Coastal Dolphin Sightings and Distribution in Northern Territory Waters
by Refer to source publication / Parks Australia·Updated 4d ago
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Description
Collation and review of sightings and distribution of three coastal dolphin species in waters of the Northern Territory, Australia, compiles historic and contemporary records from 1948 to 2010. The dataset includes sightings of Australian snubfin (Orcaella heinsohni), Indo-Pacific humpback (Sousa chinensis), and bottlenose (Tursiops sp.) dolphins from surveys, strandings, museum records, and community reports. Records indicate species-specific habitat use, particularly in relation to tidal rivers and estuaries.
Use Cases
Analyzing species-specific habitat preferences based on proximity to tidal rivers and river mouths.
Mapping historical distribution patterns of coastal dolphin species for conservation status assessment.
Informing environmental impact assessments for coastal development projects by identifying important dolphin habitats.
Comparing sighting frequencies across species (e.g., Sousa at 44% vs. Orcaella and Tursiops at 28%).
Strengths
Covers a long temporal range from 1948 to 2010, providing historical context.
Synthesizes data from multiple sources including sighting surveys, stranding records, museum archives, and community sightings.
Provides specific quantitative insights, such as the proportion of records for each species and their upstream distribution (e.g., nearly a quarter of Orcaella and Sousa records were 20-50 km upstream).
Limitations
Column names and data structure are unknown, limiting immediate analytical utility.
The dataset description acknowledges probable but unquantifiable biases in the record sources.
Metadata on row count, file size, and specific data format is missing from all platform entries.
Provenance
Source
Parks Australia, referencing a source publication.
Collection Method
Collation of historic and contemporary data from sighting surveys, stranding and museum records, and a community sighting programme.
Time Range
1948 to 2010
Freshness
Last updated metadata dates from July 2026, but the underlying data covers records only up to 2010.
Geography
Coastal waters of the Northern Territory, Australia, including estuaries, tidal rivers, and areas near river mouths.
License is listed as 'other'; users should refer to the source publication for specific terms. The dataset appears in multiple entries on data.gov.au with slightly varying tags but identical core descriptions.