Yangtze Finless Porpoise

How many endangered plants and animals are there in Georgia?

Yangtze Finless Porpoise

By: Brittany Fite

EXTINCT!!!

-Upland combshell

-Southern acornshell

Plants:

Pool Sprite, Little Amphianthus, Swamp Pink, Small whorled pogonia, Mohr's Barbara's-buttons, Kral's water-plantain, Large-flowered skullcap, Virginia spiraea, Hairy rattleweed, and the Smooth coneflower. Plus 15 more!!

Description:

Scientific name:

Neophocaena asiaeorientalis

The Yangtze Finless Porpoise is the only freshwater sub-species of the whole Porpoise family. Its the only porpoise to lack a dorsal fin. Yangtze Finless Porpoise has a nature smile on their face and they are one of the most intelligent creatures on earth, with a level of intelligence comparable to that of a gorilla. This shy creature love to play with the spray behind the fish boat. their sound is like whistle.

Animals:

Gray Bat, Indiana Bat, Purple bankclimber, Fine-lined pocketbook, Conasauga logperch, Shortnose sturgeon. Reticulated Flatwoods salamander, Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Red-cockaded woodpecker, Wood stork, and the Kirtland's warbler.

Plus More!!

Habitat

Freshwater rivers and lakes

How can WE help???

Are there laws to protect it?

Places where this species lives is Greater Mekong, Congo Basin, Borneo and Sumatra, Yangtze, Chihuahuan Desert, and Eastern Himalayas.

EPA China laws-

Since 1992 Rio Summit, China has

enacted environmental laws on air

pollution, water pollution, solid waste, and clean production.

We can save this species by keeping the pollution out of the oceans and rivers. Also, when we fish, steer clear of big fish like dolphins and porposes, the blades can kill them just as easily as it can kill us.

Why is it Endagered?

Why Should We Care?

Finless porpoises need an abundant food supply for survival. The destruction of the Baiji dolphin food supply was central to its extinction. Overfishing is the main factor that contributes to the decrease in finless porpoises’ food supply, but pollution and ship movement are factors as well. One of the main causes is electro- fishing.

The finless porpoises have lived in captivity for over 15 years

Electro-fishing is an illegal method of fishing that became widespread across the Yangtze region during the 1990s. It's typically practiced by people with little skill at “real” fishing, who operate at night and use storage batteries to fire huge electric charges into the river, collecting whatever dead fish float up to the surface.

What's being done to save it

Why is it important to save?

http://www.fws.gov/athens/endangered/tebirds.html

http://eol.org/pages/328539/details

http://worldwildlife.org/species/yangtze-finless-porpoise

They keep the fish from over populating. Fish is their main diet.

The World Wildlife Fund and partners are have reconnected more than 40 floodplain lakes with the main stem of the Yangtze River to restore seasonal flows and allow the migration of species, like the finless porpoise, between the lakes and the river. This contributes to a secure food supply for the Yangtze finless porpoise. WWF also works to provide fishermen with feasible alternatives for income generation. This helps to develop the economy, stop overfishing and allows fishermen to contribute to the protection of the finless porpoise.

Is it a keystone species?

http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=438

http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/Roger_Martella_PPT.pdf

Yes. Porpoises are at the top of the food chain and have an important role in the overall balance of the marine environment. They can tell us a lot about the health of the ocean, such as the presence of pollution or the decline in fish. They are also very popular with tourists.