Boto is a
Portuguese name given to several types of
dolphin
A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...
s and
river dolphins native to the
Amazon
Amazon most often refers to:
* Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology
* Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin
* Amazon River, in South America
* Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...
and the
Orinoco
The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...
River tributaries. A few botos exist exclusively in
fresh water
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
, and these are often considered primitive dolphins.
Classification
The botos are a
paraphyletic
In taxonomy (general), taxonomy, a group is paraphyletic if it consists of the group's most recent common ancestor, last common ancestor and most of its descendants, excluding a few Monophyly, monophyletic subgroups. The group is said to be pa ...
group, defined largely by their
evolutionary convergences.
The genus ''
Sotalia
The dolphin genus ''Sotalia'' is considered to have two member species with the classification of ''Sotalia guianensis'' as a distinct species from ''Sotalia fluviatilis'' in 2007. This was a result of recent morphometric analyses, as well as mito ...
'' is divided into two
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
. The
costero
The Guiana dolphin (''Sotalia guianensis''), also known as the estuarine dolphin or costero, is a dolphin found in the coastal waters to the north and east of South America, and east of Central America. It is a member of the oceanic dolphin fami ...
(''S. guianensis'') is distributed in the Atlantic, from
Florianópolis
Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina, in the South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as well as part of the mainland. It has a populat ...
in
Santa Catarina, Brazil
Santa Catarina (, ) is a state in the South Region of Brazil. It is the 7th smallest state in total area and the 11th most populous. Additionally, it is the 9th largest settlement, with 295 municipalities. The state, with 3.4% of the Brazili ...
, and northwards. The
tucuxi
The tucuxi (''Sotalia fluviatilis''), alternatively known in Peru ''bufeo gris'' or ''bufeo negro'', is a species of freshwater dolphin found in the rivers of the Amazon basin. The word ''tucuxi'' is derived from the Tupi language word ''tuchuc ...
(''S. fluviatilis'') lives in the
river
A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...
s of the Amazon.
Burmeister's porpoise
Burmeister's porpoise (''Phocoena spinipinnis'') is a species of porpoise endemic to the coast of South America. It was first described by Hermann Burmeister, for whom the species is named, in 1865. Locally it is known as ''marsopa espinosa'' (t ...
is marine and lives from Santa Catarina to the south.
The
Amazon river dolphin (''Inia geoffrensis'') thrives in fresh water, is endemic to the Amazon basin, and is placed in the
Endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...
category of the IUCN.
[ Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is data-deficient.]
The
Araguaian river dolphin
The Araguaian river dolphin or Araguaian boto (''Inia araguaiaensis'') is a South American river dolphin population native to the Araguaia–Tocantins basin of Brazil.
Discovery and species recognition
The recognition of ''I. araguaiaensis'' ...
(''I. araguaiaensis'') is a newly identified species native to the
Araguaia-
Tocantins
Tocantins () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two-fifths of the state of Goiás. Tocantins covers and had an estimated population of 1,496,880 in 20 ...
basin of
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
The
La Plata dolphin
The La Plata dolphin, franciscana or toninha (''Pontoporia blainvillei'') is a species of dolphin found in coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America. It is a member of the river dolphin group and the only one that lives in the ocean ...
(''Pontoporia blainvillei''), another vulnerable Brazilian denizen, is a
marine
Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean.
Marine or marines may refer to:
Ocean
* Maritime (disambiguation)
* Marine art
* Marine biology
* Marine debris
* Marine habitats
* Marine life
* Marine pollution
Military
* ...
river dolphin that ranges from
Espírito Santo, Brazil, to the south.
[ Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of vulnerable.]
*Suborder
Odontoceti
The toothed whales (also called odontocetes, systematic name Odontoceti) are a parvorder of cetaceans that includes dolphins, porpoises, and all other whales possessing teeth, such as the beaked whales and sperm whales. Seventy-three species of ...
**Superfamily
Delphinoidea
***Family
Delphinidae
****Genus ''
Sotalia
The dolphin genus ''Sotalia'' is considered to have two member species with the classification of ''Sotalia guianensis'' as a distinct species from ''Sotalia fluviatilis'' in 2007. This was a result of recent morphometric analyses, as well as mito ...
''
*****Species ''
Sotalia fluviatilis
The tucuxi (''Sotalia fluviatilis''), alternatively known in Peru ''bufeo gris'' or ''bufeo negro'', is a species of freshwater dolphin found in the rivers of the Amazon basin. The word ''tucuxi'' is derived from the Tupi language word ''tuchu ...
'', tucuxi
*****Species ''
Sotalia guianensis
The Guiana dolphin (''Sotalia guianensis''), also known as the estuarine dolphin or costero, is a dolphin found in the coastal waters to the north and east of South America, and east of Central America. It is a member of the oceanic dolphin fami ...
'', costero
***Family
Phocoenidae
Porpoises are a group of fully aquatic marine mammals, all of which are classified under the family Phocoenidae, parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals an ...
****Genus ''
Phocoena
''Phocoena'' is a genus of porpoises with four extant species:
References
External links
*
*''Phocoena''in ''Mammal Species of the World
''Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference'' is a standard reference work in ...
''
*****Species ''
Phocoena spinipinnis'', Burmeister's porpoise
**Superfamily
Platanistoidea
***Family
Iniidae
Iniidae is a family of river dolphins containing one living genus, ''Inia'', and four extinct genera. The extant genus inhabits the river basins of South America, but the family formerly had a wider presence across the Atlantic Ocean.
Iniidae a ...
****Genus ''
Inia''
*****Species ''
Inia araguaiaensis''
*****Species ''
Inia geoffrensis
The Amazon river dolphin (''Inia geoffrensis''), also known as the boto, bufeo or pink river dolphin, is a species of toothed whale classified in the family Iniidae. Three subspecies are currently recognized: ''I. g. geoffrensis'' (Amazon rive ...
''
******Subspecies ''
Inia geoffrensis geoffrensis'', Amazon river dolphin
******Subspecies ''
Inia geoffrensis boliviensis'', Bolivian river dolphin
******Subspecies ''
Inia geoffrensis humboldtiana'', Humboldt's river dolphin
***Family
Pontoporiidae
****Genus ''
Pontoporia''
*****Species ''
Pontoporia blainvillei'', la Plata dolphin
Folklore
The 'boto' of the Amazon River regions of northern
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, are described according to local lore as taking the form of a human or
merman, also known as ''Boto-cor-de-rosa'' ("Pink-Boto" in
Portuguese) and with the habit of seducing human women and impregnating them.
[Juliette Wood ]
References
{{Reflist
Mammals of Brazil
River dolphins
Mammal common names