This dolphin definitely isn't Flipper.
Researchers detailed the discovery of a new type of river dolphin in a PLOS ONE study published last week, The Huffington Post reported.
Found in Brazil, the unusual creatures have long, thin beaks. They are only the fifth type of river dolphin species discovered and are distantly related to dolphins that live in the sea, BBC reported.
Among the rarest creatures in the world, river dolphins typically have long beaks that let them catch fish in the bottom of rivers.
"It is very similar to the other ones," lead author Dr. Tomas Hrbek of the Federal University of Amazonas said of the new species.
"It was something that was very unexpected," he told BBC. "It is an area where people see them all the time, they are a large mammal; the thing is nobody really looked. It is very exciting."
The newly discovered river dolphins are of the species Inia araguaiaensis and have 24 teeth per jaw compared with the 25 to 29 teeth that other species typically have.
The Amazon river dolphin, also known as the pink dolphin or boto, is another river dolphin species found in South America.
The researchers have suggested that the new dolphin be named Araguaian Boto, or Boto-do-Araguaia.
Despite the celebration surrounding a discovery, the intrepid explorers also have a sobering note to share: The new species is nearing extinction.
Around 1,000 of the skinny-beaked creatures are living in the Brazil river where they were discovered, and researchers are concerned about their low levels of genetic diversity as well as human interference.
"The dolphins are at the top of the line, they eat a lot of fish," Hrbek told BBC. "They rob fishing nets so the fishermen tend to not like them, people shoot them."
He and the rest of the research team propose that the new dolphin species be categorized as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species.
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