Wow . . . scientists have just discovered a new species of river dolphin! It's crazy when large species like this have been known to native people but not to science until now. This dolphin, proposed to be called the Araguaian Boto, lives in one of the Amazon's tributaries called the Araguaia River, and it is only the 5th species of river dolphin known. River dolphins are pretty distantly related to oceanic dolphins and grab fish from the mud in the bottom of rivers.
Most river dolphins are threatened, and the Yangtze river dolphin is thought to have gone extinct in 2006. Because of human threats, this new dolphin species is also under threat, and its population is estimated at about 1,000.
I'll mention that some scientists are also debating this being a new species because of the lack of a sufficient number of skeletons and bones studied.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25841135
Most river dolphins are threatened, and the Yangtze river dolphin is thought to have gone extinct in 2006. Because of human threats, this new dolphin species is also under threat, and its population is estimated at about 1,000.
I'll mention that some scientists are also debating this being a new species because of the lack of a sufficient number of skeletons and bones studied.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-25841135
Photo Credit: Nicole Dutra