Context
The population of dolphins in Chilika Lake, the largest freshwater lake,and along the Odisha coast has doubled this year compared to the last year.
About the Key findings
- Three species were recorded Irrawaddy, bottle-nose, and humpback dolphins.
- The number has increased to 544 compared with 233 last year.
- The endangered Irrawaddy dolphin population has jumped from 146 in 2020 to 162 this year.
- The highest growth was noticed in the case of humpback dolphins from 2, in 2020 to 281, in 2021.
- The number of bottle-nose dolphins increased from 23 in 2020 to 54 this year.
- Reasons: The reasons behind the rise are considered to be as:
- The eviction of illegal fish enclosures
- Declaration of encroachment-free water
- Regulations imposed during the Covid-19
Irrawaddy Dolphin
- The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaellabrevirostris) is a euryhaline species of oceanic dolphin.
- It is categorized as endangered in the IUCN list.
- It is not a true river dolphin but an oceanic dolphin that lives in the brackish water near coasts, river mouths, and estuaries.
- It has subpopulations in freshwater rivers which include the Ganges and the Mekong, as well as the Irrawaddy River from which it takes its name.
- Its ranges from the Bay of Bengal to New Guinea and the Philippines.
- The only concentrated lagoon populations are found in Chilika Lake, Odisha,and Songkhla Lake in southern Thailand.
Bottlenose dolphins
- Genus:Tursiops
- Family: Delphinidae (family of oceanic dolphin)
- They are categorized under the ‘least concern’ of IUCN
- They inhabit warm and temperate seas worldwide andare found everywhere except for the Arctic and Antarctic Circle regions.
Humpback dolphin
- Scientific name:Sousa plumbea
- Family:Delphinidae
- The species is currently categorized as Endangered.
- It ranges from Southern Africa to Western Indochina, East Africa, the Middle East, and India.
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