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Dolphin Census in Chilika Lake
January 21 , 2020
1780 days
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- The dolphin census in Odisha coast was taken up by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA).
- 146 Irrawaddy dolphins were sighted here.
- At present, the total population of the Irrawaddy dolphins is estimated to be less than 7,500 globally out of which 6,000 as per report are in Bangladesh
- Chilika is considered as the highest single lagoon dolphin population in the world.
About Irrawaddy Dolphin
- Although the species gets its common name from the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, where it also lives, it was first described in 1866 from a specimen found in the Vishakhapatnam harbour in present day Andhra Pradesh on India’s east coast.
- Its range extends from the Bay of Bengal to New Guinea and the Philippines.
- Besides the Irrawaddy River, it is also found in India’s Ganges, and Southeast Asia’s Mekong River.
- However, it is not a true river dolphin and prefers to live in estuaries and brackish water near coasts.
- Irrawaddy dolphins are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
- Chilika Lake is the largest brackish water (mixture of saline and fresh water) lagoon of India, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha State on the east coast of India.
- It is the largest coastal lagoon in India, located at the mouth of the Daya River, which is flowing into the Bay of Bengal.
- It is designated as ‘wetland of international importance under the Ramsar convention.
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