Cameroon river dolphin
| Cameroon river dolphin | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Sousa teuszii | ||||||||||||
| ( Kükenthal , 1892) |
The Cameroon River Dolphin ( Sousa teuszii ) is a species of whale from the family of dolphins (Delphinidae). The name is a bit misleading because taxonomically the species does not belong to the river dolphins and lives mainly in the sea.
Systematics
Cameroon river dolphins belong to the genus Sousa , and there is still controversy about the number of species. It is relatively certain that this whale is a species of its own and differs from the animals in the Indo-Pacific . For details, see the systematics of the genus Sousa .
distribution
These dolphins live on the west coast of Africa , their range extends from the Western Sahara in the north to Cameroon in the south. They are said to be particularly frequent off the coast of Mauritania . They can also be found in rivers such as the Niger , although they usually do not move away from the estuary and rarely swim further inland. They do not stay on the open sea, they do not move further than 1 to 2 km from the coast, probably to avoid predators such as the killer whale .
description
The species differs from the Chinese white dolphin mainly in terms of color, number of vertebrae and teeth. They are greyish in color and get darker and darker with age. They also have the long snout and humpbacks typical of their species, which is why they are also called humpback dolphins: Immediately behind the fin , the back arches into a small hump, another is located directly in front of the fluke . Cameroon river dolphins are between 1.2 and 2.5 meters long and weigh between 75 and 150 kg.
Way of life
These dolphins usually stay in the flat coastal area, preferably near sandbanks and mangrove forests , but also in brackish water and the estuary of large rivers. They live solitary or in small groups of two to ten animals, with a trend towards living alone as they get older. The food of these animals consists of fish such as sardines and mullets , they drive the schools near the shore and then prey on their food.
Relationship to people
From Mauritania a special relationship between Cameroon River dolphins and fishermen reported. It is strictly forbidden to hunt these animals there. Instead, the fishermen hit the surface of the water with sticks and use it to induce the dolphins to drive their prey towards the shore. The fishermen's nets are already waiting there and there is also enough left for the dolphins.
Only a few reports of hunts for these animals are known from other regions as well - however, they are endangered in other ways, on the one hand by the danger of getting caught in fishing nets and drowning; the other threat is pollution of the oceans and the conversion of coastal areas where mangrove forests are being cleared in favor of fields or settlements. It is certain that stocks are declining or have disappeared, especially in more densely populated coastal regions. However, it is not possible to give a precise indication of the degree of risk. The IUCN lists the species as endangered ( Vulnerable ).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sousa teuszii in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Reeves, RR et al. , 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2009.