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Scientific Name: Platanista gangetica (Lebeck, 1801)
English Name: Ganges River Dolphin, Ganges Dolphin, Blind River Dolphin, South Asian River Dolphin
Local/Bangla Name: Shushuk (শুশুক), Huchchum (হাচুম), Hurchum (হুরচুম), Hoom (হুম), Nadir Shushuk (নদীর শুশুক),
Dolphin : Platanista gangetica - Ganges River Dolphin, Ganges Dolphin,

Photo: Atanu Modak (iNaturalist)

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetartiodactyla
Family: Platanistidae
Description:
The body is sturdy and pliable, featuring a supple neck often marked by a narrow groove or bend. The head is small, housing a rounded melon divided by a slight ridge in front of the blowhole. The blowhole, situated atop the head and running along the body’s length, appears as a slit. Its distinctive attribute is the elongated, slender snout or rostrum, which may reach up to one-fifth of the body’s length, flattened from side to side and broadening towards the tip, occasionally curving upward in females. This structure is relatively longer in females compared to males.They possess diminutive triangular dorsal fins, contrasted by sizable pectoral flippers and expansive tail flukes.
Habitat & Distribution in Bangladesh:
It generally found in freshwater rivers. In Bangladesh, it occurs in Ganges,Brahmaputra, Meghna, Karnaphuli and Sangu river systems.
Environment:
Freshwater.
DNA Barcodes from Bangladesh
GenBank Accession Number:
COI: OP131728  
Other DNA Barcodes & Nucleutide Sequences
Global IUCN conservation status:
BD IUCN conservation status:
Other Information