What is the maximal age a South Asian river dolphin reaches?
An adult South Asian river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) usually gets as old as 28 years.
South Asian river dolphins are around 304 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 105 grams (0.23 lbs) and measure 2 cm (0′ 1″). They are a member of the Platanistidae family (genus: Platanista). Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 30 cm (1′ 0″).
As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.
The South Asian river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) is an endangered freshwater or river dolphin found in the region of Indian subcontinent, which is split into two subspecies, the Ganges river dolphin (P. g. gangetica, ~3,500 individuals) and the Indus river dolphin (P. g. minor, ~1,500 individuals). The Ganges river dolphin is primarily found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, while the Indus river dolphin is now found only in the main channel of the Indus River in Pakistan and active channels connected to it between the Jinnah and Kotri barrages, and in the River Beas (a tributary of the Indus) in Punjab in India. From the 1970s until 1998, they were regarded as separate species; however, in 1998, their classification was changed from two separate species to subspecies of a single species (see taxonomy below). The Ganges river dolphin has been recognized by the government of India as its National Aquatic Animal and is the official animal of the Indian city of Guwahati. The Indus river dolphin has been named as the National Mammal of Pakistan.
Animals of the same family as a South Asian river dolphin
Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Platanistidae):
- La Plata dolphin becoming 16 years old
- Amazon river dolphin becoming 30 years old
- South Asian river dolphin becoming 28 years old
- Baiji with 1 babies per pregnancy
Animals that reach the same age as South Asian river dolphin
With an average age of 28 years, South Asian river dolphin are in good companionship of the following animals:
- Brown long-eared bat usually reaching 30 years
- Bharal usually reaching 24 years
- Bighorn sheep usually reaching 24 years
- Egyptian fruit bat usually reaching 22.83 years
- Water buffalo usually reaching 28.25 years
- Leopard usually reaching 23 years
- Japanese macaque usually reaching 33 years
- Père David’s deer usually reaching 23.25 years
- Finless porpoise usually reaching 23 years
- African civet usually reaching 28 years
Weighting as much as South Asian river dolphin
A fully grown South Asian river dolphin reaches around 93.49 kg (206.1 lbs). So do these animals:
- Pacific white-sided dolphin weighting 109.85 kilos (242.18 lbs) on average
- Marsh deer weighting 111.76 kilos (246.39 lbs) on average
- Asian black bear weighting 99.81 kilos (220.04 lbs) on average
- Addax weighting 95.39 kilos (210.3 lbs) on average
- Harbor seal weighting 87.31 kilos (192.49 lbs) on average
- Buru babirusa weighting 92.33 kilos (203.55 lbs) on average
- Baiji weighting 112.07 kilos (247.07 lbs) on average
- Sitatunga weighting 75.28 kilos (165.96 lbs) on average
- Short-beaked common dolphin weighting 79.29 kilos (174.8 lbs) on average
- Subantarctic fur seal weighting 92.21 kilos (203.29 lbs) on average