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The 'Boto', 'Amazon River Dolphin' or 'Pink River Dolphin'^[1] (''Inia geoffrensis'') is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Amazon River and Orinoco River systems. The largest of the river dolphins, this species is not to be confused with the Tucuxi (''Sotalia fluviatilis''), whose range overlaps that of the Boto but is not a true river dolphin.
The IUCN lists various other names to describe this species including 'Amazon Dolphin', 'Boto Vermelho', 'Boto Cor-de-Rosa', 'Bouto', 'Bufeo', 'Dauphin de l'Amazone', 'Inia', 'Pink Dolphin', 'Pink Freshwater Dolphin', 'Pink Porpoise', and 'Tonina'.

Contents

Taxonomy

Physical description

Conservation

Mythology

Food and diet

Botos in captivity

References

External links

Taxonomy

The first type specimen was described by Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1817.
1998 classification lists a single species, ''I. geoffrensis'', in the genus ''Inia'', with three recognised subspecies:

★ ''I.g. geoffrensis'' - Amazon basin population (excluding Madeira river drainage area, above the Teotonio Rapids in Bolivia)

★ ''I.g. boliviensis'' - Amazon basin population in the Madeira drainage area

★ ''I.g. humboldtiana'' - Orinoco basin population
Some older classifications listed the ''boliviensis'' population as a separate species.

Physical description

The boto can vary in colour from a memorable bright pink colour through to a murky brown, grey, blue-grey or creamy white.^[2] When young, the dolphins are a light grey and develop in colour later on. When they are excited or surprised, they become pinker - almost as if they are blushing. Adults are typically 2.5 metres (8 feet) in length and weigh 150 kilograms (330 pounds). The flippers are large compared with body size and are curved back. The Boto does not have a dorsal fin, though a bumpy raised ridge on the back shows the evolutionary remnants of one. It has a prominent, long, thin beak with 25-35 pairs of teeth in both the upper and lower jaws. The front teeth are peglike, whereas the rear teeth are flatter with cusps. The two tooth types serve different functions: seizing prey and crushing, respectively. Botos generally feed from the bottom of the river and their preferred diet consists of crabs and small fish. Small turtles are also occasionally eaten.
This species is not often seen in groups larger than 5, but in rare circumstances up to 20 may be seen together. Unlike other dolphins, the Boto's cervical(neck) vertebrae are not fused, allowing the head a wide range of movement. Though their eyes are small they can see quite well, except for their bulging cheeks hampering downward view. This, however, is overcome by swimming upside-down.

Conservation

By the precarious standards of the river dolphins, the Boto is the most secure species in the superfamily. Nevertheless, the 1994 and 2000 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classified it as ''vulnerable''. In contrast to the rapidly dwindling areas of population of the recently-extinct Baiji and the Ganges and Indus River Dolphin, the area populated by the Boto seems to have remained fairly steady over time. Although complete surveys have not been taken owing to the inaccessibility of the rainforests, it is estimated that the total population of Botos runs into tens of thousands.
Botos have never been directly hunted. However fishermen are known to have occasionally killed them to protect their catch and fishing gear. It is not known whether this practice is widespread enough to damage local sub-populations. Since 1988 this practice has been outlawed in Brazil and Bolivia and in protected areas of Peru, Venezuela and Colombia.
The rising human population in the Amazon and Orinoco basins gives scientists cause for concern. Several damming projects of the kind that have devastated the recently-extinct Baiji populations in Asia have been proposed for the region which environmentalists are vigorously opposed to.
Some Boto deaths occur to mercury poisoning of their environment. These deaths typically occur close to gold mines; mercury is widely used to separate gold from surrounding rock.

Mythology

In a traditional Amazon River myth, at night a Boto becomes a handsome young man who seduces girls,^[3] impregnates them, then returns to the river in the morning to become a Boto again. This dolphin shapeshifter is called an encantado. It has been suggested that the myth arose partly because dolphin genitalia bear a resemblance to that of humans. In the local area, there are also tales that it is bad luck to kill a Boto.
It is also said that, if eye contact is made with a Boto, you will have nightmares for the rest of your life.

Food and diet

The Boto has peg-like front teeth for catching prey and it mainly eats crabs, shrimps, and sometimes even turtles and catfish.

Botos in captivity

There are only two institutions keeping Botos in human captivity, the Acuario de Valencia (Venezuela) that keeps 5 and the Duisburg Zoo (Germany) where there is only one boto. At Duisburg Zoo the oldest known Amazon River Dolphin died with the age of over 40 years in October 2006.

References

1. Wildfacts: Boto
2. Amazon River Dolphin description
3. "Whales and Dolphins" at ancientspiral.com

;General references

★ Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is vulnerable

★ Rice, Dale W. (1998). Marine mammals of the world: systematics and distribution. Society of Marine Mammalogy Special Publication Number 4. 231 pp.

★ Montgomery, Sy (2000). Journey of the pink dolphins : an Amazon quest. Simon & Schuster, 317 pages. 068484558X

★ Juliet Clutton-Brock(2000).Mammals,381pages.

★ Pink Dolphin Hilda

External links

★ Book: "Pink dolphin, friend of the river" (Web Site - English & Spanish)

★ Omacha Foundation - A non-government and non-profit organisation, created to study, research and protect river dolphins and other fauna and aquatic ecosystems in Colombia (website in English and Spanish). Winner of the 2007 Whitley Awards (UK)

★ Projeto Boto - a non-profit research project that is increasing knowledge, understanding and the conservation prospects of the Amazon's two endemic dolphins - the boto (''Inia geoffrensis'') and the tucuxi (''Sotalia fluviatilis'')

★ ''Dolphins, Whales and Porpoises: 2002–2010 Conservation Action Plan for the World's Cetaceans.'' IUCN/SSC Cetacean Specialist Group 2003, Reeves et al. HTML copy of book-length report

★ Convention on Migratory Species page on the Amazon Dolphin

★ The Nature Conservancy works to protect habitat for the Boto

★ Walker's Mammals of the World Online - Amazon Dolphins

★ Animal Info page on the Boto

★ Cetacea.org page on the Boto (From the Wayback Machine)

★ - Virtual Explorers

★ Music: "Music from the Pink Dolphins" by Laurel Canyon Animal Company