With a length of up to 3 m and a weight of up to 185 kg, the Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) is the largest river dolphin and lives in the rainforest. It has a gray-pink body. Its coloration can vary depending on age, water clarity, temperature, and location. Amazon river dolphins have a narrow, long snout equipped with tactile hairs. Their eyes are very small. Instead of a dorsal fin, these animals have a dorsal ridge that is only visible when they surface.
The river dolphin Inia geoffrensis is a slow swimmer and not as keen on jumping as ocean dolphins. Amazon dolphins are well adapted to life in the flooded jungle because, unlike their relatives, they have a flexible neck and large, paddle-shaped flippers. They locate their prey in murky water using a sonar system.
They can still be seen frequently in the rainforest in the Cuyabeno Nature Reserve in Ecuador, where they are found mainly in larger rivers during the dry season (October-February) and in smaller rivers and flooded jungle during the rainy season (March-September).
After a gestation period of about 12 months, a young is born. Their life expectancy is around 20 years.
dangers
Industrialization, raw material extraction (e.g., oil drilling in the rainforest) and the associated changes to their habitats, as well as the ongoing pollution of waterways, pose a major threat to this species. Threat status IUCN Red List
YAQU PACHA works together with PROYECTO SOTALIA in Venezuela to protect Amazonian dolphins. Learn more about dolphin conservation in our Amazonian Dolphin Project.
Support us in saving river dolphins by making a donation via PayPal.
Manati | Chilean dolphin | Chilean dolphin project | Bottlenose dolphin project | La Plata dolphin project | Bottlenose dolphin | Sotalia dolphin project | 30 years of YAQU PACHA e.V. | Species conservation | Animal species that YAQU PACHA works to protect