Indus River dolphin / Bhulan

Scientific Name		Platanista minor
English Common Name		Indus River dolphin / Bhulan
Taxonomy		Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Sub-order: Odontoceti Family: Platanistidae Genus: Platanista Species: minor
Behaviour		Not a very acrobatic species and known to actively avoid all types of boats. They are usually relatively slow swimmers although they are capable of bursts of speed and able to change direction very quickly underwater. They also leave and re-enter the water very quickly and it can be difficult to actually sight the animal and not just the splash it leaves in its wake. Sometimes they can be seen swimming with their beaks sticking out of the water. They are normally found at junctions where two rivers meet, and just downstream of shallow water. They prefer deeper water, but can be found in water as shallow as a metre. Side-swimming is another feature of these dolphins and they usually employ this technique in shallow waters. They are also highly acoustic and are known to vocalize constantly – this may be connected to the fact that they are effectively blind, capable of seeing only shadows. Group size is generally small and consists of between 1 – 5 individuals.
World Distribution		The Indus River dolphin formerly ranged throughout the Indus River and its tributaries; the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers, of Pakistan and India. They could be found from the tidal limits to the foothills of the Himalayas. Their range is now limited to three areas in the mainstream of the river, located between the Chasma-Taunsa, Taunsa-Guddu, and Guddu-Sukkur barrages. A few scattered individuals may still occur upstream of the Chasma barrage in the Indus and downstream of the Trimmu, Sidhnai, and Pandjnad barrages in the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers, respectively.
Morphology		Although a different sub-species and geographically isolated from the Gangetic River dolphin, they look identical and display similar behaviour. Indus River dolphins are a uniform grey-brown colour. They have a stocky body with a slightly rounded belly and their forehead slopes sharply to a long, narrow beak that thickens towards the end; females tend to have longer beaks than males. Their front teeth are very long and extremely sharp and are visible even when the mouth is closed. They have a large number of teeth with between 52 – 78 on the upper jaw and between 52 – 70 on the lower jaw. Their flippers are very broad and paddle-shaped and their flukes are also very broad and wide relative to their body size. Instead of a prominent dorsal fin, they possess a small triangular-shaped hump, positioned towards the rear of the body. These are the only cetaceans that lack a crystalline eye lens, effectively making them blind and therefore they rely on a highly sophisticated echolocation system.
Threats		Due to their restricted habitat and proximity to human populations, these dolphins face a culmination of threats. These include; incidental entanglement in fishing gear, industrial development, dam and barrage construction, vessel strikes, chemical and noise pollution and other human-induced habitat loss and degradation.
Status		Available estimates are merely an interpretation of various documented counts and indicate a total of approximately 600-700 individuals for the species as a whole.
Conservation Activities		CMS Appendix II IUCN – Endangered