Rare Australian humpback dolphin on a verge to get extincted: Study

Canberra : The rare Australian humpback dolphin is on a verge to get extincted and needs urgent protection, mentioned a study released on Wednesday.

Research done at the Flinders University found a sharp decline in the population genetics of the Sousa sahulensis, commonly known as the humpback dolphin.

Scientists studied the Australian humpback dolphin, endemic to northern Australia and southern New Guinea, for 17 years before coming to the conclusion that it was a separate species within the Sousa family.

The study concluded that the deaths of even a few mature individuals per year could be detrimental for the viability of the humpback dolphin populations, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Our results show that Australian humpback dolphin populations along the east coast of Queensland are characterized by low levels of genetic diversity, limited gene flow, and small effective population size," lead author Guido Parra told the media on Wednesday.

The Australian humpback dolphin have also been marked under the red category of endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Co-author Daniele Cagnazzi said the results should "raise important conservation concerns and emphasise the vulnerability of this species to random natural and human disturbances."

(with IANS inputs)