Australian humpback dolphin

How it lives

They live in small populations that average roughly 54 to 89 animals. Life history is little studied, and is thought to resemble the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin: pregnancy of about 10 to 12 months, nursing that may last more than 2 years, and females maturing at about 9 to 10 years and males at 12 to 14. Mother and calf bonds are strong for the first 3 to 4 years. Individuals are thought to live 30 years or more.

Where it goes

Australian humpback dolphins are mostly coastal and tied to home areas. Genetic work along the Queensland coast (Repulse Bay, Keppel Bay and Gladstone) found strong genetic structure and limited recent exchange between sites, and resident groups of about 50 to 150 animals have few sightings between them. In Cleveland Bay they favoured water 2 to 5 m deep close to the coast. Their range is thought to run from about the Queensland and New South Wales border to Shark Bay in Western Australia, but this is inferred from local studies, not from wide surveys.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

There is no range-wide estimate. Local groups are small, typically under 150 animals, and the number of mature adults is unlikely to exceed 10,000. The IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable (2017) and Wikipedia describes the numbers as declining. Australia has listed it as Vulnerable under national law since 5 March 2025, and Queensland lists it as Vulnerable too. It was recognised as a separate species in 2014, so older Australian reports often use the name Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis).