Australia; NT
Between June of 2021 and November of 2023, Indigenous Ranger Groups and citizen scientists were able to spot eight different cetacean species - which include dolphins and whales - 112 times, say Aussie researchers. The team's search spanned 10,342 km of the north Australian coast, and ended up spotting four threatened, two Near Threatened and one Data Deficient species. The scientists say the most frequently spotted species were the Australian humpback dolphin, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, false killer whale, Australian snubfin dolphin, and dwarf spinner dolphin. Those people spotting from boats also found humpback whales, common bottlenose dolphins and killer whales. The team say the citizen scientists added 19 verified records of seven species, including four species not recorded in the original team's search; Risso’s dolphin and the pygmy blue whale having never been spotted in the area before.
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