Are La Plata dolphin endangered?

Are La Plata dolphin endangered?

Vulnerable (Population decreasing)
La Plata dolphin/Conservation status

Where do La Plata dolphin live?

South America
description. …smallest river dolphin species, the La Plata river dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei), also lives in South America. Also known as the franciscana, it inhabits the coastal waters of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.

Does the Rio de La Plata have its own type of dolphin?

It is a member of the river dolphin group and the only one that lives in the ocean and saltwater estuaries, rather than inhabiting exclusively freshwater systems….La Plata dolphin.

La Plata dolphin Temporal range: Pliocene-recent
Family: Pontoporiidae Gray, 1870
Genus: Pontoporia Gray, 1846
Species: P. blainvillei
Binomial name

Are dolphins in rivers?

And while they’re most commonly associated with oceans, dolphins—and porpoises—can actually be found in several major rivers on two continents. River dolphins act as indicators of river health in the basins where they live.

How do la Plata dolphins communicate?

As with other dolphin species these dolphins communicate vocally through various high-pitched clicks and whistles.

How many La Plata dolphins are there?

Estimates taken from aerial surveys put the population of la plata dolphins at about 40,000 off the coasts of Brazil and Uruguay.

What kind of dolphin is a Franciscana dolphin?

Franciscanas are small dolphins; the females are a bit larger than males. The body is smooth and slender, the beak is very long and skinny and the eyes are small. The triangular-shaped flippers are large with undulating trailing edges. Franciscanas are light coloured dolphins – brownish to grey on the top and lighter on the sides and belly.

Why is the Franciscana dolphin a vulnerable species?

Image: Federico Sucunza, Institute Aqualie. The Franciscana (also known as La Plata River Dolphin) is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to fishing-related mortality at levels believed to be unsustainable.

What kind of dolphin looks like a river?

Franciscana looks like a river dolphin and while considered a true river dolphin, does not live in a river! They live in coastal marine and/or estuarine environments. What do franciscanas look like? Franciscanas are small dolphins; the females are a bit larger than males.

What kind of dolphin has the longest beak?

The franciscana is a small dolphin with a very long, slender beak – in fact they hold the record for the longest beak in proportion to body size, of any dolphin. The franciscana’s beak is 15 percent of the total body length. Franciscanas live only in the shallow, coastal waters of the southwestern Atlantic of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina.

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