A family travelling Australia in a caravan has shared their excitement after witnessing something “amazing” while camping last month. They say they heard a “massive splash” before discovering a dolphin swimming in the river “literally 10 to 15 steps away from our caravan”.
The Falzon family, who’ve been sharing their journey on social media, revealed they were visiting northern NSW when they experienced the special encounter, claiming they “no idea river dolphins even existed” in Australia.
Dolphins are usually found in open oceans and coastal waters so it’s a pretty “good sighting”, wildlife scientist Dr Vanessa Pirotta told Yahoo News Australia. However, things might not be as they seem.
“It’s a dolphin, what is happening right now?” the mum of two can be heard saying in the video shared on TikTok. She called over her husband and children to witness the “beautiful” scene.
“I’m still in shock,” they added in the caption. “I had no idea that dolphins stayed in the mangroves”.
Animal spotted not a river dolphin, expert explains
Speaking of the encounter, Dr Pirotta said that while river dolphins are a species in their own right, they don’t exist in Australia. The dolphin witnessed by the family was likely a bottlenose dolphin, and not a river dolphin, despite being found in the river. It had probably ventured into the river from the sea, she explained.
“The animal’s definitely not where it’s usually found so it’s a good sighting,” she said. “It may have been chasing prey and has followed the prey upstream, and as a result has entered into an area.”
Dolphins thrive in saltwater which is particularly beneficial for their skin. But as it travels further upstream, it becomes freshwater which is thought to cause disease and make them sick.
“The saltwater is where they’re found normally and this animal, maybe through misadventure or it was finding food, followed its way up the river. It’s best if the animal does head off back to the saltwater,” she said.
River dolphins found worldwide different to Aussie dolphins
Populations of river dolphins are found in South America and also the Amazon River. “They do look different to the dolphins we’re used to here in Australia,” she explained.
“Because of the environment they live (in murky waters), they don’t really rely on their eyesight so much, so they tend to be very small. And some of them are pinkish in colour which allows them to blend into their environment.”
Bottlenose dolphins (left) are often sighted in Aussie waters but are different to river dolphins (right) found worldwide. Source: Getty
In Australia, some people claim river dolphins are “common” with small populations being known to live in lakes and rivers in Victoria and Adelaide. However, to call these river dolphins is inaccurate, Dr Pirotta said.
“One of the coolest things” about this particular encounter is the “power of social media,” she added. By the family sharing their incredible encounter, authorities and scientists, like herself, are alerted to it and can help raise awareness.
Sometimes it’s the case where authorities intervene and “politely usher it out towards the sea”. She also praised the family for “observing from ashore” and “not disturbing the animal”.
“In this case, it was important that the person observing did not place any added stress on the individual by simply observing from shore. That’s a really nice positive outcome,” she said.
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