Hobbies And Interests
General Habitat
The dolphins live and hunt in muddy, stagnant water areas in rivers and tributaries. During floods, they may move into the flooded areas around the river and risk getting stranded. The dolphins never enter saltwater areas, staying in fresh water their entire lives.
Searching for Food
The pink river dolphin is able to weave in and out of the trees and shrubbery growing along the river banks, floodplains, tributaries and other shallow waters. They usually hunt in small family pods or on their own, though they have been known to work in large groups at river confluences to capture prey. They use small hairs on their snout, their vision or their sonar to locate prey such as freshwater fish, crabs and other crustaceans.
Family Groups
The pink river dolphin does not have the kind of predators that saltwater dolphins do, so they do not need the protection of large pods. Instead, they live in small family groups that are led by an adult male. The families usually grow to five or eight members.
Threats
The deforestation and commercialization of the Amazon has begun to threaten the boto's habitat. The animal has no natural predators other than the threats posed by man. The dolphins get caught in fishery operations, lose access to their hunting and living grounds due to hydroelectric activity or construction, or their waters get polluted due to development, agriculture, mining and other industries.