Dolphin In Australian Water Royalty-Free Stock Photo

The waters around Australia range from the warm tropical waters of northern Australia to the cooler waters around the southern coastline. To the south of the continent are the colder subantarctic waters and off the Australian Antarctic Territory, the very cold, sometimes ice-strewn, Antarctic waters. The killer whale occurs in all waters though it is most abundant in the southern oceans. The other wide ranging species, the bottlenose dolphin, occurs in all but the colder waters. On the basis of their distribution the small cetaceans can be placed in three groups: those mostly restricted to shallow waters close inshore and to rivers and estuaries; those occurring most commonly in nearshore waters over the continental shelf; and the truly open ocean species seldom encountered close to land.