CHINESE WHITE DOLPHIN

Sousa chinensis chinensis

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CHINESE WHITE DOLPHIN

The Chinese white dolphin was first recorded in local waters as early as the 1600s.

It is usually called Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin.

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ANATOMY
Chinese White dolphins are medium sized and robust.

They are from 5.90 to 9.80 ft in length and 550 to 620 lb in mass.

The tip of the fin is lightly recurved, and the hump is only 5 to 10% of the total body length.

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ANATOMY
The Chinese Whit dolphin is usually dark grey on their back and lighter underneath, white and pink variations are also known.

An adult is white or pink and may appear as an albino dolphin.

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HABITAT
These dolphins inhabit the waters of Southeast Asia and breed from South Africa to Australia.

Including coastal tropical and subtropical waters, generally warmer than 15 degrees Celsius.

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HABITAT
The Humpback dolphin prefers areas that are less than 20 metres deep.

They are often found in or near bays, estuaries, sandbanks, coral reefs and large river mouths.

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BEHAVIOR
They sometimes jump out of water, exposing their whole bodies.

The Chinese white dolphin form small schools of around three to seven individuals.

These dolphins usually avoid boats and reappear some distance away.
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BEHAVIOR
These are slow-swimming dolphins. They swim up to speeds of 5 kilometres per hour.

Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins communicate with each other through clicks, whistles, and screams.

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FEEDING
The food consists mainly of fish and cephalopods.

It is not so fussy about the fish type, feeding on at least twenty different species.

They generally feed close to the ocean floor.

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REPRODUCTION
Female white dolphins become mature at 10 years old and the males at 13 years old.

The Humpback dolphin usually mates from the end of summer to autumn.

The gestation period is from 10 to 12 months.

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REPRODUCTION
A female generally gives birth to a single calf at a time.

The young dolphin is 3.3 ft in length.

They generally live 40 or more years.

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THREATS
Sharks are the only known predator of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins.

The Sousa chinensis chinensis has been facing a number of threats: overfishing, water pollution and heavy marine traffic.

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THREATS
Hong Kong discharges over 2,000 million litres of sewage into its coastal waters every day. It is extremely dangerous for them.

In South Africa, shark nets may be an important cause of mortality.

These dolphins are listed as near threatened by the IUCN.

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CREDITS
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