Gangetic Dolphin:
The first ever estimate of Gangetic dolphins, the only riverine dolphins in India, has found 6,327 of them in the river Ganga and its tributaries.
- Gangetic Dolphin is a freshwater species and one of the few river dolphins found in the world.
- It inhabits the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India and Bangladesh.
- Common names: Blind dolphin, Ganges dolphin, Ganges susu, hihu, side-swimming dolphin, South Asian River Dolphin
- Scientific name: Platanista gangetica
- It has been recognized by the government of India as its National Aquatic Animal.
- Because of the sound it produces when breathing, the animal is popularly referred to as the ‘Susu’.
- Conservation status: IUCN: Endangered
- Wildlife (Protection) Act: Schedule-I
- CITES: Appendix I
