Boto

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"Inia" redirects here; for the town in Cyprus, see Inia, Cyprus.
Boto
A Boto at Duisburg Zoo.
A Boto at Duisburg Zoo.
Size comparison against an average human
Size comparison against an average human
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Eutheria
Order: Cetacea
Suborder: Odontoceti
Superfamily: Platanistoidea
Family: Iniidae
Gray, 1846
Genus: Inia
Species: I. geoffrensis
Binomial name
Inia geoffrensis
Blainville, 1817
Boto range
Boto range

The Boto, Boutu, Amazon River Dolphin or Pink River Dolphin[1] (Inia geoffrensis) is a freshwater river dolphin endemic to the Amazon River and Orinoco River systems. The largest of the river dolphins, this species is not to be confused with the Tucuxi (Sotalia fluviatilis), whose range overlaps that of the Boto but is not a true river dolphin.

The IUCN lists various other names to describe this species including Amazon Dolphin, Boto Vermelho, Boto Cor-de-Rosa, Bouto, Bufeo, Dauphin de l'Amazone, Inia, Pink Dolphin, Wee Quacker, Pink Freshwater Dolphin, Pink Porpoise, and Tonina.

Contents

[edit] Taxonomy

The first type specimen was described by Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1817.

1998 classification lists a single species, I. geoffrensis, in the genus Inia, with three recognised subspecies:

  • I.g. geoffrensis - Amazon basin population (excluding Madeira river drainage area, above the Teotonio Rapids in Bolivia)
  • I.g. boliviensis - Amazon basin population in the Madeira drainage area
  • I.g. humboldtiana - Orinoco basin population

Some older classifications listed the boliviensis population as a separate species.


[edit] Mythology

In a traditional Amazon River myth, at night a Boto becomes a handsome young man who seduces girls,[2] impregnates them, then returns to the river in the morning to become a Boto again. This dolphin shapeshifter is called an encantado. It has been suggested that the myth arose partly because dolphin genitalia bear a resemblance to that of humans. In the local area, there are also tales that it is bad luck to kill a Boto. Legend also states that if a person makes eye contact with a Boto, that person will have nightmares for the rest of his or her life.

The botos at Duisburg Zoo in June 2006
The botos at Duisburg Zoo in June 2006

[edit] Food and diet

The Boto has 25-30 peg-like front teeth for catching prey and it mainly eats crustaceans,crabs,turtles,and catfish.


[edit] References

  1. ^ Wildfacts: Boto. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
  2. ^ "Whales and Dolphins" at ancientspiral.com
General references
  • Cetacean Specialist Group (1996). Inia geoffrensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is vulnerable.
  • Rice, Dale W. (1998). Marine mammals of the world: systematics and distribution. Society of Marine Mammalogy Special Publication Number 4. 231 pp.
  • Montgomery, Sy (2000). Journey of the pink dolphins : an Amazon quest. Simon & Schuster, 317 pages. 068484558X
  • Juliet Clutton-Brock (2000). Mammals, 381 pages.
  • Hilda. Pink Dolphin. Retrieved on 2007-09-08.

[edit] External links

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