Tucuxi Gray River Dolphin Skull Replica

Description

Tucuxi gray river dolphin skull replica measures 12.9 x 5.3 x 4.9 inches. The Sotalia fluviatilis skull is a museum-quality polyurethane resin cast from California Academy of Sciences specimen. 2-part skull (separate cranium and mandible). 1:1 scale. Made in USA.

The tucuxi gray river dolphin lives in the rivers of the Amazon basin. People also call them bufeo gris or befeo negro. It inhabits freshwater environments in Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and southeastern Colombia.

It physically resembles the bottlenose dolphin but belongs to a separate genus. This species is not closely related to true river dolphins like the boto. It belongs to the oceanic dolphin family.

The animal typically gros to about 4.9 feet in length. It has a light to bluish gray color on its back and sides. The belly area is much lighter and often looks pinkish.

It features a well-defined beak of moderate length with 26 to 36 teeth in its jaws. This creature has one of the largest brain-to-body size ratios among all mammals. Studies show these dolphins can live up to 35 years old in the wild.

These mammals hunt for foot in tight groups. They chase fish in rapid dashes just below the water surface. Their diet consists of a wide variety of fish. They eat thirty different fish species from fast-flowing rivers, protected lakes, and narrow channels. These social animals even feed alongside other river dolphin species.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Mammalia
• Order: Artiodactyla
• Infraorder: Cetacea
• Family: Delphinidae
• Genus: Sotalia
• Species: S. fluviatilis
• Binomial name: Sotalia fluviatilis (Gervais & Deville, 1853)
• Conservatoin status: Endangered (IUCN 3.1)

Place this tucuxi gray river dolphin skull next to the Amazon River dolphin skull replica to observe how separate lineages share South American waterways. Introduce the Indus River dolphin skull replica to demonstrate completely different muddy water survival traits. You can also add the bottlenose dolphin skull replica to see how open ocean species look next to river-dwelling dolphins.