The First New Dolphin Discovered in 30 Years

New Guinea's snub-fin dolphin is one of more than 1,000 new species discovered on one island in the last several years.

Snub-fin dolphin, a new species discovered in Papua New Guinea.

Photo By: Guido J. Parra / WWF

In 2005, scientists reported finding that the snub-fin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni), was not an Irrawaddy dolphin, but in fact its own species — the first dolphin discovered in 30 years, and one of more than 1,000 discovered in New Guinea in recent years, according to WWF, which has just released a report on the island's amazing natural riches. Politically divided between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, the island sits north of Australia.

"If you look at New Guinea in terms of biological diversity, it is much more like a continent than an island," Neil Stronach, a WWF staffer said in a news release. "Scientists found an average of two new species each week from 1998 to 2008 – nearly unheard of in this day and age."

Conservation International has previously reported on its discoveries of amazing new wildlife species in New Guinea. See more photos of newly discovered Papua New Guinea wildlife.

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