India, April 11 -- Members of riparian communities along the Beas river in Punjab often recount an interesting aspect about the Indus river dolphin, locally known as the bhulan (the one with long lips, in this case elongated snout). The dolphins were frequently observed surfacing in deeper or more dynamic stretches of the river, and these sightings were interpreted as the animals guiding people through potentially hazardous waters.

The dolphin, one of the world's most endangered freshwater cetaceans (aquatic mammals which include whales, dolphins and porpoises) and a flagship species of the Indus river system, is thus culturally viewed as a "guardian of the river". It is believed to keep the waters of the Beas "alive" and "breathing." Ov...