Amazon River dolphin

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Inia
Blainville, 1817

geoffrensis

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Size compared to an average human

Conservation status
Amazon river dolphin range

Data Deficient (IUCN 3.1) Scientific classification Kingdom: Phylum: Class: Subclass: Order: Suborder: Superfamily: Family: Genus: Species: Binomial name

[1]

Animalia Chordate Mammalia Ethereal Cetacean Odontoceti Platanistoidea Initiate

Gray, 1846

The Amazon river dolphin, alternately Bufeo, Bufeo Colorado, Boto, Boto Cor de Rosa, Boutu, Nay, Tonina, or Pink River Dolphin[2] (Inia geoffrensis), is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Orinoco, Amazon and Araguaia/Tocantins River systems of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. The largest of the river dolphins, this species is not to be confused with the Tucuxi , whose range overlaps that of the Amazon River dolphin but is not a true river dolphin. Because they are unfused, the neck vertebrae of the Amazon River dolphin are able to turn 180 degrees. The pink dolphin lives in the freshwater of the Amazon River. This species looks like the grey dolphin, but individuals are bigger, and, instead of a dorsal fin, they have a hump on their back. Their tails are also bigger. The pink dolphin has been listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of the Nature due to pollution, overfishing, excessive boat trafficking and habitat loss. The brain of the river dolphin is 40% larger than a human brain.

Legend
In traditional Amazon River folklore, at night, an Amazon river dolphin becomes a handsome young man who seduces girls,[5] impregnates them, and then returns to the river in the morning to become an Amazon river dolphin again. This dolphin shape shifter is called an encantado. It has been suggested

Inia I. geoffrensis

that the myth arose partly because dolphin genitalia bear a resemblance to those of humans.[6] Others believe that the myth served (and still serves) as a way of hiding the incestuous relations which are quite common in some small isolated communities alongside the river. [Citation needed] In the area, there are tales that it is bad luck to kill an Amazon River dolphin. Legend also states that if a person makes eye contact with an Amazon river dolphin, that person will have nightmares for the rest of his/her life. Local legends also state that the dolphin is the guardian of the Amazonian manatee, and that, should one wish to find an Amazonian manatee, one must first make peace with the Amazon river dolphin. Associated with these legends is a culture of use of various fetishes such as dried eyeballs and genitalia.[6] The use of these fetishes may or may not be accompanied by the intervention of a priest. Although sold as boto objects, a recent study has shown that, despite the claim of the seller and the belief of the buyers, none of these fetishes are derived from the boto. They are derived from Sotalia guianensis, are most likely harvested along the coast and the Amazon River delta, and then are traded up the Amazon River. In inland cities that are far from the coast, many if not most of the fetishes are derived from domestic animals such as sheep and pigs.[7]

The 1987 Brazilian film Elle, o Boot is a supernatural romance featuring an Amazon River dolphin who has a son by a young woman.

Amazon River dolphins at Duisburg Zoo in June 2006