The Amazon pink river dolphin is the subject of many South American folklore, not all benevolent. Another claims that if you go swimming alone, the dolphins may whisk you away to a magical underwater city, which has led to the local fear of going near the water between dusk and dawn, or entering water bodies solo. Some also believe them to be the guardians of the Amazon manatees, so those who wish to see a manatee must first reconcile with the pink dolphin.
It is considered bad luck to harm the dolphins, and even worse luck to eat them. In the Peruvian Amazon, the status of the pink river dolphin as a semi-magical being may have helped protect the species by encouraging local communities to treat them well and preserve their numbers.
Unfortunately, other threats such as environmental pollution, by-catch, and deliberate killing of dolphins for bait in fisheries still pose a threat. If you want to witness these friendly, yet elusive creatures up close in the Peruvian Amazon, knowledgeable guides are a must. We know this for a fact, and that is why our naturalist guides are local born-and-bred, with years of experience on the Amazonian way of life. We're preserving habitats for endangered species, conserving wildlife corridors, and saving breeding grounds.
Please join our alliance to keep forests standing:. Yes, I agree to receive occasional emails from the Rainforest Alliance. Diet Amazon River dolphins feast on over 50 types of fish as well as crustaceans found on the river bottom and the occasional turtle. Threats Human activity is the main threat to the Amazon River dolphin.
Sources Jukofsky, Diane. Encyclopedia of Rainforests. Connecticut: Oryx Press, Tags: Environmental Curriculum for Schools. You Might Also Like Because its spine isn't fused together, like most other dolphins, it is able to turn its head from side to side. Ranging in length from 7 to 8.
Its long flippers can operate independently of one another, which allows it to navigate fast-moving water more easily and also allows it to enter flooded forestland in pursuit of prey, but they also cause it to be a slow swimmer.
Botos have good eyesight, but their chubby cheeks seem to affect their ability to see below them, which scientists believe explains why they're sometimes seen swimming upside down. They have bristles on their snout that help them sense prey on the river bottom. They also use echolocation, producing low-frequency clicks and using the echoes to help them navigate obstacles in the water and find prey. The dolphins emit these clicks through the fatty lump on their forehead, called the melon, which helps focus the sounds into a beam.
Botos can change the shape of their melon, which scientists think may help them change the echolocation beam's size, direction, and frequency. Quite simply, botos do not have anywhere else to go.
Establish fresh water protected areas - identify and establish meaningful protection for important fresh water habitat areas for river dolphins. Protecting areas in nature that river dolphins need to survive is challenging but essential for their future survival. WDC is working at international, national and local levels to establish Protected Areas which can be managed for river dolphin conservation. Support grass roots conservation efforts in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.
WDC is working with local NGOs supporting community education and outreach work to establish support for river dolphin protection. This is very important as cooperation and understanding from those people who share their rainforest homes with botos is the key to stopping deliberate killing of Amazon River dolphins for bait and a reduction in accidental deaths in fishing nets.
Botos live deep in the rainforest but human activities increasingly encroach on their habitat and pose a threat to their survival. By adopting a whale or dolphin, by making a donation, or by fundraising for WDC, you can help Amazon River dolphins to live safe and free.
Amazon River dolphin Boto. Amazon River dolphin. Inia geoffrensis. See all species. Male Female Calf Maximum length 2. IUCN conservation status: Endangered. What do botos look like? What do botos eat? Where do botos live? Botos in Amazonian culture In Amazonian folklore and culture, botos live in magical, underwater kingdoms and have supernatural powers.
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