blind dolphins in indus river

8/6/2019 Blind Dolphins in Indus River

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Submitted By: Humayun Ishfaq

BLIND DOLPHINS IN INDUS

RIVER

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y Kingdom: Animalia

y Phylum: Chordata

y Class: Mammalia

y Subclass: Eutheriay Order: Cetacea

y Suborder: Odontoceti

y Super family: Platanistoidea

y Family: PlatanistidaeGray, 1846

y Genus: PlatanistaWagler, 1830

y Species: P. gangetica

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

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y Indus dolphins are mammals, not fish

y Colour: Mostly mid grey-brown

y Size: the maximum size is 2.5m. Males are smaller than

females.

y Eyes: the dolphin is functionally blind and has no lens in its

tiny eye

y Teeth: Adults have between 30 and 36 sharp teeth on each

side of the upper and lower jaws. The teeth at the end of the

rostrum are very long and protruding.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

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y Rostrum: River dolphins have a much longer rostrum than

oceanic dolphins. It can be up to one fifth of the body length.

y

Blowhole: Dolphins breathe through a blowhole located onthe top of their head.

y Neck: the neck is relatively narrow and very flexible which

helps the dolphin move in a complicated river environment.

y Flippers: Bhulans have very broad flippers which stabilize

them at slow speeds in fast flowing water.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

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y Found in the Indus region and the Ganges, in south Asia

y Unlike other dolphins, blind dolphins are found in rivers and

not the sea

y Migrate to tidal waters during the rainy season

y During the dry season they migrate away from areas where

temperatures and/or salinity rise

y They swim on one side underwater, and keep close to the

bottom of the riverbed, which helps them navigate and find

food.

RANGE AND HABITAT

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y Only species in the world to have eyes without lenses

and the eye openings are no bigger than a pinhole

y

They have sound imaging skills called echolocation,which is a very sophisticated sonar system that helps

them swim through the muddy rivers

WHY IT IS CALLED BLIND DOLPHIN?

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y The Indus dolphin has been a victim of both deliberate

and accidental exploitation

y

There are fewer than 4,000 to 6,000 blind river dolphinsleft in the whole world and the number is fast

decreasing

y Presently no more than 500 animals remaining in Indus

River

WHY IT IS A RARE SPECIE?

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y Lack of Freshwater - Extensive irrigation schemes

mean that during winter months there is very little water

left in the Indus River for the dolphins to live in

y Entrapment in Irrigation Canals - Sometimes dolphins

swim along irrigation canals and become trapped in

narrow channels where they die

y Fisheries - Dolphins can become entangled in fishing

nets in the river and drown

WHY BLIND DOLPHINS IN DANGER

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y Pollution - The are many chemicals in the Indus River

such as pesticides, organochlorines and industrial

effluents. These can enter the dolphin's body and

reduce their physical fitness making them more prone

to illness or reproductive problems

y Fragmented habitat - Indus dolphins have been split

into several small populations separated by inbreeding

which can result in reduced fitness or physical

deformities.

WHY BLIND DOLPHINS IN DANGER

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y The River Indus area between Guddu and Sukkur should be

declared a protected area for the sake of rare blind Indus

dolphins sustainable survival

y There should be ban on the use of fishing nets and poisonous

chemicals used for fishing, unhampered release of hot poisonous

water of the Guddu Thermal power into the river Indus, release of

drainage water and industrial wastewater into the river at Sukkur

and the construction of hydro power stations along the Indus

y There is a need to conserve the natural habitat of the blind

dolphin to save them from extinction

HOW TO PROTECT BLIND DOLPHIN

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Thank you

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blind dolphins in indus river

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