Amazon River Dolphin Conservation Foundation
Amazon River Dolphin Conservation Foundation
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    • Home
    • ABOUT ARDCF
      • Our Mission & History
      • What We Do
      • Meet the Team
      • Partners & Supporters
      • Contact Us
    • BOTOS
      • Why ARDs
      • ARD Facts
    • Expeditions
      • Expedition Information
      • Itinerary
      • Make Your Reservations
      • Testimonials
      • Photo Gallery
      • FAQ's
    • GET INVOLVED
      • How You Can Help
      • Store
      • Donate
      • Kid's Corner
    • Media
      • Podcasts & Interviews
      • Instagram
      • Facebook
      • YouTube
      • Twitter

  • Home
  • ABOUT ARDCF
    • Our Mission & History
    • What We Do
    • Meet the Team
    • Partners & Supporters
    • Contact Us
  • BOTOS
    • Why ARDs
    • ARD Facts
  • Expeditions
    • Expedition Information
    • Itinerary
    • Make Your Reservations
    • Testimonials
    • Photo Gallery
    • FAQ's
  • GET INVOLVED
    • How You Can Help
    • Store
    • Donate
    • Kid's Corner
  • Media
    • Podcasts & Interviews
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Twitter

Amazon river dolphin FACTS

What is an Amazon River Dolphin?

CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Cetacea
SUBORDER: Odontoceti
FAMILY: Iniidae
GENUS:  Inia
SPECIES: Geoffrensis


IUCN conservation status: Endangered


Amazon River Dolphins, also known as "Botos," can be found in the Amazon River system. They average 6.5 feet in length and are often a rosy pink color. 

See the amazon river dolphins first hand!

DID YOU KNOW?!

Learn some fun facts about the animals we work to conserve! 


Our Amazon River "Botos" are the largest of only 4 river dolphin species!


Unlike its other marine mammal counterparts, the Amazon River Dolphin has unfused neck vertebrae which allows them to turn their head completely from side to side! 


The Amazon River Dolphin has two types of teeth: cone-shaped (like bottlenose dolphins) and spade-shaped (like porpoises). These two types of teeth allow the Amazon River Dolphin to have a varied diet, as they eat a variety of fish (such as catfish & piranhas) and even are known to eat some turtles!


Boto gestation averages 13 months. Calves will stay with their mothers anywhere from 1-6 years!

Find out how you can help

THE LEGEND OF THE BOTO

In Amazonian folklore and culture, botos live in magical, underwater kingdoms and have supernatural powers. The boto is an ‘encantado’ – an enchanted shapeshifter living as a river dolphin by day and morphing into a handsome young man at night. Once transformed, the encantado leaves the river to attend parties and seduce young girls. These mysterious shapeshifters are not able to completely disguise themselves though and still have traces of their dolphin selves. To keep their identities safe, they always wear white hats to cover the blowhole still atop their heads and must return back to the river before morning.


Source: Whale & Dolphin Conservation

Amazon River Dolphin Conservation Foundation

info@ardcf.org

WhatsApp +1 (409) 789-5950

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