Obviously, the distribution and habitat are different for each dolphin species, but usually, they avoid extreme cold waters, so they are not found in the polar zones.

Dolphins are found living in bodies of water around the world. They inhabit all of the oceans and some important rivers. Most of them live in saltwater, but a few species thrive in freshwater.

The habitat of dolphins varies according to environmental factors and food accessibility. They are smart creatures with the intelligence to modify their habitat when needed for survival.

PARTICULAR DISTRIBUTIONS

For example, the Bottlenose Dolphin dwells in all of the oceans, and they tend to live close to the coastline. Migration is a big part of life for some dolphins. They have to move where there is enough food; This is why some locations where there used to be dolphins either have very few or none anymore. Even changes in water temperatures can be reasons for them no longer to return to locations they once called home. Some successfully migrate hundreds of miles annually.

Open water species tolerate colder temperatures than coastal dolphins.

The Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans and their seas host a large number of dolphin species since they prefer tropical, subtropical and warm waters. However, talking about the particular distribution of dolphins means addressing the place where each species live as they differ from each other.

Also, some species are distributed over large areas while others may inhabit a small region. Other species are particularly endemic to a zone, and some may have different populations scattered over an extensive range. Each species is a different case.

Two common dolphins jumping in the Sea of Cortes, Mexico.

The Pacific Ocean is habitat to several species, such as the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), perhaps the best-known dolphin, with a vast territory ranging from Japan to Australia and from the southern United States to Chile and Hawaii. In the Atlantic, the bottlenose dolphin dwells from North America to southern Argentina in the western part of this ocean and from Norway all the way down to the coasts of South Africa in the east. This species is also common in the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Some dolphins out there live in much smaller habitats. For example, the Yangtze River Dolphin only dwells in the river of the same name. Hector’s Dolphins inhabit the coastal areas of New Zealand. They tend to be scattered there around the South Island.

The Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus Delphis) mainly inhabits the Mediterranean Sea and the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean. The Chinese white dolphin (Sousa chinensis) only dwells in the waters of the Indian and Pacific oceans.

Additionally, five river species exist that only inhabit the freshwaters of the Amazon, Ganges, Yangtze, Rio de la Plata and Indus rivers respectively.

GENERAL AND SPECIFIC HABITATS

The habitats of dolphins are also very diverse. They can be found in ports, bays, gulfs and estuaries and frequently in the shallow waters of the continental shelves. Previously it was believed that dolphins could not dive more than 200 meters deep, but apparently, some species have the feasibility of diving about 300 meters deep, a conclusion reached by finding remains of benthic fish in the stomachs of some specimens.

Some individuals prefer living in the open ocean while others fancy the conditions near the coasts. The Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori), for example, can live only in shallow waters near the coastline. In contrast, the Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) lives in the pelagic zone of high seas.

Open ocean dolphins seem to tolerate cold temperatures better than the coastal species. They rarely get close to the coasts. In contrast, coastal dolphins prefer warm and tropical waters, and their small body allows them to enter narrow and shallow places such as estuaries and river channels.

One thing is for sure: Dolphins visit areas with abundant prey within their habitats. Whether or not it is shallow water, most of these cetaceans prefer the pelagic area of ​​the sea where is easier finding and catching food. If the food supply decreases, dolphins tend to migrate to areas where there is no shortage, so their eating habits also change.

Since most species do not tolerate frozen waters they can migrate in search of warmer places during the seasons when temperatures drop, and vice versa. Dolphins also consider the migration patterns of their usual prey and their breeding habits to move from one site to another and perform seasonal migrations.

River Dolphins, for their part, inhabit the river basins of their distribution areas, along with the banks of the main channels and smaller channels. Some river dolphins venture to explore the forests when the rainy season floods them.

If you want to know the distribution and habitat of a particular species, do not hesitate to visit the Species section.

References

bioexpedition.com/dolphin-habitat-and-distribution/

https://seaworld.org/en/animal-info/animal-infobooks/bottlenose-dolphins/habitat-and-distribution/

http://www.scielo.cl/pdf/revbiolmar/v36n1/art11.pdf

http://www.iucnredlist.org/search

Sam H. Ridgway, Richard John Harrison. Handbook of Marine Mammals: The Second Book of Dolphins and the Porpoises, Volumen 6. 1998.

There are five species of dolphins that make their homes in rivers, being the most popular of them the Pink Dolphins also known as Boto, Boutu or Amazon River dolphins as it inhabits the Amazon River.

The scientific name of the Pink Dolphins from the Amazon is Inia Geoffrensis and they belong to the genus Inea, part of the family Platanistoidea, which is conformed by the five species of river dolphins.

Pink dolphins are not the same dolphins that you would see in the ocean; they have special adaptations to their habitat. In fact, river dolphins are only distantly related to sea dolphins.

They belong taxonomically speaking to different families. The oceanic dolphins belong to the family delphinidae while river dolphins belong to the family Platanistoidea as we said above.

Among the five species of river dolphins, Amazon pink dolphins are considered the most intelligent of them, with a brain capacity 40% larger than that of humans.

Pink dolphins inhabit the Amazon River, but they can also be found in the Orinoco basins and the upper Madeira River as well. While they are mostly pink, these dolphins have various colored skins, which can be light gray, pink, or brown.

The Amazon River pink dolphins conform the largest population of river dolphins in existence as the other four species are functionally extinct or close to extinction.

The river dolphins are among the most endangered species of all the world’s cetaceans. Pink dolphins have been listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a “vulnerable species-threatened” and recently was moved to “endangered species-threatened”

These friendly and social creatures have been living for centuries in the Amazon and its tributaries, but the accelerated destruction of the Amazon basin have put them in a every time more dangerous situation.

The raise in contaminant levels of mercury have caused and increased number of deaths among pink dolphins, especially near gold mines where mercury is used as part of the gold mining process.

The increase of traffic in the Amazon River, also threatens these creatures as they are curious by nature and they sometime approach to vessels where they are easily hurt by the sharp propellers.

Additionally, the noise produced by engines and motors and the sound pollution caused by them, has been considered to produce a disorienting phenomenon in their navigations systems, causing the death of many pink dolphins.

What do Pink Dolphins Eat?

Pink dolphins eat crabs, catfish, small river fish and even small turtles.

As crabs and turtles have to be catch mainly at the bottom of the river, pink dolphins spend a lot of time while swimming looking at the bottom of the river for food.

The boto cervical vertebrae are not fused allowing them to move their head up to 180 degrees, which is a great help for hunting in shallow waters and floodplains.

Hunting fish require some techniques like herding, where they round a fish pod to concentrate fish and take turns for feeding. This procedure is largely used by their oceanic cousins.

Physical Description of Pink Dolphins

In the Amazon Region…There is a legend about the Boto or Pink Dolphin. According to the legend, the Boto turns from man to dolphin and backwards, changing shape at will.

The legend also states that when dolphins find young women on the shore, they changes shape and impregnate them.

This comes from the similarites between certain body parts of the Boto and humans.

There are several other superstitions about the Pink Dolphins in the Amazon River and around.

Pink dolphins can be found in pink, light gray or brown colors but there is not conclusive evidence of the reason why pink dolphins are pink.

It could be an adaptation to the river life or caused by the presence of capillaries near the surface of the skin what provide them such impressive color. Additionally, pink dolphins get pinker when they are excited or surprised, resembling blushing in humans.

The Amazon River dolphin is between six and eight feet long, and weighs between 185 and 355 pounds when it is fully grown.

River dolphins are typically smaller than sea dolphins but they have longer snouts, an adaptation provided by evolution, which is needed to hunt at the bottom of the river. River dolphins also tend to have more pointy teeth than sea dolphins.

Most species of river dolphins are almost blind, due to navigating muddy waters, but their brains are extremely large and well developed, however pink dolphins are considered to have a relatively good sight.

Unlike sea dolphins, river dolphins have what resembles fingers on the ends of their flippers, and their dorsal fins are much smaller than that of sea dolphins or even have humpbacks instead of dorsal fins like the pink river dolphin.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=20h9Tg8BCYU

Behavior of Pink Dolphins

Pink dolphins appear to be the friendliest of all the river dolphins when approaching to humans and some stories of people being pushed to the shores by them are common among some tribes in the Amazon.

They swim up to 30 kilometers in one day, although they usually swim slowly looking for food at the bottom of the river.

“Amazon River Pink Dolphins are typically smaller than sea dolphins but they have longer snouts, an adaptation provided by evolution…”

How do Pink Dolphins Reproduce?

Males and Females mate to start a gestation period which is believed to last from nine to twelve months. Copulation is performed between males and females belly to belly.

Calves are born about 75 cm long and weighing a bit more than 1 Kg.

Pink dolphins deliver their babies when the Amazon River is at its high between the months of May and July.

Pink Dolphin Conservation

The World Conservation Union, also known as International Union for the conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization based in Gland, Switzerland, devoted to the conservation of natural resources.

It was founded in 1948 and groups 83 states, 108 governmental agencies and more than 10,000 scientists and experts from countries around the world.

The IUCN publishes a red list of threatened species which is a reference in the field and the base for conservation of species.

Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Frequently Asked Questions about Pink Dolphins

How Do Pink River Dolphins Reproduce

Why Are Pink River Dolphins Endangered

Why Are Pink Dolphins Pink

Where Do Pink Dolphins Live

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=rK2Kk4DpTVQ

Dolphins live in all oceans of the planet and even in some important rivers.

While not all species of dolphins live everywhere, there is a species for each environment. Specifically one of the best-known species, the bottlenose dolphin lives in every ocean of the world except the Arctic and the Antarctic oceans.

The Atlantic spotted dolphin, lives all over the tropical and temperate areas of the Atlantic Ocean avoiding the Artic and Antarctic regions.

The Pink Dolphin lives in the Amazon river.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVefMJKZaZY

Most dolphins live in the ocean, but there are some species which live in freshwater rivers.

While most known species like the bottlenose and the spinner dolphins live in the sea, some other live in some of the most famous rivers in the world like the Amazon river, the Ganges River, the Yangtze River, the La Plata River and the Indus River.

The best known of all the freshwater species is the Amazon Pink Dolphin, also known as “Boto” who lives in the Amazon river.

Different species of dolphins live in the diverse climates that exist in the world.

From the cold waters of the north pole where some populations of killer whales dwell to the tropical waters of the Caribbean where the bottlenose dolphin live.

Even more, some dolphin species live in the tropical temperatures of rivers like the Amazon or Orinoco.

Dolphins are important to the environment because they can be good natural indicators of the biome conservation.

As they are apex predators, they consume several species of fish and squid concentrating in their bodies the possible contaminants in the water.

Therefore, monitoring dolphins and the levels of contaminants in their bodies help scientists to preserve the ocean.

Dolphins are important to the ecosystem in the sense that they are apex or top-level predators which control populations of fishes and squids and keep the balance of the ecosystem.

Lately, the bottlenose dolphins have been identified as sentinels of the coastal marine ecosystems, because they consume of a wide variety of fishes and squids, they absorb pollutants in their bodies when there are high concentrations of contaminants in the water so scientists can have an idea of the status of the marine environment.