Amazon River Dolphin Facts

Inia Geofrenssis

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Amazon River Dolphin

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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.
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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.
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Anatomy
Body length can range from 5.0 to 7.9 ft and weigh 350 pounds. Botos have extremely exible necks, as some of the vertebrae are unfused. They are able to move their head in most directions.
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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 accid. They possess heterodont dentition and conical teeth.
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Habitat
They can be found in the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers. Their distribution include
Bolivia Brazil Colombia Ecuador Peru Venezuela. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

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.

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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.
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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 ukes out of the water.

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

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

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

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

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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.

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Threats
Threats include incidental mortality in shing gears, deliberate killing for sh bait and attractant for predator control, damming of rivers and environmental pollution.

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