Yangtze Finless Porpoises Seen in Dongting Lake

More than five Yangtze finless porpoises have recently been spotted in the Hunan stretch of the Yangtze River and the Dongting Lake. The sighting surprised and attracted volunteers of the Yueyang Finless Porpoise Protection Association.

The association is committed to protecting this endangered species since being established in 2012 and has encouraged its volunteers to protect Dongting Lake environment.

Yangtze finless porpoise, known as jiangzhu or "river pig", was recognized as a separate species on April 11, 2018. It mainly inhabits the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, especially in Dongting and Poyang Lakes and the main branch of the Yangtze River. In 2013, it was listed as a critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List. In 2017, national ministries and commissions specially organized a field visit to survey Yangtze finless porpoise. The visit showed that there are now only about 1,000 Yangtze finless porpoise.

Yangtze finless porpoises swimming. (Photo/Zhang Xiaozhang, volunteer of Yueyang Finless Porpoise Protection Association)


A Yangtze finless porpoise. (Photo/Yueyang Finless Porpoise Protection Association)

Source: enghunan.gov.cn