![]() This, in conjunction with large pectoral fins, gives them very good maneuverability to swim through the flooded forest searching for their prey. Their cervical vertebrae are not fused, allowing the head to turn 90 degrees to each side. Amazon Pink River Dolphin – Boto – Inia geoffrensis In contrast with other cetaceans, in this case, the male is bigger than the female. With the adult males reaching an average length of 2.3 metres (7.6 ft) and an average weight of 150 kilograms (340 lb), and the females reaching a length and weight of 2 metres (6.6 ft) and average 100 kilograms (220 lb), they will not pass unseen by your side if you are navigating in their habitat. Distribution of Pink Dolphin sub-species in South America How does a Pink Dolphin look? Can you show me one? The pink dolphin is the biggest of all river dolphins. gangetica), predominant in India, and Indus river dolphin (P. They seem to have some relationship with their South Asian counterparts, the Ganges river dolphin (P. boliviensis) and Orinoco river dolphin (I. Pink dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) are a species of Toothed whales classified in the family Iniidae and it contains three sub-species: Amazon river dolphin (I. It inhabits South America, mainly in the Amazon river, but also in the Orinoco basin and Madeira river. Risso’s dolphins’ scars are really valuable to scientists because they allow them to identify individuals through photo-ID and understand the interactions between different species.The Amazon river dolphin, pink dolphin or Boto is a freshwater dolphin. Researchers also found bottlenose dolphins’ raking marks on juvenile Risso’s dolphins, which indicate that inter-species fights can happen too. Older males are usually almost entirely white, which attests to their dominance and long fighting history. After the wound heals, it loses its pigments, causing the animal to turn white gradually. These scratches come from other Risso’s dolphins scientists call this phenomenon “raking.” Raking is the act of scraping their blunt teeth against the skin of another dolphin during fights, play, or mating. Heavily scared individuals – Credit: Jim Capwell / Monterey Bay Aquarium The second type of scars we can find of Risso’s dolphins look like scratches. The first type is round-shaped scars are typically caused by other species like squid, lamprey, and cookiecutter sharks, a small species of sharks known to steal chunks of flesh from bigger animals occasionally. ![]() ![]() There are two distinctive types of scars. Scientists believe the scars are caused by the teeth of conspecifics and tentacles from their prey. Risso’s dolphins are easily recognizable because of the number of scars on their body, so much that they look almost white. To catch their prey, scientists believe Risso’s dolphins can hold their breath for over half an hour! What is the other function of Risso’s dolphins theeth? Individuals stranded on the Mediterranean coast were found to have 25 different species of squid in their stomachs. Risso’s dolphins are medium to deep divers and like to forage along the continental shelf, where they target squids. Squid is the favorite prey of Risso’s dolphins – Credit: Todd Winner Their teeth can be helpful, as they allow dolphins to secure the prey by pinching some of its soft tissue before slurping it. Instead, they tend to slurp their prey whole, which is the case here for Risso’s dolphins. As we mentioned in the introduction of this post, dolphins do not chew their food. With this low number of teeth, you might be wondering, “What do they eat?”. Their teeth are also located on their lower jaw only, just like sperm whales, although up to two pairs of teeth may be found in the upper jaw (this is a rare case). Risso’s dolphins’ low teeth count (between 4 and 14) is not the only particularity. Pilot whales are some of the closest relatives to Risso’s dolphins, and although their teeth count is pretty low compared to other dolphin species, they still have between 40 and 48 teeth. Risso’s dolphins belong to the Delphinidae family, with bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, and pilot whales. Risso’s dolphins have the lowest teeth count in all dolphins – Credit: Eric Austin Yee / Discovery Whale Watch Between 4 and 14 teeth only!
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