A new species of dolphin dubbed the snubfin has been witnessed displaying some very unusual feeding behavior off the northern coast of Australia. Apparently the dolphins were witnessed chasing fish to the surface of the water and then streaming jets of water out of their mouths to round the fish up before eating them.
I'm more of a Copenhagen mammel, myself.
"This incredibly unusual behavior, first seen in Australia off the Kimberley Coast, has only been noted before in Irrawaddy dolphins, which are closely related to this species," Lydia Gibson of WWF Australia told the Northern Territory News.
The snubfin was discovered officially in 2005.
Video of the snubfin in action below the fold...
Brain & Behavior
Comments
Shy creaters... afraid of boats... so let's shoot one.
(I find it hard to believe that dolphinolgists have not learned to extract DNA from feces)
Funny that the news reporter calls the recordings of the vocalizations "sound bites"
Posted by: Greg Laden | April 14, 2009 6:37 PM
is it just me or does it look like a beluga with a tan?
Posted by: peter | April 14, 2009 11:46 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the snubfin and the irrawaddy dolphin the same thing?
Posted by: Susan | April 15, 2009 2:51 AM
Interesting...thank you. I enjoyed seeing them in action. Is that colour common among other species?
Posted by: Lilian Nattel | April 15, 2009 9:06 AM
"A new species of dolphin" - new? What, like bought yesterday?
Posted by: naught101 | May 22, 2009 1:40 AM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the snubfin and the irrawaddy dolphin the same thing? ...
Posted by: Hiphop | June 15, 2009 4:05 PM
thank you very good ...
Posted by: Rap | June 15, 2009 4:07 PM
i like the new dolphins and i think you should let them swim in the open so the other children can see them i think the children will like them
Posted by: hannah sitarski | March 2, 2010 3:54 PM