Amazon River Dolphin Facts BIOEXPEDITION.COM Inia Geofrenssis

Amazon River Dolphin BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Amazon River Dolphin The Amazon river dolphin is a freshwater river dolphin. The Amazon dolphin is the largest of all the river dolphins in the world. The Amazon dolphin split from its oceanic ancestors about 15 million years ago. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Amazon River Dolphin Other common names of the species are Boto, Bouto, Bufeo and pink dolphin. There are three recognized subspecies: Inia geoffrensis geoffrensis Inia geoffrensis humboldtiana Inia geoffrensis boliviensis. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Anatomy Body length can range from 5.0 to 7.9 ft and weigh 350 pounds. Botos have extremely flexible necks, as some of the vertebrae are unfused. They are able to move their head in most directions. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Anatomy Body color varies with age. The young individuals being dark gray and adults are pink. The rostrum and mandible are long and robust and the melon is small and flaccid. They possess heterodont dentition and conical teeth. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Habitat They can be found in the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers. BIOEXPEDITION.COM Their distribution include Bolivia Brazil Colombia Ecuador Peru Venezuela.

Habitat The Amazon river dolphin lives in main rivers, small channels, mouths of rivers, lakes, and just below waterfalls and rapids. The boto dolphins are sometimes swimming through the trees. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Behavior They appear to be most active during the early morning and late evening. They are slow swimmers. Generally travel at around 1.3 miles per hour. They are known to associate with other dolphins and giant otters. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Behavior Inia geoffrensis is typically solitary and is rarely seen in tight groups of more than three members. These dolphins do not dive very deep, and they rarely raise their flukes out of the water. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Feeding They feed on crustaceans, crabs, small turtles, catfish, piranha, shrimp, and other fishes. Amazon River Dolphins use their echolocation to locate prey in the murky waters of the Rainforest Rivers BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Feeding Botos are usually solitary feeders. They consume about 2.5% of their body weight every day BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Reproduction Females reach sexual maturity between six and ten years of age. Males seem to initiate sexual activity by nibbling at the flippers of females. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Reproduction Gestation lasts 10-11 months and a single calf is born. The interval between births may be as long as five years. The longevity of Inia geoffrensis in captivity is from 10 to 26 years. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Threats The boto is fully protected by law in South America. The natural predators of the Amazon River dolphins are caimans, sharks, anacondas and jaguars. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Threats Threats include incidental mortality in fishing gears, deliberate killing for fish bait and attractant for predator control, damming of rivers and environmental pollution. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

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