The freshwater dolphin from China considered functionally extinct since 2006 was the baiji, or Yangtze river dolphin. Its scientific name is Lipotes vexillifer, and it lived in the Yangtze River system.
The baiji had deep cultural importance in China, where it was nicknamed the “Goddess of the Yangtze.” Its population collapsed as the river became increasingly crowded with fishing, shipping, industrial activity, and hydroelectric infrastructure. By the 1990s, only a small number were being found during surveys.
A six-week international expedition in late 2006 searched roughly 3,500 kilometres of the Yangtze but found no confirmed animals. Researchers therefore declared the species functionally extinct: if any individuals survived, too few were likely to remain for a viable breeding population. This wording is important because absolute extinction has not been conclusively demonstrated. The baiji is not the same animal as the Chinese white dolphin or the Yangtze finless porpoise.