Indus and Ganges river dolphins are two different species
- Posted By
10Pointer
- Categories
Environment
- Published
14th Apr, 2021
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Context
The detailed analysis of South Asian river dolphins has revealed that the Indus and Ganges River dolphins belong to two separate species.
Key findings of the study
- Parameters: The study was conducted on the body growth, skull morphology, tooth counts, coloration, and genetic makeup of the species.
- DNA study: The study also took the DNA analysis of mitochondrial DNA.
- The DNA sequence analysis shows that they both are quite different.
Mitochondrial DNA
- It is a small circular chromosome found inside mitochondria.
- Mitochondria are found in all eukaryotic cells and which is known as the powerhouse of the cell.
- The mitochondria, and the mitochondrial DNA, are passed from mother to offspring through the egg cell.
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- Divergence:The study shows that they both are divergent species and may have diverged around 550,000 years ago.
Indus River Dolphin
- Location: They are found only in the lower parts of the Indus River in Pakistan and River Beas, India.
- Characteristics: They have adapted to life in the muddy river and are functionally blind.
- They rely on echolocation to navigate, communicate.
- They hunt prey including prawns, catfish, and carp.
Ganges River Dolphin
- The Ganges river dolphin (Platanistagangetica) is a freshwater species of dolphin.
- Location:The Ganges river dolphin is found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Bangladesh and India.
- A few individuals of this species also survive in Nepal in the Karnali River and possibly the SaptaKosi River.
- The species is extinct from most of its early distribution ranges.
- Characteristics: It is essentially blind and hunts by emitting ultrasonic sounds.
- Females are larger than males.
Conservation Status of both the species
- It is enlisted as Endangered under IUCN.
- International trade is prohibited under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
- It is protected under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act.
- It is also listed as endangered by the US government National Marine Fisheries Service under the Endangered Species Act.
- The species is listed in Appendix Iand Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.
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