First photographic evidence of Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin (Sousa chinensis Osbeck, 1765) from the tidal river Rupnarayan, in Bardhhman district, West Bengal, India

Sousa chinensis (Osbeck, 1765) of the genus Sousa (subfamily Delphininae) also known as the Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin (IPHD from hereon), is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ (VU) according to the IUCN Red List (Jefferson et al. 2017). This species is protected under Appendix I of (Conservation of International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) and is also listed in Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Jefferson et al. (2014) discovered four species of Sousa in their taxonomic analysis of humpback dolphins, with the IPHD being distinct from the other species.