What species of dolphins are endangered?
What Types of Dolphin are Endangered?
- Hector’s Dolphin. Hector’s dolphins are among the smallest (physically speaking) dolphins in the world. ...
- South Asian River Dolphin. A freshwater breed, the South Asian river dolphin typically resides in Nepal, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
- Irrawaddy Dolphin. ...
- Baiji Dolphin. ...
- Eastern Taiwan Strait Humpback Dolphin. ...
- Maui’s Dolphin. ...
How many dolphins are endangered?
There are at least 36 known species of dolphins and a few more different subspecies. According to the IUCN Red List, 5 species and 6 subspecies of dolphins are endangered. * one of the two smallest known dolphin species along with Hector's dolphin * one of the rarest type of dolphin with a population of less than a hundred
Are dolphins an endangered species?
“It should be noted that this species of aquatic mammal, scientifically known as Inia geoffrensis, has a presence not only in Colombia, but also in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, and has been classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature,” it added.
Does the baiji dolphin eat plants?
The diet of baiji consists of mainly, if not entirely, of fish. They use their long beaks to probe muddy bottoms for food. Their dives are short, lasting only 10-20 seconds. Baiji have poor eyesight but use a highly developed echolocation faculty to find food.
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When did baiji dolphin become extinct?
2006Baiji numbers crashed dramatically and then they disappeared entirely from the river. They were pronounced extinct in 2007 following the failure of a dedicated 6-week expedition in 2006 to find a single one.
What is the main reason for the extinction of dolphins?
Overview. As a result of whaling and other human and natural influences, sixteen species of whales and dolphins are considered to be in danger of extinction according to the Endangered Species Act. Furthermore, because our knowledge about most dolphins and whales is lacking, there may be many more endangered species.
Is the baiji dolphin extinct 2020?
Facts. The Yangtze River, the longest river in Asia, used to be one of the only two rivers in the world that was home to two different species of dolphin—the Yangtze finless porpoise and the Baiji dolphin. However, in 2006 the Baiji dolphin was declared functionally extinct.
How many baiji dolphins are left in the world?
Before 1900, there was a population around 3,000 to 5,000 individuals. Now there may be less than 10 and possibly extinct.
How many dolphins are left in the world in 2021?
The worldwide population of common bottlenose dolphins is about 600,000. Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins are abundant, but the overall population is unknown. Chromosome banding techniques have proven useful in bottlenose dolphin population studies.
What animal is nearly extinct?
1. Amur leopard. A leopard subspecies, the Amur Leopard is indigenous to the Primorye region of southeast Russia and northern China. The Amur leopard is a solitary mammal and these beasts are critically endangered due to illegal wildlife trade, specifically being poached for their beautiful fur.
What is the first extinct animal?
In January 2000, the Pyrenean ibex became extinct. Other subspecies have survived: the western Spanish or Gredos ibex and the southeastern Spanish or beceite ibex, while the Portuguese ibex had already become extinct....Pyrenean ibexSubfamily:CaprinaeTribe:CapriniGenus:CapraSpecies:C. pyrenaica13 more rows
What animal was brought back to life?
On July 30, 2003, a team of Spanish and French scientists reversed time. They brought an animal back from extinction, if only to watch it become extinct again. The animal they revived was a kind of wild goat known as a bucardo,or Pyrenean ibex.
Why did the dodo bird go extinct?
Over-harvesting of the birds, combined with habitat loss and a losing competition with the newly introduced animals, was too much for the dodos to survive. The last dodo was killed in 1681, and the species was lost forever to extinction.
What has recently gone extinct?
The splendid poison frog (Oophaga speciosa) was declared extinct in 2020 and last recorded in 1992. 5 Researchers believe the chytrid fungus outbreak of 1996 in their home range of the western Cordillera Central in Panama, near Costa Rica, led to their extinction.
Are baiji dolphins endangered?
Critically EndangeredBaiji / Conservation status
What is being done to save the baiji?
Twenty individuals were accidentally killed in 1984 alone. Since then, the use of harmful fishing gears has been reduced year by year due to an extensive education program and a law for protection formulated by the Chinese government. Unnatural deaths of baiji have been reduced but still occur.
What can you do?
Many other species of whales and dolphins are perilously close to extinction. We urgently need your help to prevent them suffering a similar fate to the baiji.
Make a donation
WDC is working to save endangered species such as North Atlantic right whales and the New Zealand dolphin. Your donation will make a difference.
Create Healthy Seas
Human activities were the cause of the baiji's demise. Find out how these threaten many whales and dolphins across the globe and what WDC is doing to combat them.
When did the Baiji go extinct?
Poor water and weather conditions may have prevented sightings, but expedition leaders declared it " functionally extinct " on December 13, 2006, as fewer are likely to be alive than are needed to propagate the species. However, footage believed to be a baiji from August 2007 was released to the public.
How long ago did the Baiji dolphin diverge?
The Baiji is not closely related to any living species of dolphin, having diverged from the ancestors of the La Plata dolphin and Amazon River dolphin during the Miocene, estimated to be around 16 million years ago .
What are the threats to the Baiji?
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) has noted the following as threats to the species: a period of hunting by humans during the Great Leap Forward, entanglement in fishing gear, the illegal practice of electric fishing, collisions with boats and ships, habitat loss, and pollution. Further studies have noted that a lack of information on the baiji's historical distribution or ecology, the environmental impact of the construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the living space of the baiji, and the failure to act for the protection of the baiji are also threats to the species.
What did the Baiji extinction mean?
The baiji's extinction would be the first recorded extinction of a well-studied cetacean species (it is unclear if some previously extinct varieties were species or subspecies) to be directly attributable to human influence .
What was the first megafaunal species to die?
The baiji represents the first documented global extinction of a " megafaunal " vertebrate in over 50 years since the demise of the Japanese sea lion ( Zalophus japonicus) and the Caribbean monk seal ( Neomonachus tropicalis) in the 1950s.
What is the name of the Chinese white dolphin?
It is not to be confused with the Chinese white dolphin ( Sousa chinensis) or the finless porpoise ( Neophocaena phocaenoides ). The baiji population declined drastically in decades as China industrialized and made heavy use of the river for fishing, transportation, and hydroelectricity.
How fast can a Baiji go?
When escaping from danger, the baiji can reach 60 km/h ( 37 mph), but usually stays within 30 to 40 km/h (19 to 25 mph). Because of its poor vision, the baiji relies primarily on sonar for navigation.
When did Baiji go extinct?
Baiji numbers crashed dramatically and then they disappeared entirely from the river. They were pronounced extinct in 2007 following the failure of a dedicated 6-week expedition in 2006 to find a single one. There have been no confirmed baiji sightings since before 2006.
How long did it take for the Chinese dolphin to die?
The mighty Yangtze River in China was the baiji’s home for 20 million years. It took less than 50 years for humans to wipe them out.
How many Baijis were there in the 1980s?
Before 1950, there were an estimated 6000 baijis, by the 1980s only 300 survived. In 1997, there were only an estimated 13 left, and the baiji was the most critically endangered dolphin in the world.
Why were Baijis so shy?
Baijis primarily relied on echolocation to find their way around and hunt freshwater fish in the river and connecting lakes.
What did a baiji look like?
What did baijis look like? The baiji had a stocky body with broad, rounded flippers. The head was small with a prominent melon, a very long, narrow beak which was slightly upturned at the tip and a long mouth line. The baiji’s eyes were tiny and positioned higher up on the head than in other species of dolphin.
Why did the Yangtze River decline?
Drastic declines in the Yangtze River’s fish populations occurred due to overfishing which reduced the amount of prey available for the baiji. Baijis were accidentally caught and killed by many different fishing methods used in the river.
What percentage of baijis had hook marks?
During the 1970s and 1980s, between 50% and 60% of dead baijis had hook marks on them and hook remains were found in the stomachs of dead baijis. Unfortunately, although regulations were made banning harmful fishing practices, they were not adequately enforced and illegal, harmful fishing continued to kill baijis.
What is the extinction of the Yangtze River Dolphin?
The extinction of the Yangtze River dolphin is one of the most striking examples of species falling prey to human greed. We will tell you how this river dolphin species had to pay the price for industrialization in China.
Why did the Yangtze River dolphins get bad?
The Yangtze River dolphin was one of the many species to bear the brunt of environmental pollution, caused due to the dumping on industrial waste in the Yangtze.
When is a species considered extinct?
A species is said to be functionally extinct when the population is no longer viable, or it has no role to play in the ecosystem. Nevertheless, it will be enlisted as a 'critically endangered' species for some time, before it is moved to the list of extinct species.
Overview
The baiji (Chinese: 白鱀豚; pinyin: báijìtún (help·info), Lipotes vexillifer, Lipotes meaning "left behind", vexillifer "flag bearer") is a possibly extinct species of freshwater dolphin. It is thought to be the first dolphin species driven to extinction due to the impact of humans. Despite being listed as “critically endangered: possibly extinct” by the IUCN, this dolphin has not been seen in al…
Anatomy and morphology
Baiji were thought to breed in the first half of the year, the peak calving season being from February to April. A 30% pregnancy rate was observed. Gestation would last 10–11 months, delivering one calf at a time; the interbirth interval was 2 years. Calves measured around 80–90 centimetres (31–35 in) at birth, and nursed for 8–20 months. Males reached sexual maturity at age four, females at age six. Mature males were about 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in) (7.5 ft) long, female…
Distribution
Historically the baiji occurred along 1,700 kilometres (1,100 mi) of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze from Yichang in the west to the mouth of the river, near to Shanghai, as well as in Poyang and Dongting lakes, and the smaller Qiantang river to the south. This had been reduced by several hundred kilometres both upstream and downstream, and was limited to the main channel of the Yangtze, principally the middle reaches between the two large tributary lakes, Dongting and
Evolutionary history
The Baiji is not closely related to any living species of dolphin, having diverged from the ancestors of the La Plata dolphin and Amazon River dolphin during the Miocene, estimated to be around 16 million years ago. The closest known relative of the Baiji is Parapontoporia, native to the Western Coast of North America during the Latest Miocene and Pliocene. The Baiji was one of five spec…
Folklore
Per Chinese folklore, a beautiful young girl is said to have lived with her stepfather on the banks of the river Yangtze. He was evil, and a greedy man out for his own self-interest. One day, he took the girl on a boat, intending to sell her on the market. Out on the river, though, he became infatuated with her beauty and tried to take advantage of her. But she freed herself by plunging into the river whereupon a big storm came and sank the boat. After the storm had thus settled, people saw a …
Conservation
In the 1950s, the population was estimated at 6,000 animals, but declined rapidly over the subsequent five decades. Only a few hundred were left by 1970. Then the number dropped down to 400 by the 1980s and then to 13 in 1997 when a full-fledged search was conducted. Now the most endangered cetacean in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the baiji was la…
See also
• Environmental issues in China
• Ganges shark
• Holocene extinction
• List of cetaceans
• List of endangered and protected species of China
External links
• US National Marine Fisheries Service baiji web page
• The Baiji Foundation – Networking Expertise for Conservation of Freshwater Biodiversity
• ""Lipotes vexillifer: Baiji or Chinese River Dolphin" (cetacea.org)". Archived from the original on March 5, 2005. Retrieved June 13, 2003.