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SpeciesCetaceaLipotidae
Marine mammals

πŸ‹Baiji

Lipotes vexillifer Miller, 1918

The baiji is a possibly extinct species of river dolphin native to the Yangtze river system in China. It is thought to possibly be the first dolphin species driven to extinction due to the impact of humans. This dolphin is listed as "critically endangered: possibly extinct" by the IUCN, has not been definitively seen in over 20 years, and several surveys of the Yangtze have failed to find it. The species is also called the Chinese river dolphin, Yangtze river dolphin, Yangtze dolphin, and whitefin dolphin. The genus name Lipotes means "left behind" and the species epithet vexillifer means "flag bearer". It is nicknamed the "Goddess of the Yangtze" and was regarded as the goddess of protection by local fishermen and boatmen. It is not to be confused with the Chinese white dolphin or the finless porpoise. This is the only species in the genus Lipotes.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Measurements
11
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β‰ˆ 1.6Γ— your weight
Also called
Chinese River Dolphin, Yangtze River Dolphin, Changjiang Dolphin, Chinese Lake Dolphin, Pei Chi, White Flag Dolphin, Whitefin Dolphin, Yangtse River Dolphin
Conservation status
CRCritically endangered

IUCN Red List assessment, 2017.

Population trendDecreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
98 kg
Body length
2.1 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
24 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Baiji

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
98 kgrecord 135 kg Β· SeaLifeBase
COMBINE
Other figures ↓

Record: largest individual on record

Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0

By sex

  • Female240 kgSeaLifeBasev25.04SeaLifeBase populates Weight independently of Length; the two are not guaranteed to describe the same individual. Verify before publishing.

Figures vary

  • 84 kgAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: questionable
Body length
2.1 m
COMBINE
Other figures ↓

Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0

By sex

  • Female2.6 mSeaLifeBasev25.04

Figures vary

  • 2.3 mSeaLifeBasev25.04
Brain mass
558 g
COMBINE
Details ↓

Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0

Maximum lifespan
24 years
COMBINE
Other figures ↓

Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0

Figures vary

  • 24 yearsAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: questionable
Generation length
13 years
COMBINE
Details ↓

Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0

Age at maturity
9.2 years
COMBINE
Details ↓

Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0

Gestation
319 days
COMBINE
Other figures ↓

Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0

Figures vary

  • 319 daysAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: questionable
Litter size
1
COMBINE
Other figures ↓

Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0

Figures vary

  • 1AnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: questionable
Trophic level
Carnivore
COMBINE
Details ↓

Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0

Activity cycle
Diurnal
COMBINE
Details ↓

Source: COMBINE Β· v1 (Soria et al. 2021) Β· CC BY 4.0

Volume l
98 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Baiji yet: shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. β€ΊphylumChordata
  3. β€ΊclassMammalia
  4. β€ΊorderCetacea
  5. β€ΊfamilyLipotidae
  6. β€ΊgenusLipotes
  7. β€ΊspeciesLipotes vexillifer
Full lineage
  1. classMammals Β· Mammalia
  2. orderEven-toed hoofed animals Β· Artiodactyla
  3. infraorderWhales & dolphins Β· Cetacea
  4. genusLipotes
All 15 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassSarcopterygii
  7. superclassTetrapoda
  8. classMammals Β· Mammalia
  9. subclassTheria
  10. superorderLaurasiatheria
  11. orderEven-toed hoofed animals Β· Artiodactyla
  12. suborderWhippomorpha
  13. infraorderWhales & dolphins Β· Cetacea
  14. familyLipotidae
  15. genusLipotes
More

More about the Baiji

Closest relative on this site
πŸ‹ Amazon river dolphin β€” last shared an ancestor β‰ˆ 11 million years ago.
What it eats
fish100%
In other languages
Chinesischer Flussdelfin (de), η™½ι±€θ±š (zh), Lipotes vexillifer (es), Dauphin de Chine (fr), Baji chiΕ„ski (pl), μ–‘μ―”κ°•λŒκ³ λž˜ (ko) … and 27 more languages
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Tree of life

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15 branchesOpen β†’