Wildlife on Yangtze River

The Yangtze is home to at least three critically endangered species: The Chinese Alligator, the Finless Porpoise and the Chinese Paddlefish. (This is the only other place besides the U.S. that is native to an alligator species.) The Finless Porpoise were counted in 2010 to be 1000 exemplars. More species have become extinct in the Yangtze than in any other river in China. This is due to commercial use of the river coupled with tourism and pollution. In December 2006, the Baiji (Chinese River Dolphin) was declared functionally extinct after an extensive search of the river revealed no signs of the dolphin's inhabitance; however, one was sighted soon after.

Posted in: Yangtze River