Yangtze River Endangered Animals

The yangtze finless porpoise calls the yangtze river the longest river in asia home.
Yangtze river endangered animals. Locals unsure of what they looked like simply called them river pigs. The yangtze river is also home to several species that are globally recognized for their unique evolutionary and biological characteristics such as aquatic mammals baiji or yangtze river dolphin lipotes vexillifer listed as critically endangered cr species on the iucn red list of threatened species and the yangtze finless porpoise neophocaena asiaeorientalis endangered en reptiles such as the chinese alligator alligator sinensis cr as well as an amphibian the chinese giant. Nearly all species of marine turtles are endangered as well as many of their freshwater brethren like the yangtze turtle. Yangtze giant softshell turtle another extremely rare animal is the yangtze river giant softshell turtle.
Learn more about what wwf is doing to protect its future and how you can help. Plants animals near the yangtze river plants. Flora in the area includes the chinese willow tree bamboo plants lotus blossom and dove tree. Prior to 2006 the river was home to two different species of dolphins but the baiji dolphin was declared functionally extinct in 2006.
The white flag dolphin called baiji in chinese was spotted in the yangtze river in 2007. Their eggs meat and skin leaves them vulnerable to poaching and their. But just like the chinese alligator efforts are being made to decrease sand dredging which muddies the lakes and disturbs the porpoise s habitat. Only around 800 of the animals remain in the river and that number is rapidly dropping.
Once thriving in its native waters as little as four individuals are known to remain. The central yangtze river and lakes are also known to be important wintering and stopover sites for large numbers of migratory birds including an estimated 95 percent of the world s siberian crane population. Endangered species in china include the giant panda siberian tiger yangtze river dolphin asian elephant golden monkey black necked crane crested ibis plus many lesser known species. Wary of humans the finless porpoise stays hidden below the river s surface.
Other endangered marine. With the loss of the yangtze river dolphin the world s most critically endangered cetacean species now is the vaquita or gulf of california porpoise phocoena sinus of which 250 survive.