Interestingly, Amazon River dolphins are the only dolphins who have the equivalent of molar teeth, much like we do. They can also throw sticks and weed, pull grass underwater and play with turtles, snakes and fish. Amazon River dolphins have been known to approach canoes, grabbing hold of fishermen’s paddles with their beaks and making off with their prize.
As you can imagine, this is very helpful when your prey is quick and prone to taking refuge in hard-to-reach places.Īctive day and night, botos are quite inquisitive beings. Assisted by their big, paddle-shaped flippers that they can circle independently of each other, botos are natural gymnasts, swimming backwards, upside down and pivoting like pros. Dexterous swimmers, they can easily weave their way through submerged trees and shrubs to find their food. Helping them to hunt and feed, Amazon River dolphins have lithe, manoeuvrable bodies. While sometimes 20 to 40 botos can be found feeding together in one area, it’s not particularly common and they generally prefer keeping themselves to themselves. Usually found alone, in mother-calf pairs or in small pods of 3 or 4 individuals, botos are rarely found in large groups. As wounds heal, they are covered with pink scar tissue eventually replacing their grey skin. Mature males are pinker than females, which could be to do with their penchant for fighting. Aided by their unfused neck vertebrae, they can get a good look at their underwater worlds by turning their heads in all directions and checking things out from every angle.īaby botos are born a bluish-grey colour and they get pinker as they age. This may lead you to think that river dolphins struggle to see, but in fact, their eyesight is actually pretty good. With low, ridge-like dorsal fins, long, skinny snouts, plump bodies, chubby cheeks and round, bulbous foreheads, botos have developed a unique look of their own.Įven with their generously-sized heads though, botos have fairly small eyes. Born grey, adult Amazon River dolphins turn pink or pinkish-grey as they mature, with males being both bigger and pinker than females. Botos look very different to marine dolphins.
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