All About The Freshwater Baby Whale and Freshwater Dolphin


Before we get into the article, these are not mammals nor are they true whales or dolphins. They were given these names because they “resemble” these two mammals. The Baby Whale is known to have a really good personality which has lead to them becoming popular freshwater aquarium fish. Not too much is known about the Freshwater Dolphin fish and it’s not as common in the aquarium hobby. So with that said, let’s take a look at both of these unique freshwater species.

Found in West Africa, the Baby Whale is a species of Elephantfish from the family Mormyridae. This unique fish resembles a baby whale. Similar to the Electric Eel, the Baby Whale fish has electric organs that allow them to discharge electricity in specific frequencies and signal patterns. These signal patterns – although they are weak – are used for communication and navigation.

In it’s natural habitat, the Baby Whale lives in murky waters. This ability allows it to navigate through it’s environment. Although you can see this species out and about during the day, they are known to be most active at night. It depends on the individual Baby Whale fish, it’s environment and it’s preference. So I would not 100% classify them as a nocturnal species.

Like a true whale, this species has a large brain and is highly intelligent. The males can reach a maximum length of 8 inches and the females can be even larger. They can live up to 10 years. Due to their awesome personalities, they have become a popular fish to keep in the home aquarium. They do have specific needs for living in an aquarium so if you are interested, please do your research thoroughly before you purchase one. Check out a Baby Whale fish in action in the video below.

Video Source: CrazyFishLady on YouTube

The freshwater Dolphin fish comes from the same family as the Baby Whale fish. It’s scientific name is Mormyrus Longirostris. Like the Baby Whale fish, this fish also uses it’s electrical pulse ability to navigate as this fish is know to have very poor eye sight.

It can reach a maximum length of 30 inches and weigh up to 22 lbs! So it’s quite larger than the Baby Whale fish once it is full grown. The females can carry anywhere from 10,000 to 70,000 eggs at a time!

Other than that, not too much more is really known about this species. They are also not as common in the aquarium trade. There are a few different variations as well as far as their coloring goes. It’s actually a difficult specie to properly ID because of this. The image below shows two different variations of the body, facial features and snout.

And there you have it! Let me know in the comments below which one is your favorite.

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