Irrawaddy Dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris)

on the Irrawaddy River, outside Mandalay, 2014.

These are tricky things to photograph because they don\'t jump, they just pop up for a couple of seconds to breathe and disappear, and there is no way to know where they are going to surface next. These are pretty much the best photos I got. Fantastic creatures!

yes, there was a small group. Sometimes they would come up individually, sometimes in twos or threes.

I have to say, if someone showed me this photo without any comment I would have a hard time guessing what the animals even were! I'd probably go with Loch Ness Monsters....