In the classification of biologists, there is no difference, it is just a matter of regional nomenclature. “The term boto gained strength in Brazil to name the small cetacean found in the rivers of the Amazon. From then on, it started to be taught in schools that boto was freshwater and dolphin, saltwater. But that difference doesn’t exist”, says biologist Marcos César Santos, coordinator of the Atlantis Project, which fights for the preservation of these animals. Some species of cetaceans even receive both names, as is the case of the tucuxi river dolphin (Sotalia guianensis), also known as gray dolphin. Very intelligent animals and excellent swimmers, dolphins, or porpoises, can reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour and jump 5 meters above the water, depending on the species.
putting order
Named species of porpoises and dolphins are mixed in the same families
ORDER
cetaceans
Group of aquatic mammals, such as whales and dolphins/porpoises.
SUBORDER
Odontocenti
It gathers only cetaceans with teeth.
FAMILY
Delphinidae
It gathers only the species that live in the sea. For example, the tucuxi dolphin, the bottlenose dolphin (remember Flipper, on TV?) and even the killer whale.
platanistidae
It gathers only the species that live in rivers. From the pink dolphin to the Ganges dolphin.
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