Venezuela: Los Llanos – Pink River Dolphins

If anacondas, anteaters, caymans, and birds weren’t enough – there are pink river dolphins in Los Llanos. These are the Orinoco subspecies of the Amazon pink river dolphins (the populations don’t overlap and are isolated, and the Orinoco ones are slightly smaller in size). In the Venezuela Llanos locals typically call them to them toninas. Pink river dolphins are the largest freshwater dolphin species, adult males reaching up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft) and weighing over 180 kg (400 lbs), and males are significantly larger and pinker than females. Llanos rivers are often very silty and dolphins rely heavily on echolocation using their pronounced forehead melon organ to hunt in zero visibility. They have extremely broad diet including over 50 species of fish (catfish, piranhas, croakers, tetras), as well as freshwater crabs and small turtles. Unlike oceanic dolphins, river dolphins have unfused neck vertebrae, which allows them to turn their heads 90 degrees side-to-side while navigating shallow river channels of flooded savanna. Unlike other dolphins, they don’t leap or do acrobatics, but I still managed to get great fluke pictures!