Pebanista Yacuruna

Why in news?

• Scientists have discovered the fossilised skull of a giant river dolphin.

About Pebanista yacuruna:

• It was named Pebanista yacuruna after the Yacuruna, a Peruvian mythological being that lived in deep water.
• It belongs to the Platanistoidea, a group of dolphins that were common in the world’s oceans between 24 and 16 million years ago
• It was the largest dolphin ever known to have lived in the waters of South America, measuring 3 to 3.5 meters long.
• Its closest living relatives are found today in South Asia.
• The Ganges river dolphin (Platanista gangetica) is found in India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
• The Indus river dolphin (Platanista minor) is found in the Indus and its tributaries in Pakistan and the Beas (also an Indus tributary) in India.

Gray Whale

Why in news?

• Gray whales were recently seen in the United States’ New England region.

About Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus):

• It was last seen in the Atlantic Ocean in the 18th century.
• It is a primarily bottom feeders and are thus restricted to shallow continental shelf waters for feeding
• Habitat and Distribution: It is now regularly found in the North Pacific and adjacent seas.
• The greatest numbers occur along the west coast of Canada, the United States and Mexico, but small numbers are observed every year in near-shore waters of eastern Russia and Japan.
• IUCN Red List status: listed as Least Concern.