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A blind dolphin found only in the Indus
One of the world's rarest freshwater dolphins, almost blind, that 'sees' with sound. It lives only in the Indus river system.
The Indus river dolphin has tiny eyes without a proper lens, because it lives in very muddy water. It finds fish and finds its way by echolocation, sending out clicks and listening for the echoes. It must surface to breathe every minute or so.
Barrages built across the Indus split the dolphins into small, isolated groups and reduced water flow. Dolphins can also be trapped in irrigation canals, caught in fishing nets, or harmed by pollution.
The Indus Dolphin Reserve between Guddu and Sukkur was declared in 1974. Rescue teams return dolphins stranded in canals to the river, and surveys show that numbers have increased since the early 2000s. Scientists now recognize it as a separate species from the Ganges river dolphin.