Iniidae

Iniidae
Temporal range: Miocene-Holocene
An Amazon river dolphin at Duisburg Zoo holding an Armored catfish in the mouth.
Size compared to an average human
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Superfamily: Inioidea
Family: Iniidae
Gray, 1846
Genera

Inia

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 are highly morphologically different from marine dolphins by way of adaptations suited to their freshwater riverine habitat.[1] They also display a high amount of sexual dimorphism in the form of color and size.[2] Seasonal movement between flooded plains and rivers is common, due to the variation of seasonal rain.[3] There has been little research done on the family, in particular the species aside from the Amazon river dolphin.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hamilton2001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Martin, A.R.; Silva, V.M. (2006). "Sexual dimorphism and body scarring in the boto (Amazon river dolphin) Inia geoffrensis". Marine Mammal Science. 22 (1): 25–33. Bibcode:2006MMamS..22...25M. doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2006.00003.x.
  3. ^ Rice, Dale W. (1998). Marine Mammals of the World: Systematics and distribution. Society for Marine Mammalogy Special Publication. Vol. 4. Lawrence, KS: Society for Marine Mammalogy. pp. 1–231. ISBN 978-189127603-3. ISBN 1891276034