Burrunan dolphin

How it lives

Burrunan dolphins are tri-coloured: a darker grey back, lighter grey flanks and a white belly, with a curved dorsal fin and a short, stubby beak. Scientists tell individuals apart by the nicks and notches in the dorsal fin. Calves are born with clean fins that pick up marks over time. In Port Phillip Bay the dolphins favour waters about 5 to 15 m deep, especially where seagrass, rhodolith beds and rock meet soft sediment. Breeding and lifespan were not described in the sources read.

Where it goes

Port Phillip Bay dolphins are present all year in the southern bay. In winter and spring they spread further north, probably following prey. Two resident groups are known in Victoria, in Port Phillip Bay and the Gippsland Lakes. Genetic matches have also been found in Tasmania and South Australia.

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

Counts differ with method and year. The 2011 species description gave about 90 animals in Port Phillip Bay and about 50 in the Gippsland Lakes. A 2015 to 2021 boat survey estimated about 150 resident dolphins in Port Phillip Bay. A research foundation lists 120 in Port Phillip Bay and 65 in the Gippsland Lakes. The species has not been assessed by IUCN. In Victoria it has been listed as Critically Endangered under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 since October 2021. It is not formally listed under the national EPBC Act. Some scientists treat it as a form of the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, so its status as a full species is debated.