like Paradise', yet no one has come back from it alive. Eventually, thousands of square miles of rainforest are flooded, creating a vast, tree-canopied sea. So those who wished to find a manatee had to reconcile with the river dolphins first! While dolphins are most commonly associated with saltwater oceans, there are five species that have adapted to the freshwater of several major rivers: The tucuxi Ganges River dolphin Indus River dolphin Irrawaddy dolphin Amazon River dolphin The pink river dolphin, or Amazon river dolphin — also known as a boto — is found throughout the Amazon and Orinoco river basins of South America, spanning Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Guyana. These dolphins are also the largest and smartest of the five freshwater dolphin species. Travel A practical guide to road-tripping in Canada. Neophocoena Finless porpoises Indo-Pacific finless porpoise N. The relatively long duration of breastfeeding and parenting suggests a high level of parental care.