Nutrition

As predators, the Ganges River dolphins are some of the best in their ecosystem. They are well adapted for efficient water travel and catching elusive prey. Their long and narrow snout is perfect for getting into tight places to pull out some of their common crustacean prey, like prawns, as well as smaller fish like the Gangetic tank goby and Gangetic anchovy and even some mollusks. Common species of larger fish eaten are catfish like the scorpion catfish and carp like the catla. Using their speed, they are able to chase down schools of fish and herd them in conjunction with other Ganges River dolphins to catch larger volumes of prey. They are strictly carnivorous, so their entire diet must come from their ability to find and then catch their prey. Because of their poor eyesight, their prey is mostly found and pursued using echolocation (Jensen et al., 2010).

                                           

 Figure 1. Commonly predated scorpion catfish by    the Ganges River dolphin 

 

 

 

 

 

Figure 2. Common prey for the Ganges River dolphin: Catla carp