IRRAWADDY DOLPHIN

The Irrawaddy Dolphin

The Irrawaddy dolphin looks more like a river dolphin than a typical marine dolphin, with a rounded forehead and short beak. But what makes this dolphin remarkable — and endangered — is how few of them remain and how scattered they are across the rivers and coasts of Southeast Asia.

These dolphins are found in seven countries across a range spanning 7,700 kilometers, but no single population exceeds 50 individuals. In the Mekong River, the Irrawaddy dolphin population has collapsed to fewer than 90 — and these dolphins have the highest known rate of assisted reproduction, with females giving birth to calves fathered by different males.

In Myanmar's Ayeyarwady River, the population has dropped to around 58. The Irrawaddy dolphin is a mosaic of small, isolated groups — some thriving, most barely surviving.