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Franciscana River Dolphin
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SCIENTIFIC NAME: Pontoporia blainvillei
OTHER NAMES: La Plata Dolphin
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LOCATION: It is the only river dolphin that doesn’t actually live in a river. It prefers the shallow waters along the coasts from Brazil down to Argentina.
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SIZE: (adult) 4- 5 1/2 , 65-115 lbs
(newborn) 28-32 in, 16-19 lb
POD SIZE: 1-5
diet: fish, squid, krill
POPULATION: unknown
THREATS: fishing nets, human disturbance, pollution, habitat destruction
DESCRIPTION: The Franciscana Dolphin has the longest beak of any dolphin, and has a straight mouth line. It has small eyes, and the area around them is slightly darker than the rest of the body. It is usually a grayish brown on top, with a paler grayish brown underneath. (The skin color grows paler and the beak grows longer with age.) Juveniles have considerably shorter beaks and chubbier heads. The broad flippers have strongly curved leading edges and serrated trailing edges, and bones are noticeable through the skin. The flukes are very, very broad, and can be as wide as 1/3 of the body length, and have slightly concave trailing edges and a slight notch in the center. The dorsal fin has a slightly rounded tip with a long base, and continues as a ridge to the tail stock. It’s top jaw has 106-116 teeth, and the lower jaw has 102-112 teeth. It is one of the smallest cetaceans.
BEHAVIOR: The Franciscana is difficult to detect for several reasons. It moves very smoothly, without rolling or splashing at the surface when it comes to breathe. It also tends to avoid boats. It likes to lay on sand in shallow water to rest on hit sunny days, rising at intervals to breathe. It is usually solitary, though it does seem to travel in small groups of up to 5 members occasionally. When it notices a predator, it will float at or near the surface, remaining completely motionless.
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