Pink River Dolphin

Hello! My name is Boto, and I am an Amazon River Dolphin. I live in the amazing Amazon River in a big forest in South America. The water here is warm and the river twists and turns like a long, winding road. The most special thing about me is my skin! It's a beautiful shade of pink. Sometimes, when I get really excited or happy, my skin gets even pinker, like I'm blushing. It's so much fun to splash and play in my wonderful river home.

When I was little, my mom taught me everything I needed to know. The river water can be murky and hard to see through, but that's okay because I have a special superpower! It's called echolocation. I make little clicking and whistling sounds that bounce off of everything around me. The sounds come back to me like an echo, and it paints a picture in my mind of where everything is. It's like I can see with sound! I also have a super-flexible neck. I can turn my head all the way to the side, much more than you can. This helps me look for yummy crabs and tasty fish that love to hide among the roots of the flooded trees. It’s a great trick for finding a snack.

My dolphin family has been swimming in these rivers for a very, very long time. People who study animals are called scientists, and they first wrote about my family way back in the year 1817. Isn't that a long time ago? I'm not the only one who lives here, though. My home is like a busy neighborhood full of friends. I love to see the playful otters zipping through the water and the big, slow-moving manatees gently munching on water plants. We all share this big, beautiful river together.

I am a very important part of my river home. When I am healthy and happy, it's a sign that the whole river is healthy, too. In the year 2018, people noticed that there were not as many of my friends and family as there used to be. They realized we needed extra help. Now, lots of kind people are working hard to keep our water clean and our home safe. Because of them, I can keep swimming and exploring for a long, long time, keeping my part of the world wonderful.