Ganges River Dolphin

20.12.2024

Ganges River Dolphin

Why in the news?   

           Recently, a team of wildlife conservationists tagged the almost-blind Ganges River dolphin for the first time.

About Ganges River dolphin:

• It is a freshwater species and one of the few river dolphins found in the world.
• Habitat: It is mainly found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.
• Other names: Blind dolphin, Ganges dolphin, Ganges susu, Hihu, Side-swimming dolphin, South Asian River Dolphin, etc.
• It serves as an umbrella species for the river systems and it has been recognized as India's National Aquatic Animal.
• Appearance: It has a long thin snout, rounded belly, stocky body and large flippers are characteristics of the Ganges River dolphin.

Features of the Ganges River dolphin:

• They can only live in freshwater and are essentially blind. They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey.
• They have a highly developed bio-sonar system that facilitates them to hunt for fish even in murky waters.
• Being a mammal, the Ganges River dolphin cannot breathe in the water and must surface every 30-120 seconds. Because of the sound it produces when breathing, the animal is popularly referred to as the 'Susu'.

Conservation status:

○IUCN: Endangered

○CITES: Appendix I

○Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule-I

Facts about tagging Ganges River dolphin:

• It is an initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change and executed by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in collaboration with the Assam Forest Department and biodiversity conservation group Aaranyak.
• Working: The lightweight tags emit signals compatible with Argos satellite systems even with limited surfacing time and are designed to minimize interference with dolphin movement.
• Funding: This project is funded by the National CAMPA Authority.
• Significance: The tagging under Project Dolphin is expected to help understand the dolphin’s seasonal and migratory patterns, range, distribution, and habitat utilisation, particularly in fragmented or disturbed river systems.

                                                                  Source: PIB

With reference to the Ganges River Dolphin, consider the following:

1. It is a freshwater dolphin which serves as an umbrella species for the river systems.

2. It is a blind species which emits ultrasonic sounds to find its prey.

3. It is only found in the River Ganga basin of India.

How many of the above statements are correct?

A.Only one

B.Only two

C.All three

D.None

Answer  B