Pink Dolphins of the Amazon
May 18th, 2009
Wildlife photographer Kevin Schafer, in his first assignment for National Geographic, has captured images of a surprising creature in the Amazon Basin, a type of dolphin separated from the sea and living in freshwater.
On this assignment Kevin takes an up-close and underwater look at this unusual species, the Amazon dolphin, Inia geoffrensis. At up to 450 pounds (360kg) and eight feet (2.43m) in length, the Amazon dolphin, or boto, is the largest of the four known species of river dolphin. Evidently the males, as “pink as bubblegum” are extremely agressive and will “beat the hell out of each other”.
Kevin’s photos from the “River Spirits” can be found in the June issue of National Geographic and viewed online in his Photo Gallery.
