Ocean Watch

Monday, March 24, 1997

Dolphin sighting
a bonus of trip along
the Ganges

"Look, there's something big -- it's right here," my friend said, pointing. A large circle of disturbed water rippled just feet from the ferry we were riding.

"Someone probably threw something overboard," I said shrugging.

Normally, I would have been peering over the side anxiously waiting for a glimpse of whatever it was that made such a big splash. This time, however, I dismissed the incident almost instantly. I had several good reasons.

First, my attention was being strongly diverted. We were in Bangladesh crossing the Ganges River on a bustling ferry. Bangladeshi music shrieked from tape players, pungent smells filled the air and bus drivers honked their horns even though parked on the boat.

While I stood on deck, vendors sold cigarettes, a betel nut chew called pan and a variety of food items. At the same time, beggars tapped my arm gesturing weakly to their empty mouths.

Besides this sensory bombardment, there was the water of the Ganges itself. It looked so murky with mud and pollution that I figured not much could live in it. And even if I did see whatever managed to survive there, I had little chance of identifying it given my limited knowledge of river creatures in Asia.

Oh, how wrong I was.

When we were well under way, the splash occurred again. Then again. This time, a flash of gray glistened near the edge of my vision.

"Shishu ..." cried a local person, pointing to the water. I hurried to our English-speaking Bangladeshi acquaintance with whom we were traveling. "What's shishu?" I asked.

He closed his eyes, conjuring up the English word. At that instant, I got a clear view of the gray gamboling animal. Then we spoke the marvelous word together: dolphin!

I gazed at the river, overwhelmed by my good luck. Ganges River dolphins were frolicking right before my eyes. It was one of those unforgettable moments.

Ganges River dolphins survive in the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Karnaphuli river systems and their tributaries in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan. Also called susu, these mammals inhabit the main river channels, where I saw them. During monsoon seasons, they also venture into flooded lowland areas.

We weren't sure how many dolphins were following our ferry, but there were at least two. The animals generally live in groups of 10 or less. It's common to see them alone or in pairs. Several distinct features of these animals make them look different from their marine cousins. Susu have unusually long, narrow beaks with chunky, flexible bodies and necks.

Because they live in muddy water where sight is nearly useless, these animals have extremely tiny eyes that can only detect light levels. The animals make up for this near-blindness by constantly emitting echolocation clicks.

Another unusual feature of Ganges River dolphins is their preference for swimming on their sides.

Several thousand Ganges River dolphins are left in the world but damming, pollution and hunting threaten their existence.

I never thought much about these rare and unusual dolphins before I saw them. Now they hold a special place in my good memories of Bangladesh.