Behavior of Pink Dolphins

Feeding

• The waters of the Amazon and Orinoco rivers are often murky and silt filled. Good eyesight is not much use in such waters, and pink dolphins have poor vision. Instead, they use echolocation to navigate and find food. The echo reflections of their clicks and whistles allow the dolphins to form a picture of their environment without actually seeing anything. Pink dolphins have unusually flexible necks, which assists echolocation because they can move their heads from side to side to scan a wide area. They also have bristles on their beaks, which allow them to feel prey hiding in the muddy bottom. Sometimes the dolphins swim upside-down near the bottom, presumably to have a look at possible food items, which otherwise is difficult given the size of their heads.

Breeding

• Pink dolphins come together to mate but do not appear to form long lasting pair bonds.

  Female pink dolphins normally have just one calf at a time about once every two or three years. The calves swim with their mothers for at least a year, after which time they live alone.

Social

• Pink dolphins are mostly solitary, searching for food alone. Sometimes, however, they congregate in small groups. Pink dolphins occasionally cooperate with each other to locate and herd fish. Interspecies cooperation is well documented. Frequently the groups herding fish include the tucuxi, a marine dolphin that ventures into rivers, and the giant otter. Pink dolphins also work with human fishermen to locate and catch fish. They appear to be protective of injured members of their species.

Miscellaneous

• Pink dolphins explore almost everywhere that is accessible to them, including floodplains and river tributaries. In fact, temporary floodplain habitats appear to be important to the species. However, they never enter saline waters, and there are no reports of the species venturing into the ocean. Some individuals cross a large area, with photo-identification showing certain pink dolphins travelling over 75 miles. Others, however, appear to remain within a fairly small range. In captivity, the species is both more confident and less social than bottlenose dolphins. This species is not at all timid, and wild pink dolphins often approach boats and even play with paddles or rub against canoes. They also play with sticks, grass, turtles and fish.