Orcaella

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iSnubfin Dolphins
Orcaella heinsohni
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Cetacea Family: Delphinidae Genus: Orcaella Gray, 1866
Species
Irrawaddy Dolphin (O. brevirostris) Australian Snubfin Dolphin (O. heinsohni)

The Snubfin Dolphins (Orcaella) are a genus of dolphins, long believed to be monotypic, the only species being the Irrawaddy Dolphin. However in 2005 genetic analysis showed that the Australian Snubfin Dolphin is a second species closely related to the Irrawaddy dolphin. Recent molecular analyses indicate that the genus Orcaella is closely related to the orca of the genus Orcinus, the two of them together forming the subfamily Orcininae.

[edit] References

• LeDuc, R.G., Perrin, W.F., Dizon, A.E. (1999). Phylogenetic relationships among the delphinid cetaceans based on full cytochrome b sequences. Marine Mammal Science 15, 619–648.
• May-Collado, L., Agnarsson, I. (2006). Cytochrome b and Bayesian inference of whale phylogeny. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 38, 344-354.

[edit] External link

• BBC Article on the discovery of the Australian Snubfish Dolphin