Wildlifeof Vietnam
Irrawaddy Dolphin
Whales, Dolphins & Dugong
Photo: no rights reserved · CC0
Orcaella brevirostris
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Bony fish (including catfish) and fish eggs, cephalopods and crustaceans
Habitat
Estuaries, rivers and coastal waters; lagoons
Range
Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia
Litter size
1 calf every 2–3 years
Gestation period
About 14 months
Size
About 2.3m at full maturity; up to 2.75m
Weight
90–200kg
The Irrawaddy dolphin is a slate-blue to grey dolphin, paler underneath and without a distinct pattern, with a blunt snout. It weighs 90–200 kg and reaches about 2.3 m at full maturity. It surfaces in a rolling way and lifts its tail fluke clear of the water only for a deep dive. It closely resembles the Australian snubfin dolphin, which was described as a separate species only in 2005 (Wikipedia, general species account).
It lives in scattered subpopulations near coasts and in estuaries and rivers in the Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia, with a few concentrated lagoon populations. Groups are usually two or three, sometimes up to 25 in deep pools. It can squirt streams of water up to 1.5 m, apparently to herd fish, and gestation is about 14 months.
Quick answers
- What does the Irrawaddy Dolphin eat?
- Bony fish (including catfish) and fish eggs, cephalopods and crustaceans
- What habitat does the Irrawaddy Dolphin live in?
- Estuaries, rivers and coastal waters; lagoons
- Where is the Irrawaddy Dolphin found?
- Bay of Bengal and Southeast Asia
- What is the litter size of the Irrawaddy Dolphin?
- 1 calf every 2–3 years
- How long is the gestation period of the Irrawaddy Dolphin?
- About 14 months
- How big is the Irrawaddy Dolphin?
- About 2.3m at full maturity; up to 2.75m
- How much does the Irrawaddy Dolphin weigh?
- 90–200kg