Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis)

Amazon river dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) are found in the northern half of South America. They are freshwater dwellers and live in the Amazon and Orinoco river systems. Their color varies from gray to pink depending on their age, gender and body of water. That is why they are often referred to as pink river dolphins. Amazon river dolphins belong to the cetacean order. However, unlike sea creatures, they are perfectly adapted to murky waters and the floodplains of the rainforest. The particularly long snout is typical of their appearance. The Amazon river dolphin is considered endangered. Exact inventory numbers are unknown.

Amazon dolphin in Yasuni National Park Ecuador pink river dolphin Freshwater dolphin in the Amazon rainforest

The Amazon dolphin is a toothed whale - pink freshwater dolphins live in the black water rivers of the Amazon rainforest

Amazon River Dolphin Characteristics - Facts Inia geoffrensis

Systematics	Order: whales (Cetacea) / suborder: toothed whales (Odontoceti) / family: Amazon river dolphins (Iniidae)
Species name	Scientific: Inia geoffrensis / Trivial: Amazon river dolphin & pink river dolphin & pink freshwater dolphin & boto
characteristics	gray to pale pink, very long snout with bristly whiskers, back bar instead of fin
Height Weight	2-2,5 meters long, largest species of river dolphins / approx. 85-200 kg, males> females
Reproduction	Sexual maturity with 8-10 years / gestation period 10-12 months / litter size 1 young animal every 3-4 years
Life expectancy	mean life expectancy is estimated at over 30 years
Living Space	Fresh water rivers, lakes and lagoons
Way of life	Solitary animals or small groups in areas with a high abundance of fish, orientation using an echo sounder Seasonal movement is dependent on fish migration & water level fluctuations
Nutrition	Fish, crabs, turtles
distribution area	The river systems of the Amazon and Orinoco (in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela)
Population size	unknown (Red List 2021)
Protection status	Red list: endangered, population declining (last assessment 2018) Washington species protection: Annex II / VO (EU) 2019/2117: Annex A / BNatSCHG: strictly protected

Nature & animals • animals • Animal lexicon • Mammals • Marine Mammals • whales • Dolphins • Amazon Dolphin

Special features of the Amazon dolphin

Why are Amazon dolphins pink?
The coloring depends on several factors. Age, gender, water color and water temperature should play a role. Young animals are usually gray in color. The gray pigment decreases in adults. Some sources also claim that skin thickness is decreasing. The blood flow in the capillaries of the skin becomes visible, which makes it appear pink-red. The rosy color disappears in cold water, when the blood supply to the skin is reduced, or in dead animals.

Why do Amazon dolphins rarely jump?
Acrobatic jumps are anatomically hardly possible for the Amazon dolphin, as the cervical vertebrae are not osseous. On the other hand, the animal is particularly agile and therefore very well adapted to the obstructive waters of a flooded rainforest.

What are typical anatomical features?

• Long snout with bristle whiskers
• Inhomogeneous teeth, wide behind for chewing and cracking
• Only very small eyes, no good visual sense (unimportant in the often cloudy water)
• Large melon for ideal echo-sounding location
• Freely movable cervical vertebrae and large flippers for smooth movements
• Males are larger than females

Nature & animals • animals • Animal lexicon • Mammals • Marine Mammals • whales • Dolphins • Amazon Dolphin