# Ganges river dolphin (*Platanista gangetica*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/ganges-river-dolphin  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group, belonging to the family Platanistidae within the order Cetacea and suborder Odontoceti. It is a large animal with a representative adult body mass of 115 kg, and it is a carnivore with a cathemeral activity pattern. The IUCN Red List classifies the ganges river dolphin as Endangered (EN) in its global assessment, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 86.5 kg – 115 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 28 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | freshwater, riverine |
| Gestation | 320 days – 365 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 10 years |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Cetacea
- family: Platanistidae
- genus: Platanista
- species: *Platanista gangetica* (Lebeck, 1801)

Synonyms: *Delphinorhynchus gangetica*, *Delphinorhynchus gangeticus*, *Delphinus gangetica*, *Delphinus gangeticus*, *Delphinus gangeticus*, *Delphinus gangeticus*, *Delphinus rostrats*, *Delphinus rostratus*, *Delphinus schawensis*, *Delphinus shawensis*, *Plantanista gangetica*, *Platanista gangetica*, *Platanista gangetica gangetica*, *Platanista gangetica gangetica*, *Soosoo gangeticus*, *Soosoo gangeticus*, *Susa planista*, *Susu gangetica*, *Susu platanista*

## Common questions

### Is the ganges river dolphin endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Endangered (EN) in its global assessment, which is a threatened category.

### How heavy is the ganges river dolphin?

Its representative adult body mass is 115 kg, which places it in the large size class (25 to 250 kg).

### What does the ganges river dolphin eat?

The ganges river dolphin is a carnivore.

### How long does the ganges river dolphin live?

Its lifespan is given as 28 years.

### How many young does the ganges river dolphin have?

It has 1 young per litter, after a gestation period of 320 days, with the highest reported value being 365 days (1 year).

### At what age does the ganges river dolphin reach maturity?

It reaches sexual maturity at 10 years of age.

### What kind of animal is the ganges river dolphin?

It is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group, classified in the family Platanistidae, order Cetacea and suborder Odontoceti.

### Who named the ganges river dolphin?

Its scientific name, Platanista gangetica, carries the authority (Lebeck, 1801).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ganges-river-dolphin