A Science Blog for Families

Fueling discussions about science in families.

Not all dolphins are gray and live in salt water! River Dolphins range in various shades of pink, blue and brown and live in fresh water. There are four species of River Dolphins:

• Ganges River Dolphins live in the Ganges River in India and Nepal
• Indus River Dolphins live in the Indus River in India, Nepal and Pakistan
• Amazon River Dolphins live in the Amazon River in South America
• Franciscana River Dolphins live in La Plata River in South America

River Dolphins are different from dolphins that live in oceans in a several ways. River Dolphins are not typically gray; in fact, the Amazon River Dolphins are pink. River dolphins have snouts that are longer than the dolphins that live in the oceans because then hunt food at the bottom of the river. River Dolphins eat small fish, crabs, catfish and other bottom-feeding fish. River Dolphins have a flexible neck which lets them catch the small food they eat more easily that ocean dolphin’s stiff necks. Most River Dolphins have lost the ability to see since rivers, like the Amazon, tend to be muddy and murky. Instead these River Dolphins use echo location to move around in the water.

This video from the BBC discusses the Amazon River Dolphins beginning at 2:36.  This is a great video to see what pink dolphin looks like.