Q. Which one of the following is the national aquatic animal of India?

  • Saltwater crocodile
  • Olive ridley turtle
  • Gangetic dolphin
  • Gharial

Answer: (c) Gangetic dolphin

Gangetic dolphin (Susu)
  • The Ganges River Dolphin or also called ‘Susu,’ is the National Aquatic Animal of India. It is one of the National Symbols of India.
    • Ganges River Dolphin is found only in freshwater.
    • As the name goes, the Ganges Dolphin are endemic to the river Ganga.
    • They are at the apex of the aquatic food chain.
    • It is the official animal of the Assam’s capital Guwahati.
    • They use the way of ‘Echolocation’ to trap their prey.
    • Ganges River Dolphin along with Indus River Dolphin is the sub-species of South Asian River Dolphin.
  • Gangetic Dolphins are found in the river systems of Ganga, Brahmaputra, Meghna, and Karnaphuli-Sangu in Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.
  • The Ganges River Dolphins (Platanista Gangetica) was officially discovered in 1801. The original stretches where the National Aquatic Animal of India are found:
    • Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River Systems and
    • Karnaphuli-Sangu River Systems;
  • The reason to declare Ganges River Dolphin as the National Aquatic Animal of India was to save it from extinction. Also, the Ganges Dolphin is seen as the reflector of the health of the Ganga River. The declaration was made in 2009 in the National Ganga River Basin Authority’s (NGRBA) first meeting.
Gangetic dolphin