Editing Ganges river dolphin (section)

== Behaviour ==
[[File:GangeticDolphin.jpg|thumb|Gangetic dolphin, 1894 book illustration]]
The Ganges river dolphins usually swim alone or in pairs, they are known to breach rarely and are shy around boats and therefore difficult to observe.<ref name=whales>{{Cite web |title=South Asian river dolphin |url=http://us.whales.org/species-guide/south-asian-river-dolphin |access-date=18 April 2018 |website=[[Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society]]}}</ref>

=== Vocalization ===
This species shows object-avoidance behavior in both the consistently heavily murky waters of its habitat and in clear water in captivity, suggesting it is capable of using echolocation effectively to navigate and forage for prey.<ref name=Herald1969>{{Cite journal |last1=Herald |first1=E. S. |last2=Brownell |first2=R. L. |last3=Frye |first3=F. L. |last4=Morris |first4=E. J. |last5=Evans |first5=W. E. |last6=Scott |first6=A. B. |year=1969 |title=Blind River Dolphin: First Side-Swimming Cetacean |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usdeptcommercepub/138 |journal=Science |volume=166 |issue=3911 |pages=1408–1410 |bibcode=1969Sci...166.1408H |doi=10.1126/science.166.3911.1408 |jstor=1727285 |pmid=5350341 |s2cid=5670792|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Information is limited on how extensively vocalization is used between individuals. It is capable of performing whistles, but rarely does so, suggesting that the whistle is a spontaneous sound and not a form of communication. The Ganges river dolphin most typically makes echolocation sounds such as clicks, bursts, and twitters.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mizue |first1=K. |last2=Takemura |first2=A. |last3=Nishiwaki |first3=M. |year=1971 |title=The Underwater Sound of Ganges River Dolphins (''Platanista gangetica'') |url=http://www.icrwhale.org/pdf/SC023123-128.pdf |journal=The Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute |volume=23 |pages=123–128}}</ref> Produced pulse trains are similar in wave form and frequency to the echolocation patterns of the [[Amazon river dolphin]]. Both species regularly produce frequencies lower than 15&nbsp;kHz and the maximum frequency is thought to fall  between 15 and 60&nbsp;kHz.<ref name=Herald1969/>

Echolocation is also used for population counts by using acoustic surveying. This method is still being developed and is not heavily used due to cost and technical skill requirement.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Richman |first1=N. I. |last2=Gibbons |first2=J. M. |last3=Turvey |first3=S. T. |last4=Akamatsu |first4=T. |last5=Ahmed |first5=B. |last6=Mahabub |first6=E. |last7=Smith |first7=B. D. |last8=Jones |first8=J. P. G. |date=2014 |title=To See or Not to See: Investigating Detectability of Ganges River Dolphins Using a Combined Visual-Acoustic Survey |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=9 |issue=5 |pages=e96811 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...996811R |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0096811 |pmc=4013050 |pmid=24805782 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Given the dolphin's blindness, it produces an ultrasonic sound that is echoed off other fish and water species, allowing it to identify prey.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Koshy |first=J. |date=2016 |title=It is pollution that made Gangetic dolphins 'blind', says Uma Bharti |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/It-is-pollution-that-made-Gangetic-dolphins-%E2%80%98blind%E2%80%99-says-Uma-Bharti/article14615990.ece |access-date=2021-01-10 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

=== Reproduction ===
The Ganges river dolphin does not have a specific mating season. When a calf is born, 8–12 months after conception, it stays with its mother for one year.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Ganges River Dolphin (''Platanista gangetica gangetica'') |url=https://www.dolphins-world.com/ganges-river-dolphin/ |access-date=29 May 2018 |website=Dolphins-World}}</ref>

=== Diet ===
The Ganges river dolphin finds food through [[Animal echolocation|echolocation]] and feeds on [[crustaceans]] such as [[prawns]] and fish including [[carp]], [[mahseer]], and even sharks such as the [[Ganges shark]] (''Glyphis gangeticus''). It also takes birds and turtles.<ref name=":1" />