In the past, there existed a distinct species of dolphin in the Amazon, and it was enormous.
In the past, there existed a distinct species of dolphin in the Amazon, and it was enormous. 23 March 2024 - NATURE By Michelle Starr Source SCIENCEalert.com Perhaps the largest freshwater toothed whale ever seen by humans was a dolphin that lived in the Amazon basin 16 million years ago. The extinct creature reached a length of 3.5 meters (11.5 feet), which is far greater than the present-day 2.7-meter (9-foot) pink Amazon river dolphins that consume piranhas in its natural habitat. The recently unearthed species does, however, demonstrate the ancient richness present in the waterway's past, although being far smaller than the largest dolphin in today's waters—the orca. It's interesting to note that the recently discovered Pebanista yacuruna is more closely connected to dolphins found in the Ganges and Indus rivers of India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh than it is to the modern Amazon dolphins. According to Swiss paleontologist Aldo Benites-Palomino of the University o