The Australian snubfin dolphin has a rounded head and no beak, and lives in shallow coastal waters of northern Australia and southern Papua New Guinea.
Its head is broad and rounded, with no beak. The small dorsal fin sits toward the rear, the flippers are broad, and its colours include a dark back, pale sides and white underside.
In north-western Australia, researchers compared Australian snubfin dolphins sampled at Cygnet Bay and Roebuck Bay, more than 200 kilometres apart. The study included 32 animals from Cygnet Bay and 25 from Roebuck Bay. Published in 2014, it assessed genetic differences between the two locations and estimated movement between their groups.
The sampled groups showed significant genetic differences. Estimated migration was about four per cent from Roebuck Bay to Cygnet Bay and about three per cent in the opposite direction. Three Cygnet Bay dolphins were primarily assigned to the Roebuck Bay genetic cluster. The authors described the coastal groups as largely isolated and called for plans to maintain population size and gene flow.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The study found genetic differences between 32 Australian snubfin dolphins sampled at Cygnet Bay and 25 at Roebuck Bay, locations more than 200 kilometres apart. Estimated migration between the two groups was low: about four per cent in one direction and three per cent in the other. The authors said management plans should maintain effective population size and gene flow. The findings provide information about the connection between these two coastal groups.