Facts about Guiana Dolphin
- 09
The Guiana dolphin's reproductive cycle spans approximately 2 to 3 years from conception through weaning, making breeding a time-intensive process for females in their population.
- 08
Calves of Guiana dolphins are born after a gestation period of approximately 10 to 11 months and typically remain dependent on their mothers for nursing until around one year of age.
- 07
Guiana dolphins inhabit coastal waters from Venezuela to southern Brazil, with the largest populations concentrated in the Amazon River estuary and coastal bays of northeastern South America.
- 06
Social groups of Guiana dolphins typically consist of 2 to 6 individuals, though aggregations of up to 30 dolphins occasionally form in particularly productive feeding areas.
- 05
Guiana dolphins exhibit a dark gray coloration on their dorsal surface that gradually lightens toward their white or pink ventral sides, with some individuals developing distinctly pink skin patches as they age.
- 04
Populations of Guiana dolphins in the Amazon River estuary face critical threats from fishing net entanglement, with hundreds dying annually as bycatch.
- 03
Guiana dolphins produce distinctive click vocalizations at frequencies up to 130 kilohertz, enabling sophisticated prey detection in turbid estuarine habitats.
- 02
Murky coastal waters and river mouths of South America host Guiana dolphins that rely on echolocation to navigate and hunt in environments with poor visibility.
- 01
Measuring only 1.5 to 1.9 meters in length, the Guiana dolphin ranks among the smallest cetacean species in the world.