Irrawaddy Dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) lives in coastal and freshwater river across Southeast Asia. It feeds on fish and crustaceans. Its conservation status is Endangered.
Fascinating facts about the Irrawaddy Dolphin
- At full maturity Irrawaddy dolphins weigh between 90 kg and 200 kg and measure about 2.3 m long, yet the longest male ever recorded reached 2.75 m in Thailand. Their most distinctive anatomical quirk is a U-shaped blowhole set on the left side of the midline and angled forward, a feature no other dolphin shares.
- These dolphins usually travel in tight pods of two to three, though groups of up to 15 have been recorded, and occasionally as many as 25 gather in deep pools. Their dives can last from half a minute to twelve minutes; a study of 277 group dives in Laos found an average submergence of 115.3 seconds, with extremes ranging from 19 seconds to 7.18 minutes. Maintaining social bonds that are crucial for breeding.
- Irrawaddy dolphins reach sexual maturity at seven to nine years, gestate for 14 months, and give birth to a single calf weighing about 10 kg (22 lb). Calves are weaned after two years and can live up to 30 years, though the oldest recorded individuals were found dead in nets at 28 years.
- In Cambodia's Mekong, the Irrawaddy dolphin population has plummeted from an estimated 200 individuals in the late 1990s to just over 100 today, driven mainly by gillnet entanglement. In 2022 alone, patrols seized about 36,000 m (118,110 ft) of illegal gillnet, 7,000 hook nets and 500 m (1,640 ft) of mesh nets. Such massive gear loss underscores how fishing infrastructure, not direct poaching, is the chief killer, and why protecting core habitats and enforcing net bans are essential to halt the decline.
- Irrawaddy dolphins can jet water up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) from their mouths, a behavior observed while they herd fish or expel water after a catch. Researchers have noted water-spitting on many occasions, yet the exact purpose remains a mystery.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeSoutheast Asia
HabitatCoastal and freshwater river
DietFish and crustaceans
About the Irrawaddy Dolphin
In the warm, murky waters of Southeast Asia, the Irrawaddy dolphin glides with effortless elegance, its rounded forehead and curved dorsal fin slicing through the surface with a gentle whoosh. As it navigates the labyrinthine mangrove channels and estuaries, its clicking calls echo through the misty dawn air, a haunting melody that betrays the intelligence and social complexity of this enigmatic creature. With a population dwindling under the threat of human activity, the Irrawaddy dolphin's very existence is a poignant reminder of the fragility and beauty of life in these imperiled ecosystems.
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