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The Tucuxi (Sotalia fluviatilis) is a dolphin found both in the rivers of the Amazon Basin and in the coastal waters to the north and east of South America. The word tucuxi (pronounced too-koo-shi) is dervied from the Tupi (the language of the Mayanas Indian s) word tuchuchi-ana and has now been adopted as the species' common name. Despite being found in similar geographic locations to 'true' river dolphins such as the Boto the Tucuxi is not closely related genetically. Physically the species, particularly the marine variety, more closely resembles the Bottlenose Dolphin. However, it is not related close enough, and is given its own genus, Sotalia.

1 Physical description

The Tucuxi is frequently described (see three references below) as looking similar to the Bottlenose Dolphin. However it is typically smaller, in particular the riverine ecotype (150cm) which is smaller than its marine counterpart (up to 210cm). The dolphin is coloured light to bluish grey on its back and sides. The ventral region is much lighter, often pinkish in the riverine ecotype and a lighter gray in the marine. The dorsal finDorsal Fin of the Orca A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of fishes, whales, dolphins and porpoises. Its main purpose is to stabilise the animal against rolling and assist in sudden turns. Some animals have developed dorsal fins with protective fu is typically slightly hooked, particularly amongst freshwater species. The beak is well-defined and of moderate length.

2 Distribution

The marine Tucuxi is found close to estuaries, inlets and other protected shallow water areas around the east to north South America coast. It has been reported as far south as Southern BrazilThis article is about Brazil, the country. For other article subjects named Brazil see Brazil (disambiguation). The Federative Republic of Brazil Republica Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in South America. and round as far as NicaraguaNicaragua is a republic in Central America. It is the largest Central American nation but the least densely populated. It is bordered on the north by Honduras and on south by Costa Rica. Its western coastline is on the Pacific Ocean, while the east side o. One report exists of the animal reaching HondurasHonduras is a nation of northern Central America, bordered to the west by Guatemala and El Salvador, to the south by Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean and to the north by the Gulf of Honduras and the Caribbean Sea. The nation of Belize (formerly "British Ho. The riverine Tucuxi exists along much the length of the Amazon RiverThe Amazon River (occasionally River Amazon Spanish: Rio Amazonas of South America is one of the two longest rivers on Earth, the Nile River of Africa being the other. It has by far the greatest total flow of any river, carrying approximately 56 times as and many of its tributaries, and is found in PeruFor other uses, see Peru (disambiguation The Republic of Per ( Spanish: Per Quechua, Aymara: Piruw is a country in western South America, bordering with Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the east, south-east and south, Chil, south-east ColombiaFor other uses see Columbia. The Republic of Colombia is a country in north-western South America. It is bound by earth, to the north and north west by the Caribbean Sea, to the east by Venezuela and Brazil, to the south by Ecuador and Peru, and to the we, eastern EcuadorThe Republic of Ecuador is a country of South America. Republica del Ecuador ( In Detail) National motto: Libertad y Orden ( Spanish; "The peace and wellbeing, the glory and triumph" Official language Spanish Capital Quito Largest City Guayaquil President. Plenty of examples have been seen in the Orinoco River further north, though it is not clear whether these are riverine or lost marine individuals.