DNA samples taken from snubfin dolphins off the Kimberley coast may prove they are a new dolphin species or sub-species.

The Australian snubfin dolphin, characterised by a short dorsal fin and rounded snout, was discovered in 2005 in small populations across the Top End and north Queensland coasts. Initially mistaken for an Irrawaddy dolphin of Southeast Asia, it was later confirmed as a new species, the first new dolphin species found in the world for 50 years.

Now, there may be a unique sub-species restricted to the Kimberley region. Scientists from WWF Australia collected dolphin skin samples  to confirm whether Kimberley snubfins differ from the other Australian populations. Their long isolation from animals living further north and east along Australia's coastline could have caused evolutionary differences.  The samples will be genetically analysed to clarify whether the dolphins are regular Australian snubfins or a new species.

The discovery of a new species would be tantalizing news at a time of decline for most dolphin species worldwide. The Chinese Baiji dolphin of the Yangtze River has been declared functionally extinct after extensive scientific searching failed to turn up a single animal in 2006.