Boto is a Portuguese name given to several types of

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

s and

river dolphin River dolphins are a polyphyletic group of fully aquatic mammals that reside exclusively in freshwater or brackish water. They are an informal grouping of dolphins, which itself is a paraphyletic group within the infraorder Cetacea. Extant rive ...

s native to the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

and the

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers approximately 1 million km2, with 65% of it in Venezuela and 35% in Colombia. It is the List of rivers by discharge, f ...

River tributaries. A few botos exist exclusively in

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salt (chemistry), salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include ...

, and these are often considered primitive dolphins. The Boto dolphin is usually pink in color and tends to become more pink in age. The degree of pinkness would be a sign of maturity in males and could therefore have the same display function as antlers in red deer or the tusk in narwhals. They become more pink in age because of scar tissue that takes over their whole body. They also lose some of their pigment throughout their adolescence, turning them light pink.

Classification

The botos are a

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

group, defined largely by their evolutionary convergences. The genus ''

Sotalia The dolphin genus ''Sotalia'' is considered to have two member species with the classification of ''Sotalia guianensis'' as a distinct species from ''Sotalia fluviatilis'' in 2007. This was a result of recent morphometric analyses, as well as mito ...

'' is divided into two

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

. The

costero The Guiana dolphin (''Sotalia guianensis''), also known as the estuarine dolphin or costero, is a dolphin found in the coastal and estuary waters to the north and east of South America, and east of Central America. It is a member of the oceanic ...

(''S. guianensis'') is distributed in the Atlantic, from Tramandaí, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and northwards. The

tucuxi The tucuxi (''Sotalia fluviatilis''), alternatively known in Peru ''bufeo gris'' or ''bufeo negro'', is a species of freshwater dolphin found in the rivers of the Amazon basin. The word ''tucuxi'' is derived from the Tupi language word ''tuchuc ...

(''S. fluviatilis'') lives in the

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

s of the Amazon. Burmeister's porpoise is marine and lives from Santa Catarina to the south. The

Amazon river dolphin The Amazon river dolphin (''Inia geoffrensis''), also known as the boto, bufeo or pink river dolphin, is a species of toothed whale Endemism, endemic to South America and is classified in the family Iniidae. Three subspecies are currently recogni ...

(''Inia geoffrensis'') thrives in fresh water, is endemic to the

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributary, tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries ...

, and is placed in the

Endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

category of the IUCN. Database entry includes a lengthy justification of why this species is data-deficient. The

Araguaian river dolphin The Araguaian river dolphin or Araguaian boto (''Inia araguaiaensis'') is a South American river dolphin population native to the Araguaia– Tocantins basin of Brazil. Discovery and species recognition The recognition of ''I. araguaiaensis' ...

(''I. araguaiaensis'') is a newly identified species native to the Araguaia-

Tocantins Tocantins () is one of the 26 states of Brazil. It is the newest state, formed in 1988 and encompassing what had formerly been the northern two-fifths of the state of Goiás. Tocantins covers and had an estimated population of 1,496,880 in 2014 ...

basin of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. The

La Plata dolphin The La Plata dolphin, franciscana or toninha (''Pontoporia blainvillei'') is a species of river dolphin found in coastal Atlantic waters of southeastern South America. It is a member of the Inioidea group and the only one that lives in the ocean ...

(''Pontoporia blainvillei''), another vulnerable Brazilian denizen, is a marine river dolphin that ranges from

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attracti ...

, Brazil, to the south. *Suborder

Odontoceti The toothed whales (also called odontocetes, systematic name Odontoceti) are a parvorder of cetaceans that includes dolphins, porpoises, and all other whales with teeth, such as beaked whales and the sperm whales. 73 species of toothed whales ar ...

**Superfamily Delphinoidea ***Family

Delphinidae Oceanic dolphins or Delphinidae are a widely distributed family of dolphins that live in the sea. Close to forty extant species are recognised. They include several big species whose common names contain "whale" rather than "dolphin", such as the ...

****Genus ''

'' *****Species ''

Sotalia fluviatilis The tucuxi (''Sotalia fluviatilis''), alternatively known in Peru ''bufeo gris'' or ''bufeo negro'', is a species of freshwater dolphin found in the rivers of the Amazon basin. The word ''tucuxi'' is derived from the Tupi language word ''tuchuc ...

'', tucuxi *****Species ''

Sotalia guianensis The Guiana dolphin (''Sotalia guianensis''), also known as the estuarine dolphin or costero, is a dolphin found in the coastal and estuary waters to the north and east of South America, and east of Central America. It is a member of the oceanic ...

'', costero ***Family

Phocoenidae Porpoises () are small dolphin-like cetaceans classified under the family Phocoenidae. Although similar in appearance to dolphins, they are more closely related to narwhals and belugas than to the true dolphins. There are eight extant specie ...

****Genus ''

Phocoena ''Phocoena'' is a genus of porpoises with four extant species. References External links * *''Phocoena''
in ''Mammal Species of the World'' Phocoena, Cetacean genera Porpoises Taxa named by Georges Cuvier {{whale-stub ...

'' *****Species '' Phocoena spinipinnis'', Burmeister's porpoise **Superfamily

Platanistoidea River dolphins are a polyphyletic group of fully aquatic mammals that reside exclusively in freshwater or brackish water. They are an informal grouping of dolphins, which itself is a paraphyletic group within the infraorder Cetacea. Extant rive ...

***Family

Iniidae Iniidae is a family of river dolphins containing one living genus, '' Inia'', and four extinct genera. The extant genus inhabits the river basins of South America, but the family formerly had a wider presence across the Atlantic Ocean. Iniidae ...

****Genus ''

Inia ''Inia'' is a genus of river dolphins from South America, containing one to four species. Taxonomy The genus was described by Alcide d'Orbigny in 1834 when ''Delphinus geoffrensis'', described by Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1817, was ...

'' *****Species ''

Inia araguaiaensis The Araguaian river dolphin or Araguaian boto (''Inia araguaiaensis'') is a South American river dolphin population native to the Araguaia River, Araguaia–Tocantins River, Tocantins Tocantins basin, basin of Brazil. Discovery and species reco ...

'' *****Species '' Inia geoffrensis'' ******Subspecies '' Inia geoffrensis geoffrensis'', Amazon river dolphin ******Subspecies '' Inia geoffrensis boliviensis'', Bolivian river dolphin ******Subspecies '' Inia geoffrensis humboldtiana'', Humboldt's river dolphin ***Family

Pontoporiidae Pontoporiidae is a family of toothed whales, containing the extant genus '' Pontoporia'', and ten extinct genera. ''Pontoporia'' contains the sole extant species, the La Plata dolphin, which is endemic to South America South America is ...

****Genus '' Pontoporia'' *****Species '' Pontoporia blainvillei'', la Plata dolphin or Franciscana

Folklore

The "boto" of the Amazon River regions of northern

are described according to local lore as taking the form of a human or

merman A merman (: mermen; also merlad or merboy in youth), the male counterpart of the mythical female mermaid, is a legendary creature which is human from the waist up and fish-like from the waist down, but may assume normal human shape. Sometimes mer ...

, also known as ''boto-cor-de-rosa'' ("pink boto" in Portuguese) and with the habit of seducing human women and impregnating them.

References

{{Reflist Mammals of Brazil River dolphins Mammal common names