Guangzhou residents saw dolphins in the Pearl River! How did the dolphins get into the river?

Recently, a resident of Guangzhou City said that he saw a white dolphin on the river near the west bridge of the Guangzhou Pearl River Bridge! Soon, another resident also said that he saw a white dolphin in the Shijing River in Baiyun District.

How did the dolphins that lived peacefully in the sea end up in the rivers? This is what we need to talk about today’s news protagonist, the Chinese white dolphin.

The Chinese white dolphin is a rare aquatic mammal in my country. In Fujian and Guangdong, it is respectfully called "Mazu fish" by fishermen. Because of its small population, it is also known as the "giant panda in the water."

Source: Xinhua News Agency

It is called "white dolphin", but its body color is "variable"

Although it is called the Chinese white dolphin, it is not strictly speaking a single white color. As they age, their body color will change accordingly. The general trend of change is a gradual transition from dark gray to grayish white.

Careful friends will find that the adult Chinese white dolphins they see have pink bodies. In fact, this is not their "natural color". This pink color appears because their intense movements in the water cause congestion of blood vessels.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

It is called "Chinese", but it is not unique to China

The Chinese white dolphin is not a unique aquatic mammal in China. They can be found from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean, from the coast of Southeast Asia to the north to the southeast coast of my country. my country is the most important habitat for the Chinese white dolphin, so it is well deserved to be named "China".

Chinese white dolphins are mainly distributed in the estuary waters south of the Yangtze River estuary, such as Dongshan Bay and Xiamen Bay in Fujian Province, the western waters of Taiwan Island, the Pearl River Estuary and Han River Estuary in Guangdong Province, the eastern waters of Leizhou Peninsula, the waters near Sanya, Hainan Island, and the Beibu Gulf in Guangxi, etc. Among them, the Pearl River Estuary is also known as the "top priority" of the Chinese white dolphin habitat, with more than a thousand dolphins.

It lives in the sea, so why would it enter the river?

Although they live in the sea all year round, Chinese white dolphins sometimes go deep into the estuary and swim upstream. According to relevant staff of the Administration Bureau of the Guangdong Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve, there are generally two reasons for this: chasing schools of fish or having some diseases. However, the river is not suitable for the Chinese white dolphin to live.

Researchers at the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences said that there have been cases of Chinese white dolphins mistakenly entering inland rivers in the past. As early as 2015, Chinese white dolphins appeared in the waters upstream of the Pearl River Bridge. They used to drive them away, but the effect was not good. They often want to drive the Chinese white dolphins back to the sea, but they may disappear in the process.

Popularity is no less than that of the chubby water elves

When talking about animal stars in my country, many people first think of the round giant panda, which was selected as the mascot of the Beijing Asian Games in 1990. In fact, the Chinese white dolphin is also very popular. When Hong Kong returned to the motherland in 1997, the Chinese white dolphin was selected as the mascot.

At present, the first National Student (Youth) Games is in full swing in Nanning, Guangxi. The mascots "Zhuangzhuang" and "Meimei" are also based on the Chinese white dolphin.

The Chinese white dolphin was listed as a first-class protected wild animal in China as early as the 1980s. In 2008, it was listed as a near-threatened species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species by the United Nations.

Researchers believe that the white dolphin may have been in the river for 2-3 days. If citizens find traces of Chinese white dolphins in Guangzhou waters, they should contact the fishery department in time. The fishery department should also be on alert and not let ships approach. Try to slow down or avoid them. Driving them away will scare them. If the white dolphin is weak, it will be more difficult. Let the white dolphin slowly find its way back.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhua News Agency, Xin Kuai Bao, China Oceanography Society, Museum Magazine, Greater Bay Area TV, etc.