Irrawaddy Dolphin

 

Characteristics

They are normally greyish- bluish with a tinge of white on their stomachs. They have a rounded, not very noticeable snout. They possess five fins, two being their tail fins, another two being their flippers and the last one being their dorsal fin.    

 

Behaviour

Diving happens very often with this particular dolphin; every 70 to 150 seconds they have to come up for air. Most of the time only the head of the dolphin is seen when they come to the surface for air; on occasion the body will be seen as well. It is very unlikely that the dolphin will be seen with its tail out of the water. This dolphin species is not as active as other species of dolphins. They normally live in pods of 3 to 6. This is smaller than other dolphin species who tend to live in pods of 15-20.

 

Diet

Fish, crustaceans and cephalopods are only three of the many food items consumed by this dolphin.

 

Predators

Due to the low abundance of this dolphin species there is a low amount of data to show the predators.  

 

Habitat

Brackish waters near coast, river mouths and near estuaries.

 

Distribution and Abundance

The Irrawaddy dolphin is found particularly in South Asian estuaries and in mangrove areas. The Irrawaddy dolphin species in the Mahakam River is severely threatened by fisheries and habitat lost. The population of this dolphin species in this area could be as little as 34 animals and potentially be gone in the next few years.

Surveys were conducted in 2001 and it was known that there were only 77 individuals in the Malampaya area; these were the only known dolphins in this area. This same year it was reported that more than 5 of these dolphins were killed incidentally in fishing operations. At this time the dolphins were put as endangered and could have potentially gone extinct.

 

There is no estimated population of these dolphins, but surveys show a dramatic decline in the Irrawaddy dolphin population in South Asia. These dolphins were classified as endangered in 2004 because the number of mature individuals was estimated to be decreasing.

 

Impacts

Pollution and fishing with explosives.

 

Management

These dolphins are protected by the IUCN and various NT campaigns.