the animal is very inconspicuous—it moves very smoothly and slowly—and can be difficult to spot unless estuary conditions are very calm. it will commonly swim alone or in small groups. exceptional groups as large as 15 have been seen. la plata dolphins are bottom feeders and gut inspections have revealed they eat at least 24 different species of fish, depending on which species are most common. they will also take octopus, squid and shrimp. they are, in turn, hunted by killer whales (orcas) and several species of sharks.