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The Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) is a species of freshwater dolphin classified in the family Platanistidae. It lives in the Ganges and related rivers of South Asia , namely in the countries of India , Nepal , and Bangladesh . [ 3 ]
South Asian river dolphins are toothed whales in the genus Platanista, which inhabit the waterways of the Indian subcontinent.They were historically considered to be one species (P. gangetica) with the Ganges river dolphin and the Indus river dolphin being subspecies (P. g. gangetica and P. g. minor respectively).
In Hindu mythology, the Ganges river dolphin is associated with Ganga, the deity of the Ganges river. The dolphin is said to be one of the creatures which heralded the goddess' descent from the heavens, and Ganga's mount, the Makara, is sometimes depicted as a dolphin. [60] In Chinese mythology, the baiji has many origin stories.
Platanistidae is a family of river dolphins containing the extant Ganges river dolphin and Indus river dolphin (both in the genus Platanista) but also extinct relatives from freshwater [2] and marine deposits in the Neogene.
Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary is located in Bhagalpur District of Bihar, India.The sanctuary is a 60 kilometers stretch of the Ganges River from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district. notified as Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in 1991, it is the protected area for the endangered Gangetic dolphins in Asia.
The river's most famed faunal member is the freshwater Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica), [122] which has been declared India's national aquatic animal. [ 131 ] This dolphin used to exist in large schools near urban centres in both the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers but is now seriously threatened by pollution, dam ...
The Ganges river dolphin is one of the few species of freshwater dolphins in the world. Listed as endangered, its population is believed to be less than 2,000. Hydroelectric and irrigation dams along the Ganges, which prevent the dolphins from traveling up and down the river, are considered the main reason for their declining numbers. [34]
National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400 km 2 (2,100 sq mi) tri-state protected area in northern India for the protection of the Critically Endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle and the Endangered Ganges river dolphin.