Assignment#1

Topic: Indus River Dolphin

Submitted to: Dr. Sana Ashraf

Submitted by: Mehwish Riaz

Roll no. 29

Semester 1(M.phil)

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 Indus River Dolphin
Scientific name: Platanista minor

Distribution:
The Indus river dolphin only occurs in the Indus River system. These dolphins occupied about
3,400 km of the Indus River and the tributaries attached to it in the past. But today, this is only
found in one fifth of this previous range. It no longer exists throughout the tributaries, and its
home range is only 690 km of the river. This dolphin prefers a freshwater habitat with a water
depth greater than 1 meter and that have more than 700 meters squared of cross-sectional area.
Today this species can only be found in the Indus River's main stem. The species is found in silt-
laden, turbid water, at temperatures between 8-33 degrees Celsius (46-91 degrees Fahrenheit).

Physical Description:
The Indus dolphin has the long, pointed nose characteristic of all river dolphins. The teeth are
visible in both the upper and lower jaws even when the mouth is closed. The teeth of young
animals are almost an inch long, thin and curved; however, as animals age the teeth undergo
considerable changes and in mature adults become square, bony, flat disks. The snout thickens
towards its end. The species does not have a crystalline eye lens, rendering it effectively blind,
although it may still be able to detect the intensity and direction of light. Navigation and hunting
are carried out using echolocation. The body is a brownish color and stocky at the middle. The
species has a small triangular lump in place of a dorsal fin. The flippers and tail are thin and
large in relation to the body size, which is about 2-2.2 meters in males and 2.4–2.6 meters in
females. The oldest recorded animal was a 28-year-old male 199 centimeters in length. Mature
adult females are larger than males. Indus River dolphins are roughly the same color as the river,

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gray or brown, though they sometimes are lighter on their undersides. Their “beaks” are
distinctively swollen at the tip and very long, reaching 20% of the length of their bodies, with
large, visible teeth. In contrast to their “beaks”, their dorsal fins are rather small and reduced
compared to other river dolphins. Large flippers and flukes, combined with long and remarkably
flexible necks, probably help the dolphins navigate effectively. Platanista minor has external ears
located below their eyes, but their eyes are very small and probably can only see shadowy,
unclear images. They are endothermic. Their average mass is about 84kg. They have bilateral
symmetry.

Life Cycle:
Calves have been observed between January and May and do not appear to stay
with the mother for more than a few months. . Maturity is estimated at about 10 years, and life
expectancy is probably at least 28 years.

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Diet:
Indus River dolphins use their echolocation abilities combined with their highly toothed,
long snouts to forage for many bottom-dwelling animals including fish and invertebrates.
Platanista minor has been known to eat some species of catfish, herring, carp, gobies, mahaseers,
prawns, and clams. Captive individuals reportedly consume about a kilogram of food each day.

Breeding:
The gestation period runs from 10 to 11 months, with births occurring between
April and May. The birth interval is 2 years. They are dioecious.

Behaviour:

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 Platanista minor is described as mainly solitary, though the dolphins have
occasionally been found in groups consisting of as many as 30 individuals. In general, however,
Indus River dolphins travel in groups of no more than 3. These dolphins are equipped to swim
on their sides in very shallow water if necessary, yet except for juveniles, Platanista minor rarely
exhibits the stereotypical dolphin aerial leaping behavior. On the other hand, like other
dolphins these animals are highly vocal and perceive their environment through echolocation.
These sounds are mainly used to navigate while swimming, with a very small percentage used
for communication.

Communication and Perception:

Indus River dolphins have extremely poor eyesight, perhaps
since vision is nearly useless to navigate the murky rivers in which they live. They instead rely
on echolocation to perceive their environment. Indeed, one of the common names for
Platanista minor is “blind river dolphin”. Their external ears might help receive echolocation
signals, which are intermittent pulses rather than continuous whistles. Though Indus River
dolphins are very vocal, they use sounds for communication only about 5% of the time that
they vocalize.

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Conservation Status:
The Indus river dolphin is listed by the IUCN as endangered on their Red
List of Threatened Species and by the U.S. government National Marine Fisheries Service
under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. It is the second most endangered cetacean in the
world. It is estimated that there are only about 1,200 individuals remaining. However, not a lot
is known because this species is not very well studied. There are many threats to their survival.
Reckless and extensive fishing that reduces their prey availability is a large factor. Also, they are
sometimes accidentally entangled in the fishing nets which can cause fatalities. Deforestation
that occurs along the river basin is causing sedimentation which degrades the dolphin's habitat.
Another factor in their decline is the construction of cross-river structures such as dams and
barrages. These are a problem because they cause more isolation in the already small sub-
populations. Lastly, human induced water pollution is a major threat factor. This pollution is
usually in the form of either industrial and human waste, or agricultural run-off containing high
amounts of chemical fertilizers and poisonous pesticides. Studies suggest that a good
understanding of this species ecology is needed in order to develop good conservation plans.
Regular monitoring is also a necessity to assess the population's status and factors causing its
decline. There are currently a few organizations that are helping to conserve the Indus dolphin.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is involved in rescue missions and helping to reduce pollution
in the river.

Reference

 Braulik, G.T.; Smith, B.D. & Chaudhry, S. (2012). "Platanista gangetica ssp. minor".
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012: e.T41757A17628296
 http://www.fossilworks.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=63565. Missing
or empty |title= (help)
 "Explore the Database". www.mammaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
 "River Dolphin". www.wildlifeofpakistan.com. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
 "Indus River Dolphin". WWF Pakistan.

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 "Signs of hope as population of endangered Indus River dolphin jumps in Pakistan".
WWF. Retrieved 2017-12-17.
 Sanyal, S. (2012). Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India's Geography.
Penguin.
 Kasuya, T., 1972. Some information on the growth of the Ganges dolphin with a
comment on the Indus dolphin. Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst., 24: 87–108.