The Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni) is a dolphin of the northern coasts of Australia that closely resembles the Irrawaddy dolphin and was not described as a separate species until 2005, making it the first new dolphin species described in 56 years. Females reach about 2.3 metres and males about 2.7 metres. The skin is subtly tricoloured, brownish on top, lighter brown along the sides and white on the belly, whereas the Irrawaddy dolphin is uniformly slate grey apart from its white belly, and the skull and fins also differ slightly. The closest relative of its genus, Orcaella, is the killer whale. The name honours George Heinsohn of James Cook University, who proposed that the dolphins off Townsville were a new species, and DNA samples from that population confirmed it. Western science first knew of the species from a skull collected in 1948 at Melville Bay on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory, from an animal that Aboriginal people had apparently caught and eaten.
Facts
Classification
Population Trend System (Realm) ThreatsResidential and Commercial Development 1 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Body Size Band Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Orcaella, Taxa Source Australian snubfin dolphin (Wikipedia)
In Biome
Marine, Biomes Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Orcaella heinsohni (Animal Diversity Web)
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Orcaella heinsohni (Animal Diversity Web)Geographic Range, IndonesiaQuote, Geographic Range, Indonesia
They are found as far north as Manokwari, Indonesia
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Orcaella heinsohni (Animal Diversity Web)Geographic Range, QueenslandQuote, Geographic Range, Queensland
Their range in Australia is from Broome in Western Australia to Brisbane in Queensland.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Orcaella heinsohni (Animal Diversity Web)Geographic RangeQuote, Geographic Range
Their range in Australia is from Broome in Western Australia to Brisbane in Queensland.
Sources
1. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Orcaella heinsohni (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHabitat Regions
saltwater or marine
Geographic Range
are native to Australian and Oriental coastal waters surrounding the Sahul shelf
Conservation Status
categorize Australian snubfin dolphins as near threatened
Conservation Status, CITES
CITES Appendix II
Food Habits
They feed on a variety of fish and invertebrates found in their coastal and estuarine habitat.
Conservation Status, threats
The major threats include entanglement in gill nets set in shallow waters for fishing
Conservation Status, habitat
habitat degradation (coastal zone development, pollution, boat traffic, and overfishing of prey resources)
Conservation Status, pollution
habitat degradation (coastal zone development, pollution, boat traffic, and overfishing of prey resources)
Physical Description
Adults are relatively small, varying in length from 2.1 to 2.3 m and weighing 114 to 133 kg.
Lifespan/Longevity
Australian snubfin dolphins can live for more than 20 years, but generally do not survive past 28 years of age.
Predation
Humans pose the greatest predation risk to Australian snubfin dolphins.
In Group: Cetaceans (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises), Classification, order
Cetacea dolphins, porpoises, and whales
In Biome: Marine, Habitat
Australian snubfin dolphins inhabit shallow coastal waters up to 30 m deep and 23 km from the coast.
View the Source 2. Australian snubfin dolphin (Wikipedia)
Conservation
the Australian snubfin dolphin population is believed to be decreasing
Child Taxon Of: Orcaella, Description
A species of delphinid in the genus, Orcaella
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