# Irrawaddy dolphin (*Orcaella brevirostris*)

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

The irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group, placed in the order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti and family Delphinidae. It is a large animal by our size classification, with a representative adult body mass of 190 kg. It is a piscivore and carnivore with a marine lifestyle and a cathemeral activity pattern. The IUCN Red List classes it as Endangered (EN), a threatened category; it has one young per litter after a gestation period of 426 days.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 114 kg – 190 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 30 years |
| Diet | Piscivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | coastal, marine |
| Gestation | 426 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 5 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: Delphinidae
- genus: Orcaella
- species: *Orcaella brevirostris* (Owen in Gray, 1866)

Synonyms: *Orca brevirostris*, *Orcaella brevirostris*, *Orcaella brevirostris brevirostris*, *Orcaella brevirostris fluminalis*, *Orcaella fluminalis*, *Orcaella fluminalis*, *Orcella brevirostris*, *Orcella fluminalis*, *Phocaena brevirostris*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the irrawaddy dolphin?

The irrawaddy dolphin is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group, belonging to the order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti and family Delphinidae.

### How heavy is the irrawaddy dolphin?

The irrawaddy dolphin has a representative adult body mass of 190 kg, which places it in the large size class.

### What does the irrawaddy dolphin eat?

The irrawaddy dolphin is a piscivore, and its trophic level is carnivore.

### Is the irrawaddy dolphin endangered?

Yes. The IUCN Red List classes the irrawaddy dolphin as Endangered (EN) in its global assessment, which is a threatened category.

### How long does the irrawaddy dolphin live?

The irrawaddy dolphin has a lifespan of 30 years.

### How many young does the irrawaddy dolphin have?

The irrawaddy dolphin has one young per litter, after a gestation period of 426 days (1.2 years).

### What are other names for the irrawaddy dolphin?

Other English names include Snubfin dolphin, Irawadi dolphin, Irrawady dolphin, Snub-fin dolphin and Dolphin of the Irawadi.

## 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: Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/irrawaddy-dolphin