Indus River Dolphin
The Indus River dolphin (Platanista minor), known in Pakistan as the susu, is sometimes called the "blind dolphin" because its eyes lack lenses. This virtual blindness, scientists speculate, is due to the high silt content of its river habitat. The dolphin relies on a highly developed system of echolocation (using sound waves to locate prey) to navigate and hunt for fish.
The Indus River dolphin is a separate species from the Ganges River dolphin (Platanista gangetica). It is 2 to 2.5 meters long and weighs 80 to 90 kilograms. A freshwater cetacean (aquatic mammal), the dolphin is an endangered species, having a population of about 675 in the mid-1990s. The dolphin is fully protected in Pakistan; in 1974 the Indus River Dolphin Reserve was established on the Indus River from the Sukkur Barrage to the Guddu Barrage in Sind Province in Pakistan. About 500 dolphins live in Sind Province, and about 175 live in Punjab Province. Despite legal protection, since the 1930s the dolphins have been threatened by the construction of dams throughout the Indus River system, which have degraded their habitat and impeded migration. The dams have also separated the dolphins into several small groups, which threatens the genetic diversity of the population. Occasionally, the dolphins are accidentally caught in fishing nets.
Further Reading
Carpino, Elizabeth. (1994) River Dolphins—Can They Be Saved? IRN Working Paper no. 4. Berkeley, CA: International Rivers Network.
"Dolphin." (1986) Encyclopedia of Indian Natural History. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Meadows, Azra, and Peter S. Meadows, eds. (1999) The Indus River: Biodiversity, Resources, Humankind. Karachi, Pakistan: Oxford University Press.
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