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Boto Or Amazon River Dolphin

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Boto Or Amazon River Dolphin

Inia geoffrensis

OTHER NAMES: Amazon River Dolphin, Pink Porpoise, Pink Dolphin

Of the five freshwater species of dolphins in the world, the pink Amazon River dolphin, Inia geoffrensis, or "bufeo colorado” as they are known in Peru and “botos" as they known in in Brazil, are considered to be the most intelligent. 

The boto is The distinctive pink coloration of the boto, or Amazon river dolphin, makes it easy to distinguish from other odontocetes. Born with dark gray pigmentation, the dolphins become more translucent with age so that blood circulating beneath their skin gives them a vivid pink appearance, especially on the ventral side. Botos living in clear waters tend to have darker pigmentation than those living in turbid waters.

The mouth of Amazon river dolphins is fairly straight with a slight upturn at the corners. They have heterodont dentition, with conical front teeth and molar-like rear teeth. They eat a wide variety of benthic organisms, including catfish. Heavily armored fish and crustaceans can be crushed with the rear teeth.

Question:-What is the dolphins life span? Answer: The average life expectancy for the bottle-nose dolphins is about 25 years. the maximum age (which only a few will reach) is more than 40 years.

Question:-Are dolphins naturally friendly? Answer: Dolphin species vary in their degree of curiosity and interaction with humans. Individual dolphins vary to the same degree. Some species are very shy, others will approach humans with great curiosity. If dolphins have spent time in captivity, they can become very used to people touching them, riding along side of them, etc., but they also can become mildly aggressive; nipping, pushing, etc.

Question:-How can you tell the difference between a male and a female dolphin? Answer: To find this out you have to look underneath the dolphin at it's belly. If you see a long slit with 2 smaller slits, that's a female:

Question:-What do dolphins eat? Answer: Dolphins and porpoises are carnivores - most eat fish and/or squid. Different habitats mean different diets; each type of dolphin and porpoise specializes in catching prey that lives in their specific ecosystem.

Question:-What is the distance a dolphin can travel? Answer: The distance a dolphin travels depends very much on its food supply. The optimum swimming speed is about 8 km/hr. Dolphins sleep about 8 hours a day which would leave 16 hours for travel. This would mean they can travel up to 128 km per day. How much they actually do travel is unknown.

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