The Chinese river dolphin (lipotes vexillifer) is often referred to by its Chinese name baiji. The species is critically endangered, according to the World Wildlife Fund, due to habitat loss, overfishing and illegal fishing practices, water pollution and other factors. Many scientists now fear the species is extinct after a 2006 expedition sighted zero dolphins.
The dolphins grow up to 8 feet in length and weigh up to 500 lbs (see references 1). They have gray sides and backs and pale bellies with a beak even more long and narrow than the bottle-nose dolphin.
One of only seven species of dolphins or porpoises that roam some of the Earth's largest rivers, Chinese river dolphins can only survive in freshwater in the Yangtze river. They hunt in turbid, murky river waters through echolocation and have poor eyesight. The dolphins spend much time hunting in large eddies and resting in areas of still water. Baiji prey on a wide range of fish, including both bottom and top feeders. They use their long snout to root out fish in the muddy river bottom and rely on echolocation to catch fish just below the water surface. No sightings have been reported in recent years, but when their population was large enough, the dolphins usually spent time in pairs or larger groups.
Baiji historically lived in the middle and lower sections of the Yangtze river, as well as appendage and oxbow lakes along the river. More recently however, rapid development along the Yangtze river, including the construction of the Three Georges Dam, the world's largest dam, limited the dolphin's range considerably. Any remaining baiji are thought to be restricted to an 870-mile section of the main Yangtze river channel.
Chinese river dolphins exemplify the biodiversity crisis the Earth's population must address. Once-revered species like the baiji can be lost completely in a relatively short amount of time if measures are not taken to protect both the species and their habitat. The dolphins are possibly extinct, or at serious risk of becoming so, but many other species are also currently on the brink and at risk of being lost forever.
