Indus River Dolphin

Subject – Environment

Context – Punjab does a deep dive for Indus dolphins

Concept –

Scientific Name: Platanista minor.
Indus river dolphins are believed to have originated in the ancient Tethys Sea. When the sea dried up approximately 50 million years ago, the dolphins were forced to adapt to its only remaining habitat—rivers.
Today, they can only be found in the lower parts of the Indus River in Pakistan and in River Beas, a tributary of the Indus River in Punjab, India.
They have adapted to life in the muddy river and are functionally blind. They rely on echolocation to navigate, communicate and hunt prey including prawns, catfish, and carp.
It has been named as the national mammal of Pakistan, and the state aquatic animal of Punjab, India.
IUCN status: Endangered.
They live for at least for 30 years and grow over 2 metres in length.

Currently, Indus and Ganges River dolphins are classified as two subspecies under South Asian River dolphins(Platanista gangetica).

Gangetic River Dolphin

Gangetic River Dolphin is primarily found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
Habitat: They prefer deep waters in and around the confluence of rivers. They also act as an indicator of the health of the freshwater ecosystem as they can only live in freshwater.
The Gangetic River dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal.
IUCN Status: Endangered
CITES: Appendix I (It means we cannot transfer any tissue or sample to foreign countries without getting CITES permission from the Competent Authority of Government of India)
Wildlife (Protection), Act 1972: Schedule 1.
Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) in Bihar is India’s only sanctuary for the Gangetic dolphin.