back to article Shy, bashful HUMPBACK DOLPHINS expose themselves to boffins

A previously unknown species of humpback dolphin has been blithely swimming the waters off northern Australia, according to scientists. A research team made up of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the American Museum of Natural History and other groups set out to figure out the number of distinct types …

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  1. Measurer
    Facepalm

    Let me be the first....

    Sousa Fosters anyone??

    1. Martin Budden Silver badge
      Pint

      Upvoted for being funny :-)

      But... nobody in Australia drinks that Fosters piss. Sousa xxxx* would work, although I expect the boffins will plump for something boring like Sousa australis.

      *or Sousa fourecks if you like Terry Pratchett

  2. Steve Renouf
    Headmaster

    grammar nazi in action

    "the Indo-Pacific variety should actually be broken up into three different species, one of which is completely new"

    [pedant]

    No it isn't - It's been "newly recognised/discovered" - it hasn't just miraculously materialised out of nowhere...

    [/pedant]

    1. Chemist
      Happy

      Re: grammar nazi in action

      "it hasn't just miraculously materialised out of nowhere..."

      Are you ... sure ?

      Easy come - easy go (Can we have a HHGG icon ?)

      1. Brewster's Angle Grinder Silver badge

        Re: grammar nazi in action @Chemist

        "Hi, I've come for the fish. Some mates said you do killer sardines."

        1. Turtle

          @ Brewster's Angle Grinder Re: grammar nazi in action @Chemist

          "Hi, I've come for the fish. Some mates said you do killer sardines."

          And they're great on a sandwich with killer tomatoes...

          1. monkeyfish

            Re: @ Brewster's Angle Grinder grammar nazi in action @Chemist

            "Hi, I've come for the fish. Some mates said you do killer sardines."

            Just so long as you don't confuse the killer sardines with the killer whales..

        2. Chemist
          Joke

          Re: grammar nazi in action @Chemist

          "Some mates said you do killer sardines"

          Don't get the tin with the Dent in it

          1. frank ly

            Re: grammar nazi in action - furthermore ...

            How do they know those dolphins had been swimming blithely, unless they observed them and differentiated them before they discovered them? This is all unsupported assumption.

            1. Chemist

              Re: grammar nazi in action - furthermore ...

              "blithely swimming the waters off northern Australia, according to boffins."

              playfully swimming (playfully) the waters off northern Australia, according to boffins

              Fixed

          2. Martin Budden Silver badge
            Coat

            Re: grammar nazi in action @Chemist

            Don't get the tin with the Dent in it

            A whole Dent, or only Arfur Dent?

            1. Chemist

              Re: grammar nazi in action @Chemist

              "A whole Dent, or only Arfur Dent?"

              Nice !

            2. cortland

              Re: grammar nazi in action @Chemist

              Made MY arvo!

  3. JeffyPoooh

    Biologists... sigh...

    They're constantly "discovering" (sic) "new" (sic) species in the meat markets of the developing world.

    (This post has been edited for no reason whatsoever...)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Biologists... sigh...

      Probably a new species of post, then.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Paris Hilton

      Re: Biologists... sigh...

      Biology must be a nice gig. You get to go around the world cruising singles bars for the meat market action!!

  4. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Coat

    A new species of dolphin ?

    Is that the one with the genetic predisposition for fixing carry-on lasers with their attendant portable megawatt generator ?

    The one released from the secret, undersea Russian lab a while ago ?

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    ok.

    When are they going to apply the same rules to homo sapiens? I'd love to be officially classified as a different species than the rest of you.

    1. frank ly

      Re: ok.

      Theodore, we already know. There's no need to make it 'official'.

    2. Elmer Phud

      Re: ok.

      " I'd love to be officially classified as a different species than the rest of you."

      You are Nobby Nobbs and I claim my five pounds

    3. Wzrd1 Silver badge

      Re: ok.

      Well, they have done so, Theodore.

      Your sub-genera is Homo Inferious.

      Do you now feel better about yourself?

    4. Michael Dunn
      Joke

      Re: ok. @Theodore

      Depends how blithe you are!

  6. Mikel

    The unrestrained proliferation of dolphin species

    Yet another of the perils caused by anthropogenic global climate change.

    1. Robert Moore

      Re: The unrestrained proliferation of dolphin species

      We all know you only have to worry when all the dolphins disappear.

      "So long, and thanks for all the fish."

  7. Frankee Llonnygog

    Wow

    "A research team made up of scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the American Museum of Natural History and other groups set out to figure out the number of distinct types of humpback dolphins using physical features and genetic data."

    Dolphins using genetic data? Them's some clever dolphins

    1. Michael Dunn
      Happy

      Re: Wow

      Oh, come on Frankee; they've been using us as experimental animals for cnturies; luckily they're humane researchers.

  8. Bob Hoskins
    FAIL

    Nearly.

    Reading the title I was like wow! They actually said scientist and not boffin!

    It got retarded fast though.

    1. Soap Distant
      Boffin

      Re: Nearly.

      It got retarded right after your post. Really, how many times do patient El Reg commentards have you tell you that boffin is the correct term for any scientist/expert before you get it? Perhaps we need a boffin to figure that one out...

      Try any online or offline dictionary. Off ya go!

      SD

      1. cortland

        Re: Nearly.

        Boffin? One of THESE?

  9. despun

    This is happening a lot. It works like this ...

    Biologists etc. are playing a game. Redefine groups of existing species as " really a different species" on whatever pretext they can dream up. Then this new "species", being much smaller, having a more specific habitat etc., jumps up several catagories on the endangerment list. Your work then becomes more important/urgent/ up for funding.

    1. Soap Distant

      Re: This is happening a lot. It works like this ...

      Is that what they're up to? How sneaky of 'em! I thought they'd have identified some distinguishing features and a reluctance/inability to breed with other species or something. Clearly not, must just be the money eh?

      SD

      1. despun

        Re: This is happening a lot. It works like this ...

        Dunno if that was /sarc or not ? Just in case. Some (minor) distiguishing features of doesn't make a new species. As you say - breeding is the test. Uless they geographically relocate individuals, plus allow for trauma / social effects causing reluctance, it's flakey. Did they ?

        [ A couple of days ago, there was the same thing on t'telly re. killer whales - and they were pushing the endagerment line explicitly. ]

  10. Stevie

    Bah!

    Fools!

    It's obvious these are just bottlenose dolphins trick-or-treating in costume as humpback whales.

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