{"id":360637,"date":"2026-04-13T15:24:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:54:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=360637"},"modified":"2026-04-13T15:24:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T09:54:58","slug":"indus-river-dolphin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/indus-river-dolphin\/","title":{"rendered":"Indus River Dolphin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>News: <\/strong> Conservation efforts, including legal protection, scientific research, and community participation through \u201cDolphin Mitras,\u201d have helped revive Indus river dolphin population and provide it a fighting chance for survival.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">About Indus River Dolphin<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_360638\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-360638\" style=\"width: 551px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-360638\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot_13-4-2026_1463_www.downtoearth.org_.in_.jpeg?resize=551%2C248&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Indus river dolphin\" width=\"551\" height=\"248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot_13-4-2026_1463_www.downtoearth.org_.in_.jpeg?resize=300%2C135&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot_13-4-2026_1463_www.downtoearth.org_.in_.jpeg?resize=768%2C345&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Screenshot_13-4-2026_1463_www.downtoearth.org_.in_.jpeg?w=954&amp;ssl=1 954w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 551px) 100vw, 551px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-360638\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: DTE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are <\/span><b>one of the world&#8217;s rarest mammals<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the <\/span><b>second most endangered freshwater river dolphin.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Scientific name: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their scientific name is <\/span><b>Platanista minor.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0part of the<\/span><b> Platanistidae family.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are also known as the <\/span><b>\u201cbhulan.\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Habitat:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They are only found in<\/span><b> freshwater.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They <\/span><b>usually prefer shallow, murky waters <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but are sometimes found in the main channels of rivers and tributaries during the flood season.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Distribution:\u00a0 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, their range is<\/span><b> limited to the lower and middle areas of the Indus River in south-central Pakistan.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A small population also exists in the <\/span><b>Beas River in India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Historically, their range extended from the <\/span><b>Indus River delta to the foothills of the Himalayas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They were also found in the tributaries of the Indus River.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Characteristics\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Appearance:\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Body <strong>colour<\/strong> is generally <\/span><b>grey<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with a <\/span><b>pale white or pinkish underside<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Females are usually <\/span><b>slightly larger than males<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They have a <\/span><b>rounded, robust body<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with a <\/span><b>small triangular dorsal fin<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> positioned far back.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A distinctive <\/span><b>\u201cmelon\u201d (rounded forehead)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> helps in receiving <strong>environmental sounds<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their <strong>eyes<\/strong> are <\/span><b>small, underdeveloped<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><b> functionally blind.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their <strong>length<\/strong> ranges between <\/span><b>7- 8.5 feet,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and their weight is approximately <\/span><b>150 to 200 pounds<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Behaviour:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> They produce sound almost constantly to navigate, communicate, and find food.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They are<\/span><b> usually found individually or in pairs <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">but have also been seen in groups of up to 10.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They<\/span><b> often swim on their side. <\/b>They<b>\u00a0dive for 30 to 90 seconds<\/b> and <strong>are able to hold their breath for several minutes.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Diet: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They consume <\/span><b>clams, fish, and shrimp.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>They use their long beaks to search for prey along the riverbed. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their <\/span><b>sharp, fang-like teeth<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> help in capturing and eating prey.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Lifespan: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They can live for <\/span><b>about 30 years.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Threats<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Entanglement<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Habitat degradation<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Noise<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Chemical contaminants<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\">Vessel strikes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Conservation status:\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>IUCN: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is classified as<\/span><b> Endangered.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Wildlife Protection Act 1972: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is classified as <\/span><b>Schedule I.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News: Conservation efforts, including legal protection, scientific research, and community participation through \u201cDolphin Mitras,\u201d have helped revive Indus river dolphin population and provide it a fighting chance for survival. About Indus River Dolphin They are one of the world&#8217;s rarest mammals and the second most endangered freshwater river dolphin. Scientific name: Their scientific name is&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/indus-river-dolphin\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Indus River Dolphin<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10366,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1566,4182,12039,11834],"tags":[11872,10504],"class_list":["post-360637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-factly-articles","category-environment","category-knolls","category-species-in-news","tag-9pm-daily-factly","tag-down-to-earth","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10366"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360637"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360637\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}