This photo taken on Jan. 6, 2025 shows a Chinese white dolphin in the waters near Sanniang bay in Qinzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Sanniang Bay, located along the Beibu Gulf in the South China Sea, is dubbed the "hometown of Chinese white dolphins."

According to the data of a team that has been doing research on whales and dolphins in the Beibu Gulf for a long time, the population of Chinese white dolphins with Sanniang Bay as their main activity area is about 350-450.

An endangered species under first-class national protection in China, the Chinese white dolphin was included on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species in 2008. Highly sensitive to marine water quality, these smart guys are also viewed as a health indicator of the ecosystem they live in. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin)