Bottlenose dolphin found dead 50 km from Bay near Sundarbans

Kolkata: An Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), considered near- threatened and known for its active and acrobatic style, washed ashore a beach off Kaikhali Road in South 24 Parganas on Friday, approximately 50 kilometres inland from the Bay of Bengal. Though a population of the dolphin is known to inhabit the Bay waters, sightings are considered to be fewer in the region. These dolphins can recognise themselves in mirror and use signature whistles that are like individual signatures.Divisional forest officer of South 24 Parganas, Nisha Goswami, said, "Initially, we thought it was a Gangetic dolphin. However, experts said it looked more like a bottlenose dolphin. The carcass was decomposed and is likely to be seven-eight days old."Dipani Sutaria, an ecologist studying marine cetaceans, said it appeared to be an adult male. Sources said the dolphin, which was around 9 feet long, had injury marks on body, suggesting it might have been hit by trawlers. A source mentioned that the dolphin could have been washed in by high tide. "It could also have been caught in a net and was released while approaching the harbour," he added. While an adult can grow as long as 2.8 metres, it can weigh around 230 kg. In 1995, according to Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Network in India, an Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin washed ashore in Digha. Between 2010 and 2024, at least five records of this dolphin were found on the beaches of Odisha. In 2012, four records were found in Bay of Bengal during sea surveys.The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin inhabits the Bay of Bengal waters, including the Sundarbans region. According to experts, these are marine dolphins whose reports are lower from the Indian Sundarbans region. "However, there is a thriving population of these dolphins in Bangladesh," a source said.