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Irrawaddy Dolphin
Pictures Showing the Endangered Oceanic Dolphin that Inhabits Coasts and Estuaries |
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The Irrawaddy dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris, is found in a few locations in South and Southeast Asia, near coasts and estuaries from the Bay of Bengal to New Guinea, the Philippines, and northern Australia. Although sometimes called the Irrawaddy River Dolphin, it is a true oceanic dolphin, closely related to the orca, that enters rivers including the Ganges, Mekong, and Irrawaddy. The Irrawaddy dolphin has a large melon and a blunt, rounded head with a distinct beak. The dorsal fin is short, blunt and triangular, and the flippers are long and broad. Adults can be 7 feet long, weigh up to 280 pounds, and have a typical lifespan of 30 years. Irrawaddy dolphins spit streams of water from their mouths while spyhopping. Considered sacred in some areas, and endangered in all areas, they are legally protected from hunting. However, entanglements in gillnets and deaths or injury due to explosives used in fishing are common in Vietnam and Thailand. Nets crossing river channels restrict movement and isolate populations, causing them to decline. The population in India's Chilka Lake, which suffers from entanglement in gill nets and drag nets, is believed to be now less than 50. Irrawaddys are also taken to perform in aquariums, which has a significant local impact. The population of the Irrawaddy Dolphin is decreasing at an alarming speed.
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Picture of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris. In the lower Mekong river is a relic population of an endemic sub- species isolated for more than 10000 years. Totally cut off from the sea, the hundred or so individuals are restricted upstream to the Laos border.
Picture #: 065696 |
Stock photo of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris, Borneo, Malaysia
Picture #: 010910 |
Image of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris, spitting. In the lower Mekong river is a relic population of an endemic sub- species isolated for more than 10000 years. Totally cut off from the sea, the hundred or so individuals are restricted upstream to the Laos border.
Picture #: 065698 |
Photo of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris, spitting. In the lower Mekong river is a relic population of an endemic sub- species isolated for more than 10000 years. Totally cut off from the sea, the hundred or so individuals are restricted upstream to the Laos border.
Picture #: 065693 |
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Picture of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris. Near Kratie town on the Mekong river is a relic population of the endemic sub-species of Irrawaddy dolphins. Resticted to this large river for more than 10000 years. Conservation and ecotourism are the goal.
Picture #: 065691 |
Stock photo of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris, were discovered in the main river of Burma. They are widepsread over southeast Asia, along the coasts in the sea but enter estuaries and rivers.
Picture #: 065701 |
Image of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris, spitting. In the lower Mekong river is a relic population of an endemic sub- species isolated for more than 10000 years. Totally cut off from the sea, the hundred or so individuals are restricted upstream to the Laos border.
Picture #: 065687 |
Photo of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris, with mouth open. In the lower Mekong river is a relic population of an endemic sub- species isolated for more than 10000 years. Totally cut off from the sea, the hundred or so individuals are restricted upstream to the Laos border.
Picture #: 065702 |
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Picture of Irrawaddy dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris, spitting. In the lower Mekong river is a relic population of an endemic sub- species isolated for more than 10000 years. Totally cut off from the sea, the hundred or so individuals are restricted upstream to the Laos border.
Picture #: 065694 |
Stock photo of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris, were discovered in the main river of Burma. They are widepsread over southeast Asia, along the coasts in the sea but enter estuaries and rivers.
Picture #: 065703 |
Image of sign for Kratie, habitat of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris. Near Kratie town on the Mekong river is a relic population of the endemic sub-species of Irrawaddy dolphins. Resticted to this large river for more than 10000 years. Conservation and ecotourism are the goal.
Picture #: 065688 |
Photo of Irrawaddy dolphins, Orcaella brevirostris, spitting. In the lower Mekong river is a relic population of an endemic sub- species isolated for more than 10000 years. Totally cut off from the sea, the hundred or so individuals are restricted upstream to the Laos border.
Picture #: 065685 |
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