Ganges River Dolphin

Yay my first complete picture of a cetacean species! I have no idea how I managed to draw this species...usually when I try to draw river dolphins it gets completely messed up XD

Yes I know the dolphin itself needs some shading but for some reason my photoshop was being a pain and wouldn't let me :s But I am not going to re-do this picture just to add the shading, this took long enough and I am not about to spend extra hours on it! It is also my first attempt at a background like this, I will keep practicing though if you guys like it

But hey I hope you like it anyway, one down 82 more pictures to go! xD


~~~~~~~~~~INFO~~~~~~~~~~

Other Names:
Ganges Susu, Blind River Dolphin, Gangetic Dolphin
Maximum Length:
2.5 metres
Maximum Weight:
85 kilograms
Diet:
Fish and crustaceans
Breeding:
Calving interval unknown; gestation possibly 12 months


The Ganges, long with the Indus river dolphins are the only cetaceans without a crystalline lens in their eyes however their retinas do have light-gathering receptors, so they can probably detect the direction and perhaps the intensity of light but for all intents and purposes they are blind. Instead they find their way around and catch food by building up 'sound picture' of their surroundings, in much the same way as a bat navigates in the dark.

They have an unusual swimming behaviour, which involves turning on one side, nodding the head and perhaps trailing a flipper in the mud to search for food.

Ganges river dolphins can be difficult to find but on calm days you can listen for their blows which can often be heard from far away. The Hindi name of the Ganges river dolphin, 'susu', is meant to imitate the sneeze-like sound made when they breathe.

This species faces many threats, including entanglement in fishing gear, hunting, pollution, and dam and barrage construction. There is no reliable population estimate for Ganges river dolphin, but it is probably in the low thousands.