Pinker with age
They are born grey and turn pinker as they grow older. Males are the pinkest.
Amazon river
Amazon river dolphin
Inia geoffrensis
A dolphin of fresh water, pink or grey-pink, with a long thin beak and a low ridge for a back fin.
- Size
- Up to 2.5m long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- The Amazon and Orinoco rivers
Swims after you, rolling at the surface. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Pink river dolphin
Good to know
Six things about the pink river dolphin
A bendy neck
Unlike sea dolphins, it can turn its head from side to side, to steer among flooded tree trunks.
Seeing with sound
The water is too muddy to see in. It finds fish by sending out clicks and listening for the echoes.
Bristles on its beak
Stiff hairs on its beak help it to feel for prey in the mud.
The boto
In Brazil it is called the boto. Stories tell of it turning into a handsome man at night.
Swimming in the forest
When the river floods, it swims in among the trees to hunt.
The real thing
Photos of the pink river dolphin
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Look where two rivers meet, early in the morning. You will see a pink back roll slowly at the surface, and hear a puff of breath.
How to help
River dolphins are endangered by fishing nets, dams and mercury from gold mining. Support groups working to protect the Amazon's rivers.
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