Yangtze River Dolphin
A long-snouted creature swims gracefully through the Yangtze River. However, this freshwater dolphin is endangered.
The dolphin has a strange appearance. It has an abrupt forehead, tiny eyes, and a long upturned snout. Its blue-grey back and white belly can not be seen through the muddy water. It’s triangular dorsal fin sticks out when it comes up for a breath. Broad round flippers help it swim through the water.
This species lives in water where it can barely see. These creatures only live in the Yangtze River around sandbars or tributaries of the river.
The Yangtze River Dolphin has a bizarre behavior. They hunt from early evening to early morning, but it sometimes hunts in the day. This dolphin is blind so it uses high pitched sonar to locate fish in the murky water. They hunt in groups that range from 3 to 12.
This poor creature is endangered but people are trying to save it. The dolphin is killed by over use of the river and pollution. World Wildlife Federation and Chinese government are trying to save the species but they are still killed by motorboats or fishing nets.
This fresh-water creature is an amazing animal but as you can see the species is severely threatened.
By Jackson
picture from Wikipedia