GANGES SUSU

For now, the Ganges susu plies the muddy waters of the Ganges, Karnaphuli and Brahmaputra river systems in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. But some 22 dams and barrages on the Ganges, with seven more being built, are dividing the populations into isolated fragments.

Platanista gangetica
Size: 2 to 2.5 m, 80 to 90 kg. Females larger than males
Calves at birth: 70 to 75 cm
Teeth: 27 to 33 slender, sharp-pointed teeth on each side of upper and lower jaws
Food: Fish (catfish), mollusks and crustaceans
Habitat: Rivers
Range: The Ganges, Brahmaputra, Karnaphuli and Meghna river systems from the foot of the Himalayas to the tidal zone in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan
Status: Vulnerable. Total population about 5,000

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