A group of beachgoers in Argentina have killed a baby dolphin after lifting it out of the water so it could be paraded for a gratuitous procession of selfies.

Photographs show a cluster of people, some armed with smartphones, others reaching forward to touch the small trapped mammal, crowding around a man who holds the Franciscana dolphin aloft like a trophy.

The baby dolphin's thick layer of fat meant it dehydrated and quickly perished after it was pulled from the ocean, said a local wildlife protection agency.

An eager throng of people crowd the Franciscana dolphin for selfies and to pet the mammal. Source: Hernan Coria (Facebook)

Wildlife Foundation condemned the actions of the crowd, which follows another recent incident of a dolphin being dragged from the water at the same beach, The Telegraph reports .

"Recently photographs taken in Santa Teresita showing a group of people passing a dolphin around on dry land on two occasions have emerged. At least one of these animals has died," the organisation said in a statement.

"This incident should help the public understand the urgent need to return these dolphins to the sea when they get close to the shore."

Conservationists estimate there are 30,000 remaining Franciscana dolphins in the world's oceans. Source: Hernan Coria (Facebook)

Franciscana dolphins, which conservationists estimate there are 30,000 remaining in the world's oceans, are listed as endangered.