Rare snubfin dolphin spotted 'smiling' and playing in the water off the coast in Queensland

Don’t blink your eyes guys, A beautiful rare “snubfin dolphin” has been spotted “smiling” playing and jumping out of the water off the coast in Queensland. Emma Schmidt, a ranger for Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, said she saw the rare mammal frolicking with a pod of around 10 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. I immediately took a photo of the “smiling” dolphin off Hinchinbrook Island, south of Cairns, and nicknamed him “snubby”. This is indeed very rare phot, so this photo was just pure luck, though we were heading to Sunken Reef Bay and I saw a pod of about 10 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins and between them was this cute little “snubby”. It was frolicking and mucking around jumping out of the water and in the photograph it looks like its smiling. I’ve been working in this area for twelve years, but have only spotted the infrequent mammals twice.

Ms Schmidt revealed the Hinchinbrook Channel was a “snubfin” pod hotspot because of the sheltered inshore waters. Therefore, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service posted a photo of the mammal on its Facebook page, saying: “Don't blink” it's a rare Australian snubfin dolphin “Orcaella heinsohni”. “Ranger Emma” just spotted little “snubby” here taking a relaxed backstroke off Hinchinbrook Island National Park. Anyone know anything about these defiant cetaceans? The “highly social” dolphins can only be found in the waters off northern Australia as far south as the Gladstone region in Queensland. Even, they can grow to between 1.5m and 2.7m in length and vary in color from brownish grey to pale white.
Snubfin dolphins have a very blunted, round head and they take their name from their small, triangular “snubby” dorsal fin. They live in minor populations of stuck between 50 to 100 individuals.