Indus river dolphin
Cast of Indus dolphin skull in the Children's Museum of Indianapolis
The Indus dolphin ( Platanista minor) is a very rare Zahnwalart, which is endemic in the Indus and its tributaries. The remaining little more than 1,000 animals live in three separate populations by dams. Today's distribution area extends over 700 km and thus only covers about 20 % of the original area of distribution. 1970 Art in Pakistan was put under protection.
Features
The Indus dolphin is more than 2.5 meters long and can reach a weight of 90 kg. Females are larger and have a longer snout. The head profile is steep and rounded off by the flashy melon. On the melon there is an elongate, uneven ridge, laterally its rear end, the elongated slit-like blowhole is located. The eyes lying on the corners of the mouth are barely developed and tiny. The muzzle is long and gavialartig very slim. The front, bulbous thickened portion is covered with numerous, elongated and sharp teeth. The neck of the animals for whales unusually flexible and agile. The seat is flat and wide. On its rear section is the flat, triangular fin that ends in a low ridge that extends to the general Fluke. The Fluke is behind concave and has long, pointed ends. The flippers are broad and paddle -like. Your trailing edges are flat or corrugated, so that a finger-like impression.
Indus dolphins are olive yellow, olive brown, greyish brown or gray blue. The belly is lighter, often rosy. Young animals are uniformly colored gray.
Surface behavior
The Indus dolphin lives alone or in pairs. He usually swims slowly and rarely jumps. However, jumps are noticeable by the loud splash. The Fluke is rarely visible. Take dives between 30 seconds and several minutes. The echolocation clicks, which he gives for orientation and foraging, listen to on the water surface such as sneezing. He often swims on one side lying. Compared to people he is shy.
System
The Indus dolphin was originally considered a subspecies of Ganges dolphin, of which he is outwardly no different. Today, however, it is in the database Mammal Species of the World. out as an independent species.