River dolphin
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Ganges River Dolphin
Photographer:Brian D. Smith |
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River dolphins are four species (types) of dolphin which live in fresh water rivers and estuaries. Three species live in fresh water rivers. The fourth species, the La Plata Dolphin, lives in salt water estuaries and the ocean.
- Ganges and Indus River Dolphin - Lives in India and Pakistan.
- Amazon River Dolphin (or Boto) - Largest of river dolphins, lives in Peru and Brazil.
- Chinese River Dolphin (or Baiji) - Lives in the Yangtze River in China (one of the most endangered of all dolphins and whales). According to [1] recent counts have come up with 17 remaining individuals. Scientists now want to raise some dolphins in a lake.
- La Plata Dolphin (or Franciscana) - Lives in Argentina.
[edit] Taxonomy
The following is the taxonomy of river dolphins, or how dolphins are classified:
[edit] How dolphins were classified by Rice (1998)
- Superfamily Platanistoidea
- Family Platanistidae
- Ganges and Indus River Dolphin Platanista gangetica
- Family Iniidae
- Amazon River Dolphin (or Boto) Inia geoffrensis
- Family Lipotidae
- Chinese River Dolphin (or Baiji) Lipotes vexillifer
- Family Pontoporiidae
- La Plata Dolphin (or Franciscana) Pontoporia blainvillei
- Family Platanistidae
[edit] How dolphins used to be classified
- Superfamily Platanistoidea
- Family Platanistidae
- Ganges River Dolphin Platanista gangetica
- Indus River Dolphin Platanista minor
- Family Iniidae
- Amazon River Dolphin (or Boto) Inia geoffrensis
- Family Lipotidae
- Chinese River Dolphin (or Baiji) Lipotes vexillifer
- Family Pontoporiidae
- La Plata Dolphin (or Franciscana) Pontoporia blainvillei
- Family Platanistidae
