Q 01/05

Irrawaddy dolphins are famous for which unusual habit at the surface, which may help herd fish?

A) Spit streams of water

B) Stir up rings of mud

C) Flash their pale bellies

D) Whistle through the blowhole

Answer · why

A) Spit streams of water

Spit streams of water is the Irrawaddy dolphin's party trick, with jets reaching up to 1.5 meters. The squirting may herd fish, or simply clear water ...

Q 02/05

The small Irrawaddy dolphin is widely described as a close relative of which much larger ocean giant?

A) Sperm whale

B) Killer whale

C) Blue whale

D) Bowhead whale

Answer · why

B) Killer whale

Killer whale is the surprise: early genetic studies paired the two, though newer work places the slow, shy Irrawaddy dolphin nearer the pilot whales.

Q 03/05

The Irrawaddy dolphin's bulging forehead and blunt face make it look most like which Arctic whale?

A) Narwhal

B) Bowhead

C) Minke whale

D) Beluga

Answer · why

D) Beluga

Beluga is the lookalike, thanks to the same rounded head and stubby snout. Scientists once even placed the two animals in the same family before genet...

Q 04/05

How do cast-net fishers on the Ayeyarwady River traditionally call Irrawaddy dolphins to help them catch fish?

A) Blow a conch shell

B) Scatter grain on the water

C) Tap a stick on the boat

D) Wave a red cloth

Answer · why

C) Tap a stick on the boat

Tap a stick on the boat and willing dolphins answer, herding a shoal toward the net in a tightening half-circle. Their reward is the fish that slip ou...

Q 05/05

Many Cambodian villagers along the Mekong River traditionally believe that Irrawaddy dolphins are what?

A) Reincarnated ancestors

B) Messengers of the monsoon

C) Guardians of sunken temples

D) Children of the moon

Answer · why

A) Reincarnated ancestors

Reincarnated ancestors is how many river communities see the dolphins. The belief has helped people and dolphins live side by side peacefully for gene...