why pink dolphins are pink

Is there anything more majestic than a dolphin? They’re one of the smartest animals on Earth, with beauty and grace to match their intellect. It’s a great thrill to watch dolphins leap from the ocean into the air. They’re easy to spot, with long beaks, round heads, and bright pink skin! Wait. Pink skin? Aren’t most dolphins grey? And long beaks? If you’ve seen many saltwater dolphins, that may not sound quite right. But we’re talking about a specific freshwater dolphin. The Amazon river dolphin, to be exact! The Amazon river dolphin is also called the boto. It lives in the basins of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers of South America. When the rivers flood, they fill thousands of miles of the rainforest. This expands the boto’s habitat. During rain seasons, botos can be seen swimming through and around flooded tree roots and other plants of the rainforest. It’s the boto’s looks that really set it apart from other dolphins. Special vertebrae make it able to steer through trees by bending at 90-degree angles. Its beak is longer, and its forehead much rounder, than those of most dolphins you’ve likely seen. They’re also a bit smaller, at around eight feet and 450 pounds. And yes—many Amazon river dolphins have bright pink skin! What makes their skin pink? - That’s the real mystery. Experts still disagree over what causes botos to turn pink. However, they do know that all Amazon river dolphins are born grey. Some of them—usually males—turn pink later in life. And often, they grow pinker as they age. This leads some experts to believe the pink skin is scar tissue. Male botos are known to fight a lot. They may turn pink as their bodies accumulate battle scars. This would also explain why botos become pinker with age. After all, older dolphins have likely been in more fights and gained more scars. Other scientists believe the boto’s pink skin is pink to help it hide from predators. After all, the mud of the flooded rainforest floor often takes on a reddish color. It would make sense for botos to develop pink skin in an attempt to blend in. And blending in is definitely something many botos are interested in doing. Many of them tend to be very shy. That makes it difficult for experts to know just how many of them there are. When botos do show an interest in humans, though, they’re very friendly. They’re sometimes known to play with children in shallow water. If you believe local legends, botos go to great lengths to be friendly with people. A South American story claims that Amazon river dolphins have the ability to turn into human beings. People say they can be seen walking near water at night, wearing hats to cover their blowholes. Unfortunately, not all people are quite so friendly to botos. They often run into trouble with fishermen. Some fishermen use boto as bait for fish. Others kill them because they see botos as competition for fish. Many botos are also accidentally killed each year when they’re caught in fishing net meant for smaller fish. Would you like to see a boto one day? How about one disguised as a human being? That old story may not be true, but there’s still something magical about these bright pink dolphins! Pink Dolphin facts - Fact 1. The Amazon pink river dolphin can change its color! - Although Amazon pink river dolphins are famous for its pink hue, they weren’t born this way. The dolphins are actually born gray and slowly turn pink as they age. Male dolphins are strikingly pinker than their female counterparts; the coloration thought to be a product of scar tissue resulting from rough games or fighting over conquests. However, their final color can be influenced by their behavior, capillary placement, diet, and exposure to sunlight; with brighter pinks attracting more attention from the females. These river dolphins can sport markings that range from mostly gray with some pink spots, to full flamingo pink. Fact 2. The Amazon pink river dolphin has the largest bodies and brains of any freshwater dolphin - The Amazon pink river dolphin is the largest and smartest out of the five freshwater species. A full-grown dolphin can grow up to 9 feet (2.7 meters) long, weigh up to 400 pounds (181 kilograms), and live to 30 years old. Their diet is the most diverse amongst toothed whales (especially during the wet season), consisting of more than 53 species, including piranhas. They also have unusually large brains, with 40 percent more brain capacity than humans! While they are known to be shy creatures, they are fascinatingly drawn to people, playing curiously with local children, and without demonstrating aggressive behavior. They also communicate using high-frequency sonar clicks to build a three-dimensional echogram of their dark riverine world. Fact 3. The Amazon pink river dolphin is secretive in nature - It is an enigma as to how many “botos” exist in the Amazon, as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists them as ‘data deficient’. Part of this status is because while dolphins have a reputation for gathering in groups, the pink river dolphin is often seen alone or in small groups of 2-4 individuals, usually mother and young. One challenge in counting them is that the riverine waters are often murky with silt. Another is that they do not go out of their way to make themselves seen, often putting only the tips of their heads out of the water. They spend a lot of time underwater, and their shy and elusive behavior adds to their mythical quality. Paradoxically, the good news is that despite living in small groups, Amazon pink river dolphins are incredibly curious and outgoing animals towards humans. They can be frequently spotted playing in the river by our guests during our skiff excursions. Fact 4. The Amazon pink river dolphin are gymnasts of the water - Pink river dolphins are super agile, as the vertebrae in their necks are unfused, unlike other dolphins. The ability to turn their heads to an angle of 90 degrees allows them to maneuver around tree trunks, rocks, and other obstacles. They can also swim forward with one flipper while paddling backward with the other, letting them turn with more precision. They can often be seen swimming upside down, possibly to help them see the bottom of the river better. Despite their small eyes they have good sight above and underwater and have no trouble navigating the Amazon’s muddy waters to catch their prey thanks to an excellent sense of echolocation. Fact 5. The Amazon pink river dolphin is considered a mythical creature - The Amazon pink river dolphin is the subject of many South American folklore, not all benevolent. One such legend claims that the dolphins morph into handsome men known as “boto encantado” to seduce and impregnate womenfolk by night. Another claims that if you go swimming alone, the dolphins may whisk you away to a magical underwater city, which has led to the local fear of going near the water between dusk and dawn, or entering water bodies solo. Some also believe them to be the guardians of the Amazon manatees, so those who wish to see a manatee must first reconcile with the pink dolphin. It is considered bad luck to harm the dolphins, and even worse luck to eat them. #dolphins #pinkdolphins #whyarepinkdolphinspink  #factsaboutpinkdolphins