Imagine riding a boat down the beautiful Amazon River when a curious pink dolphin swims up alongside you
Even though this sounds like a fantasy, it is in fact the truth, pink dolphins do exist and they live in the Amazon area.
Stretching up to 2.5 meters (8 feet) long, and weighing around 180kg (400 pounds), the Amazon river dolphin is a giant among dolphins.
These unusual creatures thrive in temporary lakes caused by seasonal flooding, as well as the South American rivers.
But it’s not only size that makes the Amazon river dolphin unique, not only is it a freshwater dolphin, but it is also pink!
They are not born pink though, instead, they come into this world in a dull gray color, and the males turn pink as they enter adulthood.
Often they are not a clean pink, instead mottled with gray undertones, this is due to scar tissue from dolphin scraps.
They often turn even pinker due to external factors, for example, when they become excited, or things like diet and exposure to sunlight.
It has also been theorized that the pink coloring helps the dolphins blend into their surroundings.
The Amazon river often turns a murky pink-red color, and therefore the male dolphins get better camouflage.
The Amazon river dolphin was finally granted international protected status in 2018.
This species is one of five dolphins that live in freshwater, and they are in fact related to usual saltwater ocean dolphins.
One final thing that sets these species apart from their distant cousins is that instead of having a dorsal fin, they have a hump on their back instead.
The Amazonian wetlands are home to a variety of stunning and rare species.