Irrawaddy dolphin
2021 APR 8
Preliminary >
Environment and Ecology > Species extinction & protection > Species in news
About Irrawaddy dolphin
- Irrawaddy dolphins are found in coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia, and in three rivers: the Ayeyarwady (Myanmar), the Mahakam (Indonesian Borneo) and the Mekong.
- These dolphins have a bulging forehead, short beak, and 12-19 teeth on each side of both jaws.
- The Irrawaddy dolphin is a euryhaline (able to tolerate a wide range of salinity) species of oceanic dolphin found in discontinuous subpopulations near seacoasts and in estuaries and rivers in parts of the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia.
- It is an aquatic mammal.
- Although sometimes referred to as the Irrawaddy river dolphin, it is not a true river dolphin, but an oceanic dolphin that lives in brackish water near coasts, river mouths and in estuaries.
- Protection from international trade is provided by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
- In 2004, CITES transferred the Irrawaddy dolphin from Appendix II to Appendix I, which forbids all commercial trade in species that are threatened with extinction.
- The Irrawaddy dolphin is listed on both Appendix I and Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).
- Irrawaddy dolphins in general however, are IUCN listed as an Endangered species, which applies throughout their whole range.
Prelims Question
Consider the following regarding Irrawaddy Dolphin:
1.They are considered as critically endangered in IUCN red data book.
2.It can survive in brackish water.
Choose the correct statements from the codes given below:
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2
Answer to the Prelims Question