One of the 17 dolphins on WAnimals
Mammals · Artiodactyla · Platanistidae
Ganges River Dolphin
Platanista gangetica
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
It is effectively blind, with no functioning lens in its eye, and navigates and hunts entirely by a sophisticated system of echolocation.
Weight
70 kg – 170 kg
Size
2.1 m – 2.7 m
Lifespan
26 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- sentidosIt is effectively blind and finds its way almost entirely by echolocation in the turbid, shallow waters of the Ganges and the Indus.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (freshwater aquatic mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Turbid freshwater rivers of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Indus systems of the Indian subcontinent
- Birth weight
- Approximately 70-90 cm long at birth
- Size at birth
- 70 - 90 cm long at birth
- Sexual maturity
- 10 years (both sexes)
- Gestation / incubation
- 8-11 months
- Litter / clutch size
- 1 young, with an interval between births of 2-3 years
Sources consulted: MarineBio; WWF India; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animal Diversity Web; Animalia.bio; Facts About Animals; Grokipedia (Platanistidae); Encyclopedia.com
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Ganges River Dolphin — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Hog Deer
Axis porcinus
EndangeredIrrawaddy Dolphin
Orcaella brevirostris
EndangeredBengal Tiger
Panthera tigris tigris
VulnerableGreater One-horned Rhino
Rhinoceros unicornis
Not EvaluatedWater Buffalo
Bubalus bubalis
Fishing Cat
Prionailurus viverrinus
How to help
The ganges river dolphin is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 5 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about ganges river dolphin.
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