What do Irrawaddy dolphins look like?
Irrawaddy dolphins have a large, melon-shaped head and a small, blunt, triangular dorsal fin. They don't have a beak like other dolphins. They use their long, borad pectoral fins for movement. Owing to moveable lips and a head that can move in all directions, they have expressive faces.
Where do Irrawaddy dolphins live?
Irrawaddy dolphins prefer sheltered coastal waters, laggons, mouths of rivers, mangrove channels and lowland rivers. In India they are found in Chilika lake and Sundarbans. They are also found in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines.
What is the protection status of Irrawaddy dolphins?
Irrawady dolphins are endangers as per the IUCN Red List. Threats include drowning in gillnets, dams built upstream which alter their habitat downstream, dynamite fishing, unregulated tourism and pollution.
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