 River Dolphin is the National Aquatic Animal of India. River Dolphin mammal is also said to symbolize the purity of the holy river Ganga as it can only survive in pure & fresh water. Platanista gangetica has a long pointed snout & also have visible teeth in both the upper & lower jaws. Their eyes lack a lens & function solely as a means of detecting the direction of light.
Dolphins tend to swim with one fin trailing along the substrate while rooting around with their beak to catch shrimp & fish. Dolphins have a fairly thick body with light grey brown skin. River Dolphins are lonely creatures. The female River Dolphins seems to be larger than males. River Dolphins are topically known as susu, because of the noise it makes while breathing.
River dolphin is a critically exposed species in India. River dolphins has been included in the Schedule I for the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The main reasons for decline in population of the River dolphins are poaching & habitat degradation. |
