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Do you like finless porpoises? For such a question, most people are likely to be confused in their minds first. What is a finless porpoise, and is it the same species as the dolphins we often hear about? According to the Global Encyclopedia, the finless porpoise belongs to the cetacean porpoise family, and the dolphin belongs to the cetacean dolphin family.
With regard to the finless porpoise, the mainland's main focus is on the protection of the Yangtze finless porpoise. Because more than 30 years ago, due to various reasons, the Yangtze finless porpoise was once on the verge of extinction.
In order to save the Yangtze finless porpoise species from the danger of extinction, researchers launched a conservation attempt to put five finless porpoises into Tianezhou. Now that 30 years have passed, what are they doing now? Have they managed to emerge from the extinction crisis or even thrive?
Introduction to the Yangtze finless porpoise
The Yangtze finless porpoise, as the name suggests, is a mammal of the porpoise family that mainly lives in the Yangtze River basin, and is often affectionately called the "giant panda in the water". Previously, scientists generally regarded the East Asian finless porpoise and the Yangtze finless porpoise as two subspecies of the narrow-ridged finless porpoise, i.e., belonging to the same species. However, with the application of morphological taxonomy and molecular genetics, the Yangtze finless porpoise was only recognized as an independent species in 2018.
The Yangtze finless porpoise usually fluctuates around 1.2 to 1.6 meters in length, which can be said to be very "petite" compared to the Indo-Pacific finless porpoise and the East Asian finless porpoise. Compared with dolphins, the Yangtze finless porpoise inhabits freshwater water systems, and is characterized by the absence of dorsal fin on the dorsal ridge, and the snout is short and blunt, with flat left and right sides and spade-shaped teeth on the upper part.
The Yangtze finless porpoise prefers to move in a single or small group in terms of living habits, and the number of groups is generally only a handful. The finless porpoise itself emits two types of acoustic signals for predation and communication, namely high-frequency pulse signals and low-frequency continuous signals.
The Yangtze finless porpoise is endangered
As we all know, the Yangtze River has always been regarded as the "mother river" of the Chinese nation, and it feeds the people living along the riverbank. People live and work here in peace and contentment, and for the Yangtze finless porpoise living in the Yangtze River basin, it is inevitably affected by human activities.
Among them, relevant data show that from the 90s of the last century to the beginning of the 21st century, the number of finless porpoises in the Yangtze River has dropped sharply from more than 3,600 to about 1,000, and even to 500.
The reasons for this are, firstly, the continuous construction activities such as urban space and farmland have brought threats to the habitat of the Yangtze finless porpoise to a certain extent.
On the one hand, the need for water resources has led to the construction of a large number of water conservancy projects, including the Three Gorges Dam and other small hydropower stations, which have limited the living space of aquatic organisms such as the Yangtze finless porpoise in the Yangtze River basin.
On the other hand, due to the need for food resources and economic benefits, the surrounding fishermen have carried out a large number of fishing activities, resulting in the sharp decline of the number of many biological species, and even endangered or extinct. This not only directly reduces the number of Yangtze finless porpoises, but also indirectly exacerbates the reduction of the survival rate of the Yangtze finless porpoise through the reduction of the amount of food required by the Yangtze finless porpoise.
Second, in people's production activities, people discharge too many pollutants into the Yangtze River, including but not limited to solid waste, industrial wastewater, pesticides, etc., which seriously pollute the water quality, and manifest as the accumulation of harmful substances in the food chain, which will eventually threaten the survival of the Yangtze finless porpoise.
In addition, the Yangtze finless porpoise's sensitivity to sound is also difficult to reconcile with the Yangtze River, where ships frequently sail to the Yangtze River, and the noise generated by ship navigation and ship collisions will interfere with the life of the finless porpoise, resulting in a very poor living environment for the Yangtze finless porpoise.
In order to avoid the extinction of similar baiji dolphin species, mainland researchers urgently put five finless porpoises that were about to become extinct into the Tianezhou Reserve in Hubei Province in 1990 for protection.
The current situation of the Yangtze finless porpoise
Since the five Yangtze finless porpoises were put into the Tianezhou Reserve, there has been little rejection and seems to be very adaptable to this new ecological environment. Over the past few years, the Tianezhou Reserve is the only area where the number of finless porpoises in that area is growing, with an increase rate of about 10%, which is a considerable increase.
In the past 30 years, the population of the Yangtze finless porpoise has been recovering and gradually forming a stable subpopulation. This has undoubtedly made the Yangtze River Ancient Road in Tianezhou gradually develop into a protected area with the largest population of Yangtze finless porpoise, and the Tianezhou Conservation Area has also become a typical example of successful ex-situ conservation of Yangtze finless porpoise at home and abroad. For a while, Tianezhou became famous, and Shishou City, Hubei Province, where it is located, was also named the hometown of "Chinese finless porpoise".
Among them, we note that only in 2008 did the Yangtze finless porpoise population decline. According to the analysis of relevant data, this is related to the rain and snow in the Yangtze River area at that time, and the freezing of the river surface made it unbearable for mammals such as the Yangtze finless porpoise to jump out of the water to breathe.
Therefore, it can only try to "break the ice" with its own body, and it has been recorded that six finless porpoises have died from wound ulceration and infection caused by "breaking the ice".
Based on this lesson, the researchers realized that more conservation space must be opened up for the Yangtze finless porpoise, and it cannot be confined to one place. In the Yangtze River Basin, there are 3 main protected areas and 1 protection base, and finless porpoises are constantly being moved in. Through this measure, the number of Yangtze finless porpoises has been effectively increased to a certain extent, and the data shows that the number of Yangtze finless porpoises has exceeded 100 in 2021.
According to the results of a new survey released in early 2023, the number of finless porpoises in the Yangtze River has exceeded 1,200, nearly half of its original size, and is now distributed in the main stream of the Yangtze River, Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake. This rebound in the scale of the population can be said to be the initial effective results of the application of measures such as the ban on fishing in the Yangtze River, the establishment of ecological reserves, and the adoption of artificial breeding technology issued by the state in recent years.
end
The conservation and restoration of the Yangtze finless porpoise is a model of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. More than 30 years ago, five finless porpoises were put into the Tianezhou Reserve, and after years of hard work, their populations have gradually increased, which is a favorable signal for the gradual recovery of the ecosystem.
However, the Yangtze finless porpoise still faces many challenges, such as water pollution, habitat destruction, and fishing activities. In the future, protection work still needs to be deepened. Let each of us devote ourselves to the protection of the Yangtze finless porpoise, and work together to protect the mother river of the Yangtze River and its ecological balance.
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