Skip to main content

Hector's Dolphin

Cephalorhynchus hectori
The Hector's Dolphin is not only one of the smallest Ceteceans in the world, they are one of the rarest as well. These tiny ocean mammals (only 4-5 feet long!) are found exclusively off the coast of New Zealand, and are listed as Endangered by the IUCN. 

There are actually two subspecies of Hector's Dolphin, the north (sometimes called the Maui's) and the south. While the south subspecies is rare with only 8,000 individuals left, the north is close to extinction. It is estimated that only 111 Maui's Dolphins are still out there. They are listed as "Nationally Critical" by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Hector's Dolphin
Hector's Dolphin are so rare because they only live about twenty years and they breed very slowly. Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 7 or 8, and only calve every 2 to 4 years. Their numbers have decreased due to fishing net entanglement and human encroachment, and it takes a great many years for them to repopulate.

Hector's Dolphin are gray with black and white side markings. They are easily distinguishable due to their small size, tapered faces, and short, round dorsal fins.

Like other dolphin species, the Hector's Dolphin is a carnivore that uses echolocation to find and capture food. They live in small groups of up to 8, and are extremely social with one another, using complex clicks to communicate.
IUCN Status :  Endangered
Location : New Zealand
Size : Length up to 5ft (1.5m), Weight up to 130lbs (60kg)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order: Cetacea
Suborder : Odontoceti -- Family : Delphinidae
Genus : Cephalorhynchus -- Species : C. hectori

Labels

Labels:

Comments

  1. Gigel NeacsuJune 10, 2011 at 11:54 PM

    I always found dolphins like the quitest mammals. To bad that a part of the human kind uses them for making money, excepting those who take care of them.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more

Banggai Cardinalfish

Pterapogon kauderni The Banggai Cardinalfish is a small tropical fish that is becoming very rare in the wild, even though it has been successfully bred in captivity. You will only find these small, 3in long fish around the Banggai Islands of Indonesia. They are the only members of their genus, and you can tell them apart from other Cardinalfish by their three-striped bodies, tasseled first dorsal fin, long second dorsal, and their deep-forked tail fins. Banggai Cardinalfish are diurnal and live in small groups of about a dozen members. They are opportunistic feeders who dine on whatever smaller plants and animals they can find. Courtship and mating is pretty interesting for these guys-- females are the ones who initiate. They isolate a male and the pair will perform various courtship rituals before spawning. The Cardinalfish are mouthbrooders, which means that the males take the fertilized eggs (up to 90 of them) into their mouths and incubate them for up to 30 days. During t...
37 comments
Read more