Irrawaddy dolphin

One of the earliest recorded descriptions of the Irrawaddy dolphin was by Sir Richard Owen in 1866, based on a specimen found in 1852 in the harbour of Visakhapatnam on the east coast of India. It is one of two species in its genus. It has sometimes been listed variously in a family containing just itself and in the Monodontidae and Delphinidae. Widespread agreement now exists to list it in the family Delphinidae. == Etymology ==

The species' name, brevirostris, is from the Latin meaning "short beaked". == Description ==

The Irrawaddy dolphin's colour is grey to dark slate blue, paler underneath, without a distinctive pattern. The dorsal fin is small and rounded behind the middle of the back. The forehead is high and rounded; the beak is lacking. The front of its snout is blunt. The flippers are broad and rounded. The finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) is similar and has no back fin; the humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) is larger and has a longer beak and a larger dorsal fin. The maximum recorded length is of a male in Thailand. The Irrawaddy dolphin is similar to the beluga in appearance, though most closely related to the killer whale. It has a large melon and a blunt, rounded head, and the beak is indistinct. Its dorsal fin, located about two-thirds posterior along the back, is short, blunt, and triangular. These dolphins are usually two-toned, with the back and sides being gray to bluish-gray and the belly lighter. Unlike any other dolphin, the Irrawaddy's U-shaped blowhole is on the left of the midline and opens towards the front of the dolphin. Its short beak appears very different from those of other dolphins, and its mouth is known for having 12-19 peg-like teeth on each side of the jaws. ==Behaviour==

Communication is carried out with clicks, creaks, and buzzes at a dominant frequency of about 60  kilohertz, which is thought to be used for echolocation. Bony fish (including catfish) and fish eggs, cephalopods (such as squid, octopus, and cuttlefish), and crustaceans are taken as food. Observations of captive animals indicate food may be taken into the mouth by suction. Irrawaddy dolphins are capable of squirting streams of water that can reach up to ; this distinct behaviour has been known for herding fish into a general area for hunting. They do this sometimes while spyhopping and during feeding, apparently to expel water ingested during fish capture or possibly to herd fish. Some Irrawaddy dolphins kept in captivity have been trained to do spyhopping on command. The Irrawaddy dolphin is a slow swimmer, but swimming speeds of were reported when dolphins were being chased in a boat. In a year, females can sometimes swim as far as an average of , and males can swim up to an average of . Most Irrawaddy dolphins are shy of boats, not known to bow-ride, and generally dive when alarmed. They are relatively slow-moving but can sometimes be seen spyhopping and rolling to one side while waving a flipper and occasionally breaching. They are generally found in groups of 2-3 animals, though sometimes as many as 25 individuals have been known to congregate in deep pools. Groups of fewer than six individuals are most common, but sometimes up to 15 dolphins are seen together. Traveling and staying in groups not only enables Irrawaddy dolphins to hunt, but it also creates and maintains social bonds and allows copulation to occur. It surfaces in a rolling fashion and lifts its tail fluke clear of the water only for a deep dive. Deep dive times range from 30 to 150 seconds to 12 minutes. When 277 group dives were timed (time of disappearance of the last dolphin in the group to the emergence of the first dolphin in the group) in Laos, the mean duration was 115.3  seconds with a range of 19  seconds to 7.18  minutes. == Distribution and habitat ==

The Irrawaddy dolphin is an oceanic dolphin that lives in brackish water near coasts, river mouths, and estuaries. It has established subpopulations in freshwater rivers, including the Ganges and the Mekong, as well as the Ayeyarwady River, from which it takes its name. Its range extends from the Bay of Bengal to New Guinea and the Philippines, although it does not appear to venture offshore. It is often seen in estuaries and bays of Borneo, with sightings from Sandakan in Sabah to most parts of Brunei and Sarawak, and another specimen was collected at Mahakam River in East Kalimantan. • Bangladesh: ~3,500 in coastal waters of the Bay of Bengal and 451 (VU) in the brackish Sundarbans mangrove forest • India: 156 in the brackish-water Chilika Lake, Odisha, as of 2021. • Cambodia: ~105 in a 190-km (118-mi) freshwater stretch of the Mekong River as of 2024 • Indonesia: ~70, in a 420-km (260-mi) stretch of the freshwater Mahakam River • Philippines: ~35 in the brackish inner Malampaya Sound, Palawan, at least 20 in Quezon in southern Palawan, 30–40 in the waters of Pulupandan, Bago, Negros Occidental, Guimaras and Iloilo in the Western Visayas Region and Negros Island Region, and at least two in San Miguel Bay, Bicol, the easternmost population and the only population in the Pacific Ocean. • Myanmar: ~58-72 in a 370-km (230-mi) freshwater stretch of the Ayeyarwady River • Thailand: less than 50 in the brackish Songkhla Lake, It has been extinct in Laos since 2022. ==Interaction with humans==

Irrawaddy dolphins have a mutualistic relationship of co-operative fishing with traditional fishers. Fishers in India recall when they would call out to the dolphins by tapping a wooden key, also known as a lahai kway, against the sides of their boats, asking the Irrawaddys to drive fish into their nets. In Burma, in the upper reaches of the Ayeyarwady River, Irrawaddy dolphins drive fish towards fishers using cast nets in response to acoustic signals from them. The fishermen attempt to gain the attention of the dolphins through various efforts such as using a cone-shaped wooden stick to drum the side of their canoes, striking their paddles to the surface of the water, jingling their nets, or making calls that sound turkey-like. A pod of dolphins that agrees to work alongside the fisherman will entrap a school of fish in a semicircle, guiding them towards the boat. In return, the dolphins are rewarded with some of the fishers' bycatch. Historically, Irrawaddy River fishers claimed particular dolphins were associated with individual fishing villages and chased fish into their nets. An 1879 report indicated legal claims were frequently brought into native courts by fishers to recover a share of the fish from the nets of a rival fisher that the plaintiff's dolphin was claimed to have helped fill. ==Threats==

Irrawaddy dolphins are more susceptible to human conflict than most other dolphins that live farther out in the ocean. Drowning in gillnets is the main threat to them throughout their range. Between 1995 and 2001, 38 deaths were reported, and 74% died as a result of entanglement in gillnets with large mesh sizes. The majority of reported dolphin deaths in all subpopulations are due to accidental capture and drowning in gillnets and dragnets, and in the Philippines, bottom-set crab nets. In Burma, electrofishing, gold mining, and dam building are also serious and continuing threats. Though most fishers are sympathetic to the dolphins' plight, abandoning their traditional livelihood is difficult for them. In Laos, a dam across the Mekong River is planned. This could threaten the existence of the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in downstream Cambodia. Laos's government decision is to forge the dam upstream of the core habitat of the Irrawaddy dolphins. This could precipitate the extinction of this specific species in the Mekong River. The dam builders propose to use explosives to dig out the tons of rock. This will create strong sound waves that could kill the Irrawaddy dolphins due to their highly sensitive hearing structures. In several Asian countries, Irrawaddy dolphins have been captured and trained to perform in public aquaria. Their charismatic appearance and unique behaviors, including spitting water, spyhopping, and fluke-slapping, make them very popular for shows in dolphinariums. The commercial motivation for using this dolphin species is high because it can live in freshwater tanks, and the high cost of marine aquarium systems is avoided. The region within and near the species' range has developed economically; theme parks, casinos, and other entertainment venues that include dolphin shows have increased. In 2002, there were more than 80 dolphinariums in at least nine Asian countries. Collateral deaths of dolphins due to blast fishing were once common in Vietnam and Thailand. In the past, the most direct threat was killing them for their oil. The IUCN lists five of the seven subpopulations as endangered, primarily due to drowning in fish nets. which further dwindled to 35 by 2013. In the Mahakam River in Borneo, 73% of dolphin deaths are related to entanglement in gillnets, due to heavy fishing and boat traffic. Tourism The Irrawaddy dolphins in Asia are increasingly threatened by tourist activity, such as large numbers of boats circulating the areas in which they live. The development of tours and boats has put a large strain on the dolphins. Disease Cutaneous nodules were found to be present in various vulnerable populations of Irrawaddy dolphins. A more precise estimate of the affected dolphins is six populations. Although the definite fate of this emergent disease is unknown, the species is at risk. ==Conservation==

The Irrawaddy dolphin's proximity to developing communities makes the effort for conservation difficult. Entanglement in fishnets and degradation of habitats are the main threats to Irrawaddy dolphins. Conservation efforts are being made at international and national levels to alleviate these threats. International efforts Protection from international trade is provided by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Enforcement, though, is the responsibility of individual countries. The UNEP-CMS Action Plan for the Conservation of Freshwater Populations of Irrawaddy dolphins notes that multiple-use protected areas will play a key role in conserving freshwater populations. Protected areas in fresh water could be a particularly effective conservation tool and can facilitate management, due to the fidelity of the species to relatively circumscribed areas. The Action Plan provides details on strategies for mitigating by-catch, including: :-establishing core conservation areas where gillnetting is banned or severely restricted :-promoting net attendance rules and providing training on the safe release of entangled dolphins :-initiating programs to compensate fishers for damage caused to their nets by entangled dolphins that are safely released :-providing alternative or diversified employment options for gillnet fishers :-encouraging the use of fishing gear that does not harm dolphins, by altering or establishing fee structures for fishing permits to make gillnetting more expensive while decreasing the fees for nondestructive gear :-experimenting with acoustical deterrents and reflective nets. 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). It is listed on Appendix I The species is also covered by the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (MoU). National efforts Several national efforts are resulting in the reduction of threats to local Irrawaddy dolphin subpopulations: Bangladesh Portions of Irrawaddy dolphin habitat in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh are included within of three wildlife sanctuaries, which are part of the Sunderbans World Heritage Site. The Wildlife Conservation Society is working with the Bangladesh Ministry of Environment and Forests to create protected areas for the 6000 remaining dolphins. Cambodia Irrawaddy dolphins are fully protected as an endangered species under Cambodian fishery law. In 2005, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) established the Cambodian Mekong Dolphin Conservation Project with support from government and local communities. The aim is to support the survival of the remaining population through targeted conservation activities, research, and education. In January 2012, the Cambodian Fisheries Administration, the Commission for Conservation and Development of Mekong River Dolphin Eco-tourism Zone, and WWF signed the Kratie Declaration on the Conservation of the Mekong River Irrawaddy Dolphin, an agreement binding them to work together, and setting out a roadmap for dolphin conservation in the Mekong River. On 24 August 2012, the Cambodian government announced that a stretch of the Mekong River from eastern Kratie province to the border with Laos has been designated as a limited fishing zone where using floating houses, fishing cages, and gill nets is disallowed, but simple fishing is allowed. This area is patrolled by a network of river guards, specifically to protect dolphins. Between January and February 2006, a dozen Irrawaddy dolphins were found dead. Since the endangerment was evident, 66 guards have been posted along the Mekong River in Cambodia to protect these dolphins. India The Irrawaddy dolphin (under the common name of snubfin dolphin, with the scientific name misspelled as Oreaella brevezastris) is included in the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, Schedule I, which bans their killing, transport, and sale of products. Indonesia A conservation program, entitled Conservation Foundation for the Protection of Rare Aquatic Species of Indonesia, focused on protecting the Irrawaddy dolphin population and their habitat, the Mahakam River. The program not only educates and surveys the public, but also controls and monitors the dolphin population and their habitat. A prime example of this is the establishment of patrols in several villages. Laos The dolphins have been extinct in Laos since 2022. In the 1970s, many Irrawaddy dolphins were slaughtered for oil, and soon after, intensive fishing practices with explosives and gillnets began. The dolphins were protected in Cambodia and Laos, and explosive fishing and use of gillnets were restricted in many of the Irrawaddy dolphins' habitats. The Si Phan Don Wetlands Project encouraged river communities to set aside conservation zones and establish laws to regulate how and when fish are caught. Ultimately, these measures were unsuccessful. In early 2022, a 110 kg 25-year-old male dolphin was found dead on an island in the Si Phan Don called Koh La Ngo. It measured 2.6m in length and was the last Irrawaddy dolphin in Laos. Philippines In 2000, Malampaya Sound was proclaimed a protected seascape. This is the lowest possible prioritization given to a protected area. In 2007, the Coral Triangle Initiative, a new multilateral partnership to help safeguard the marine and coastal resources of the Coral Triangle, including the Irrawaddy dolphin subpopulation in Malampaya Sound, was launched. In 2006, a new population was discovered in Guimaras Island in the Visayas. In 2015, another new population was discovered in Bago and Pulupandan in Negros Occidental, part of Negros island in the Visayas. The dolphins are locally known in the Visayas as lumba-lumba. at Kratié, Cambodia Thailand In 2002, the Marine and Coastal Resources Department was assigned to protect rare aquatic animals such as dolphins, whales, and turtles in Thai territorial waters. To protect the dolphins, patrol vessels ensure boats stay at least away from dolphins and no chasing of or running through schools of dolphins occurs. Many fishermen on the Bang Pakong River, Prachinburi Province, have been persuaded by authorities to stop shrimp fishing in a certain area, and 30 to 40 fishing boats have been modified so they can offer dolphin sightseeing tours. A total of 65 Irrawaddy dolphins have been found dead along the coast of Trat Province in the past three years. The local fishing industry is blamed for the deaths of the dolphins. In January 2013, over a dozen dead Irrawaddy dolphins were found on the coast of Thailand. These dolphins were said to be dead because of a lack of oxygen. Dolphins are mammals, and unlike other animals that live in the sea, they must come to the surface for air. Many of the dolphins are found dead in the water, and others were washed ashore, said to have been dead for a few days. Also, in the first week of February 2013, as many as four Irrawaddy dolphins were found dead. The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry is studying artificial breeding options in 2022 to try to save the last herd of Irrawaddy dolphins in Songkhla Lake, which is on the verge of extinction after only 14 were found in the most recent survey. They also intend to list dolphins as a protected species, Thailand's highest level of animal protection. Malaysia In 2008, the Department of Forestry and Sarawak Forestry Cooperative in Sarawak established a protected area for Irrawaddy dolphins in Santubong and Damai (Kuching Wetland). ==See also==