According to the Wildlife Institute of India, there are now over 4,000 Gangetic dolphins in the Gangetic River basin, with more than 2,000 found in Uttar Pradesh, primarily in the Chambal River. This increase indicates improving water quality and effective conservation efforts.
The Ganges river dolphin, known scientifically as Platanista gangetica and also called the blind dolphin, Ganges susu, or Hihu, historically inhabited the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems.
Currently, they are found in specific stretches of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Barak river system in India, as well as in river systems in Nepal and Bangladesh.
Gangetic dolphins are blind and live exclusively in freshwater. They use sonar for hunting, emitting ultrasonic sound waves that bounce off prey.
These dolphins usually live alone or in small groups and must surface every 30-120 seconds to breathe, producing a distinctive ‘susu’ sound when exhaling.
