Baiji

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Baiji[1]
An illustration o the baiji
Size compared tae an average human
Scientific classification
Kinrick: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Cless: Mammalia
Subcless: Eutheria
Order: Cetacea
Suborder: Odontoceti
Superfaimily: Platanistoidea
Faimily: Lipotidae
Zhou, Qian & Li, 1978
Genus: Lipotes
Miller, 1918[3]
Species: L. vexillifer
Binomial name
Lipotes vexillifer
Miller, 1918[3]
Natural range of the baiji

The baiji (Cheenese: ; pinyin: Aboot this soondbáijìtún ) (Lipotes vexillifer, Lipotes meanin "left behind", vexillifer "flag bearer") wis a freshwatter dowphin foond anly in the Yangtze River in Cheenae. Nicknamed "Goddess o the Yangtze" (simplifeed Cheenese: 长江女神; traditeeonal Cheenese: 長江女神; pinyin: Cháng Jiāng nǚshén) in Cheenae, the dowphin is cried Cheenese river dowphin, Yangtze River dowphin, whitefin dowphin an Yangtze dowphin an aw. It is nae tae be confused wi the Cheenese white dowphin or the finless porpoise.

The baiji population declined drastically in decades as Cheenae industrialized an made hivy uise o the river for fishin, transportation, an hydroelectricity. Efforts wur made tae conserve the species, but a late 2006 expedeetion failed tae find ony baiji in the river. Organizers declared the baiji functionally extinct,[4] which wad mak it the first knt aquatic mammal species tae acome extinct syne the demise o the Japanese sea lion an the Caribbean monk seal in the 1950s. It wad be the first recordit extinction o a well-studied cetacean species (it is unclear if some previously extinct varieties wur species or subspecies) tae be directly attributable tae human influence an aw.

In August 2007, a Cheenese man reportitly videotaped a lairge white ainimal soummin in the Yangtze.[5] Altho it wis tentatively confirmed that the ainimal on the video is probably a baiji,[6] the presence o anly ane or a few ainimals, parteecularly o advanced age, is nae enough tae save a functionally extinct species frae true extinction. The last kent livin baiji wis Qi Qi (淇淇), who died in 2002.

References[eedit | eedit soorce]

  1. Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L., Jr. (2005). "Order Cetacea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 723–743. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Smith, B.D., Zhou, K., Wang, D., Reeves, R.R., Barlow, J., Taylor, B.L. & Pitman, R. (2008). "Lipotes vexillifer". IUCN Reid Leet o Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. Internaitional Union for Conservation o Naitur. Retrieved 18 Januar 2013. Cite has empty unkent parameter: |last-author-amp= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors leet (link) CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  3. a b Miller, Gerrit S (1918). "A new river-dolphin from China". Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. 68 (9): 1–12.
  4. "The Chinese river dolphin is functionally extinct". baiji.org. 13 December 2006. Archived frae the original on 4 Januar 2007. Retrieved 13 December 2006. Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (help)Archived 2007-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Rare Dolphin Seen in China, Experts Say". New York Times. 30 August 2007. Retrieved 30 August 2007.
  6. "White dolphine appears from the brink". AFP. 29 August 2007. Retrieved 31 August 2007.