Did you know that the Irrawaddy Dolphins used to help the fishermen Catch fish?
Yes! In India, the fishermen used Lahai Kway; a wooden key which they tap on the side of their boats to attract the dolphin’s attention. The dolphins will drive the school of fish towards the fishermen’s nets and in return they are rewarded by a share of the fish caught in the net.
Irrawaddy Dolphins were named after Auerwady River; also know as Irrwawaddy River, which can be found in Myanmar (used to be Burma).
The Irrawaddy Dolphins have short or almost lacking beaks and blunt snouts. They have a dark blue or gray dorsal skin that gets paler underneath. They have smaller dorsal fins compared to the Humpback Dolphins.
These dolphins are adaptable to bodies of water with different range of salinities. They are known to inhabit some bodies of water in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
They use echolocation to find food and feed on cephalopods, crustaceans, and fish.
Unfortunately, they are endangered because of drowning in gill nets and dragnets, entanglement, electrofishing, gold mining, dam building, explosives, and noise pollution.
According to World Wide Fund for Nature, there are 92 individuals left in the South and Southeast Asia Rivers. International conservation efforts are being executed to protect these mammals.
Referrences: Wikipedia and World Wide Fund
Poem written by Salvacion “Roselle” Reyes
Photo credit: Adobe Creative Cloud Express
