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'''Indian dolphins''', belonging to the genus ''Platanista'', are toothed whales found in the waterways of the [[Indian subcontinent]]. Historically, they were regarded as a single species (''P. gangetica''), with the Ganges river dolphin and the Indus river dolphin considered subspecies (''P. g. gangetica'' and ''P. g. minor respectively''). However, due to genetic and morphological studies, they were reclassified as distinct species in 2021. It is estimated that the Ganges and Indus river dolphins diverged around 5,50,000 years ago. These dolphins are the sole surviving members of the family ''Platanistidae'' and the superfamily ''Platanistoidea''. Fossils of their ancient ancestors have been traced back to the late Oligocene period. | '''Indian dolphins''', belonging to the genus ''Platanista'', are toothed whales found in the waterways of the [[Indian subcontinent]]. Historically, they were regarded as a single species (''P. gangetica''), with the Ganges river dolphin and the Indus river dolphin considered subspecies (''P. g. gangetica'' and ''P. g. minor respectively''). However, due to genetic and morphological studies, they were reclassified as distinct species in 2021. It is estimated that the Ganges and Indus river dolphins diverged around 5,50,000 years ago. These dolphins are the sole surviving members of the family ''Platanistidae'' and the superfamily ''Platanistoidea''. Fossils of their ancient ancestors have been traced back to the late Oligocene period. | ||
== Taxonomy == | |||
Indian river dolphins were historically classified as a single species, known as ''Platanista gangetica'', with the populations in the Ganges and Indus Rivers recognised as subspecies (''P. g. gangetica'' and ''P. g. minor'', respectively). In 1801, Heinrich Julius Lebeck named the Ganges river dolphin ''Delphinus gangeticus'', while Johann Georg Wagler introduced the genus name ''Platanista'' in 1830. This Latin term is believed to be derived from the Greek "platanistēs", potentially linked to the Greek words platē (meaning "oar") or platē (meaning "flat" or "broad"). The name was originally attributed to the Ganges dolphin by Pliny the Elder in his work Naturalis Historia around 77 CE. Later, in 1853, Richard Owen examined a specimen from the Indus and identified it as the same species as the Ganges river dolphin, albeit a smaller variant. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||