Skip to main content

Irrawaddy Dolphin

Orcaella brevirostris
The Irrawaddy Dolphin is a rare species of Dolphin that is found only in the coastal waters near Australia and Southeast Asia. They are sometimes called Irrawaddy River Dolphins, even though they are not true River Dolphins. This is because they often inhabit estuaries and river mouths, and because some sub-populations have even made their homes in freshwater rivers like the Mekong and Irrawaddy.

Unfortunately, many of those sub-populations are not doing too well, and are considered to be Critically Endangered. In the Mekong, for example, there are less than 100 Dolphins. The populations in India and Bangladesh appear to be more stable, and actually account for most of the worldwide count. They are listed as Vulnerable overall because of those groups.

Irrawaddy Dolphins look a bit like small Belugas, though they are actually closer relatives to Killer Whales. They aren't especially large, maxing out around 7ft and 300lbs. They live in very small groups, and are very slow moving, passive Dolphins who feed on a large variety of fish, cephalopods, and other marine invertebrates.

The major threats to the Irrawaddy Dolphins are fishing and habitat degradation. Because they live in rivers and so close to shore they are often accidentally captured by fishing nets. They are also affected by damming and mining run off, and they have also been captured for the performance aquarium industry. They are protected by CITES, but the conservation efforts vary country to country.

IUCN Status : Vulnerable
Location : Indian and Pacific Ocean
Size : Length up to 7.5ft (2.3m)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Cetacea
Family : Delphinidae -- Genus : Orcaella -- Species : O. brevirostris
Image : Stefan Brending

Comments

  1. Species going extinct is really sad. I hope we humans can collectively do more to prevent this. Heart-wrenching really.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Blogging is the new poetry. I find it wonderful and amazing in many ways.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BULK SMS
    Connect with The Most Trusted BULKSMS Provider in India. Attractive Price with Guarantee 100% Delivery. Call :9907922122 or visit https://www.smsgatewayhub.com
    Bulk SMS service simply means sending out a large number of SMS for delivery to targeted mobile numbers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. They are well socialized, having been raised in our home as members of our
    own family in order for them to become ready to be a member of yours.
    They are quite comfortable around all ages, including the elderly and young children.
    When you purchase a bird from Us, we are committed to offering lifetime support and guidance to you and your family.

    Hand Raised Parrots for Sale, Macaw Parrots for Sale
    Macaws are playful and active and they have excited personalities to go along with their sizes.
    But this also makes them very challenging pets. They do have the ability to say words and mimic
    our speech but it is not as clear as some other pet bird species.
    Because they are so intelligent, macaws can be trained. You can start when your pet bird is young,
    and work on hand-feeding, teaching your bird to talk or sing, and training your macaw not to nip, bite, or scream.
    Text or call +1(512) 643-7439


    MACAW PARROTS
    Macaw Parrots For Sale

    blue macaw for sale

    blue and goald macaw breeder

    Scarlet Macaw

    defferent types of macaw available for sale

    blue headed macaw for sale

    parrots for sale

    macaw for sale near me

    red bellied macaw

    Text or call +1(512) 598-8125

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a

10 Years?!

My goodness! It's been 6 years since I went on hiatus, and now more than 10 years since AaD was born, and what a world we've moved in to! Animal a Day is coming back- but in the meantime, check us out on Facebook, for your daily dose of #BIRDNEWS

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!