The Ayeyarwady Dolphin

• Dolphin

  A kind of sea animal that looks like a large fish with a long pointed snout
• Dolphins

  • Intelligent
  • Friendly towards humans
• Ayeyarwady dolphin


  A popular kind of dolphin in Southeast Asia, found in coastal areas in South and Southeast Asia and in freshwater rivers in Myanmar, Indonesia, and Laos
• Ayeyarwady dolphin

  • Colour may be dark blue, dark or pale gray
  • Has a rounded head and a very bulging forehead
  • Has no beak or snout
  • Dorsal fin is short, blunt and triangular
  • Flippers are long and broad
  • Average length is 2.3 metres
  • Weight can range from 90 kg to 200 kg
• Ayeyarwady dolphin's diet

  Bony fish, fish eggs, crustaceans (crabs, lobsters and shrimps), octopuses and squids
• Ayeyarwady dolphin's feeding method

  Takes food into the mouth by suction, that is, by sucking it in
• Ayeyarwady dolphin's habitat


  Tropical and subtropical waters, near shallow coastal waters, and in freshwater rivers (Ayeyarwady in Myanmar, Mahakam in Indonesia and Mekong in Laos)
• Ayeyarwady dolphin


  • Mostly seen about 1.6 kilometres away from the shore
  • Do not usually live in deep waters
  • Inhabit the Ayeyarwady River between Mandalay and Bamaw in Myanmar
• Ayeyarwady dolphin


  • Slow swimmers
  • Generally found in groups of 3 to 6 members, but sometimes up to 15 dolphins are seen together
  • Breathe by bringing only the head out of the water
  • Produce sounds such as whistles, clicks and screeches to communicate with one another
  • Can be seen jumping, making bubbles, and hitting the water with their flippers and tails
  • Can squirt streams of water that can reach up to 1.5 metres above the surface of the water
• Relationship between Ayeyarwady dolphins and local fishermen


  Fishermen used to call the dolphins to drive fish into their cast nets, and in return, rewarded the dolphins with a share of the fish they had caught
• Ayeyarwady dolphins are now on the verge of extinction and are listed as a critically endangered species
• Ayeyarwady dolphins often get entangled in fishing nets, and also die as a result of electrofishing, gillnets and explosives
• In Myanmar, the Ayeyarwady River between Mingun and Kyaukmyaung is officially recognized as a sanctuary to protect the decline of the dolphin population
• The Department of Fisheries prohibits the catching or killing of Ayeyarwady dolphins, and the local fishermen are not allowed to use electrofishing, gillnets and explosives