It is hard to guess what a La Plata dolphin weights. But we have the answer:
An adult La Plata dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) on average weights 40.5 kg (89.28 lbs).
The La Plata dolphin is from the family Platanistidae (genus: Pontoporia). They can live for up to 16 years. When reaching adult age, they grow up to 89 cm (3′ 0″). Usually, La Plata dolphins have 1 babies per litter.
As a reference: An average human weights in at 62 kg (137 lbs) and reaches an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). Humans spend 280 days (40 weeks) in the womb of their mother and reach around 75 years of age.
The La Plata dolphin, franciscana or toninha (Pontoporia blainvillei) is a species of dolphin found in coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America. It is a member of the river dolphin group and the only one that lives in the ocean and saltwater estuaries, rather than inhabiting exclusively freshwater systems. Commercialized areas that create agricultural runoffs and/or industrialized zones can affect the health of the La Plata dolphin, especially in regards to their contributions of waste and pollution, which can lead to habitat degradation and poisoned food among other concerns.
Animals of the same family as a La Plata dolphin
We found other animals of the Platanistidae family:
- South Asian river dolphin bringing 93.49 kilos (206.11 lbs) to the scale
- South Asian river dolphin bringing 75.99 kilos (167.53 lbs) to the scale
- Amazon river dolphin bringing 121.22 kilos (267.24 lbs) to the scale
- Baiji bringing 112.07 kilos (247.07 lbs) to the scale
Animals with the same weight as a La Plata dolphin
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Pontoporia blainvillei:
- Queen of Sheba’s gazelle with a weight of 48.5 kilos (106.92 lbs)
- Giant muntjac with a weight of 36.69 kilos (80.89 lbs)
- Chamois with a weight of 33.11 kilos (72.99 lbs)
- Sumatran orangutan with a weight of 39.7 kilos (87.52 lbs)
- Springbok with a weight of 33.39 kilos (73.61 lbs)
- Capybara with a weight of 48.14 kilos (106.13 lbs)
- Bohor reedbuck with a weight of 43.09 kilos (95 lbs)
- Red gazelle with a weight of 40 kilos (88.18 lbs)
- Sheep with a weight of 37.47 kilos (82.61 lbs)
- Pronghorn with a weight of 47.18 kilos (104.01 lbs)
Animals with the same litter size as a La Plata dolphin
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (1) as a La Plata dolphin:
- Purple-faced langur
- Reeves’s muntjac
- Sumatran serow
- Whiskered bat
- Jalapan pine vole
- Alpine ibex
- Thomas’s sac-winged bat
- Pond bat
- Painted ringtail possum
- Thomson’s gazelle
Animals with the same life expectancy as a La Plata dolphin
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a La Plata dolphin:
- North American porcupine with an average maximal age of 18 years
- Günther’s dik-dik with an average maximal age of 14 years
- Cape grysbok with an average maximal age of 14 years
- Hamlyn’s monkey with an average maximal age of 13.5 years
- Nile lechwe with an average maximal age of 18.67 years
- Red giant flying squirrel with an average maximal age of 16 years
- Crab-eating mongoose with an average maximal age of 13.33 years
- Pygmy sperm whale with an average maximal age of 17 years
- Yellow-throated marten with an average maximal age of 14 years
- Jentink’s duiker with an average maximal age of 17.5 years