Chinese river dolphin vs Gharial

Lipotes vexillifer compared with Gavialis gangeticus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chinese river dolphin	Gharial
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Reptilia (réptil)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Crocodylia (Crocodilians)
Family	Lipotidae	Crocodylidae (Crocodiles)
Genus	Lipotes	Crocodylus (True Crocodiles)
Species	Lipotes vexillifer	Gavialis gangeticus

Evolutionary Relationship

Chinese river dolphin and Gharial share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (cordados)

Conservation Status

Chinese river dolphin

CR — Critically Endangered

Gharial

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~650

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chinese river dolphin	Gharial
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	60 years
Average Length	—	5.0 m
Average Weight	—	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chinese river dolphin

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Gharial

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across India and Nepal. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chinese river dolphin

The Chinese River Dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer) is a species in the genus Lipotes. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Gharial

O gavial-do-ganges (Gavialis gangeticus) é um crocodiliano piscívoro com um focinho longo e estreito característico. Está Criticamente em Perigo com menos de 700 adultos em estado selvagem.