Q. Consider the following statements:
1.Tucuxi Dolphins is the largest species of river dolphin.
2.Indus River Dolphin is found in Pakistan in River Beas.
3.Irrawaddy Dolphin is found in brackish water near coasts, river mouths and estuaries in South and Southeast Asia..
How many of the above statements are correct?
Explanation –
Statements 1 is incorrect. River dolphins are a group of fully aquatic mammals that reside exclusively in freshwater or brackish water.
The six surviving river dolphin’s species are: Amazon, Indus, Ganges, Irrawaddy, Tucuxi and Yangtze finless porpoise. A seventh species, the Chinese river dolphin or baiji, was declared extinct in 2007.
Amazon River Dolphin is the largest species of river dolphin. It is exclusively found in South America. IUCN Status: Endangered
Statements 2 and 3 are correct. Indus River Dolphin found in Pakistan and River Beas. IUCN Status: Endangered
Irrawaddy Dolphin is found in brackish water near coasts, river mouths and estuaries in South and Southeast Asia, particularly in the shallow coastal waters, estuaries, and river mouths of the Mekong, Irrawaddy, Mahakam, and Godavari Rivers. IUCN Status: Endangered
Note: Of the six dolphin species mentioned above, except the Yangtze Finless Porpoise (classified as Critically Endangered according to the IUCN status) all are categorized as Endangered.
Source: ForumIAS
