Pontoporia blainvillei (Gervais & d'Orbigny, 1844)
Franciscana
Pontoporia blainvillei
photo by FAO

Family:  Iniidae (river dolphins)
Max. size:  163 cm TL (male/unsexed); 177 cm TL (female); max.weight: 34 kg
Environment:  pelagic; brackish; marine
Distribution:  Southwest Atlantic: Argentina and Brazil. [Rio Grande do Sul/Uruguay population: IUCN 2010 (Ref. 84930): VU, A2d.]
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Found in coastal areas, but may be found in some estuaries and sporadically enter the la Plata river. Feeds mostly near the bottom on several species of fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans (Ref. 1394).
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU); Date assessed: 14 August 2017 (A3d) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:  Known from Regência, Espíritu Santo (Ref. 1522); and from Rio Grande do Sul (29°20' - 33°45'S), Paraná and Sao Paulo (25°00' - 25°58'S) (Ref. 74591). C: Refs. 1522, 1394, 74591, M: Ref. 1394.

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