Wildlife
Pink, blue or albino, the Amazon river dolphin is the most distinctive of the five river dolphins. It has a ridge along its back rather than a dorsal fin and its fat, heavy body is surprisingly flexible. Paddle-like flippers which move in a circular motion provide exceptional manoeuvrability, making up for a lack of speed. The Amazon and Orinoco river basins provide all the food in its highly diverse diet, including at least 40 different species of fish. It relies on echolocation to find prey in the muddy waters. Males can reach two and a half metres in length, making them the largest of the river dolphins. This is unusual as in the other four species, the females are the larger sex. Amazon river dolphins have few natural predators, but caimans, anacondas and jaguars have been known to take them.
Scientific name: Inia geoffrensis
Rank: Species
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River dolphins at night
Pink river dolphins use sound to navigate and hunt in the flooded forest at night.
Pink river dolphins use sound to navigate and hunt in the flooded forest at night.
River dolphin senses
Botos echolocate through dense Amazon vegetation.
Botos echolocate through dense Amazon vegetation.
The Amazon river dolphin can be found in a number of locations including: Amazon Rainforest. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Amazon river dolphin distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Inia geoffrensis, commonly known as the Amazon river dolphin, is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Orinoco, Amazon and Araguaia/Tocantins River systems of Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It was previously listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN due to pollution, overfishing, excessive boat traffic and habitat loss but in 2011 it was changed to data deficient due to a lack of current information about threats, ecology, and population numbers and trends.
Other common names of the species include boto, bufeo, boto vermelho, boto cor-de-rosa, bouto, and pink dolphin.
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Migration
Adapted to swimming
Carnivorous
Tactile sense
Acoustic communication
Maternal care
Active at birth
Predator
Chemical communication
Sexual dimorphism
Echolocation and ultrasound
Visual communication
Viviparous