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Bizarre Snubfin Dolphin Spotted

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Danielle Andrew

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2556 Bizarre Snubfin Dolphin Spotted
Rare snubfin dolphin seen off the coast of Australia. Queensland National Parks / Facebook

A rare, shy and extremely cute snubfin dolphin was spotted off the coast of Australia a few days ago.

The snubfin dolphin, classified by the IUCN Red List as a vulnerable and near threatened species, is believed to belong to a pod of snubfins that travel the Hinchinbrook Channel.

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Emma Schmidt, a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service ranger, spotted the playful dolphin jumping out of the water along with 10 humpback dolphins. She said in her 12 years as a ranger, this is only the second time she’s encountered a snubfin.

"They are very rare, so this photo was just pure luck," Schmidt told local news outlet Townsville Bulletin. "We were heading to Sunken Reef Bay and I noticed a pod of about 10 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and among them was this cute little snubby."

So named because of its small, triangular dorsal fin, the snubfin has a blunted, round head and can vary in color from brownish-grey to pale white. Like many coastal dolphins around the globe, snubfins are threatened by coastal development and accidental entanglement in fishing gear.

Via Townsville Bulletin 

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[H/T: Discovery]


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