The Gangetic river dolphin once inhabited the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. But the species is extinct from most of its early distribution ranges.
•The Ganges River dolphin cannot breathe in the water and must surface every 30-120 seconds.
•The Ganges river dolphin can only live in freshwater and is essentially blind. They hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds, which bounces off of fish and other prey.Because of the sound it produces when breathing, the animal is popularly referred to as the ‘Susu’.
•The Gangetic river dolphin is important because it is a reliable indicator of the health of the entire river ecosystem.
•In India, Dolphins are protected species as per the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The government has also declared Gangetic Dolphin as the national aquatic animal.Gangetic dolphin is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List.
•The only dolphin sanctuary in India is the Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary located in Bhagalpur District of Bihar.It is undertaken by World Wide Fund for Nature-India in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department.
•Gangetic river dolphins prefers deep waters, in and around the confluence of rivers. The distribution range of the Ganges river dolphins in India covers seven states namely, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.