Table of Contents
How many Hectors dolphin are left?
Today just 10,000 Hector’s dolphins survive – a mere third of the original population. Although there are only around 50 Māui dolphins left on earth, fishing with gillnets and trawl nets is still permitted across 81% and 95% of their habitat, respectively. The dolphins’ extinction is inevitable under these conditions.
What do Hectors dolphin eat?
Hector’s dolphins have a varied diet that includes cephalopods, crustaceans, and small fish species. Species such as red cod, ahuru, arrow squid, sprat, sole, and stargazer comprise the bulk of their diet.
How big is a Hector dolphin?
about 1.5 m
Population: About 15,000 individuals older than 1 year. Conservation status: Nationally vulnerable. Found: Around the South Island of New Zealand, with some individuals recorded around the North Island. Size: Adult dolphins are about 1.5 m in length.
What order is the Hector’s dolphin in?
Even-toed ungulates
Therapsid
Hector’s dolphin/Order
How big does a Hector’s dolphin get to be?
Both subspecies typically have a total body length of four to five feet at maturity, with Māui dolphins reaching a larger size than Hector’s dolphins and females of both subspecies reaching larger sizes than males. They have a very rounded dorsal fin and paddle-like pectoral fins.
What kind of behavior does a Hector’s dolphin have?
Hector’s dolphins display a wide range of behaviors, including body contacts, bubble-blowing, leaping, lobtailing (slapping the water surface with the fluke), and spyhopping (holding the body vertically with head above the water surface).
How did the Hector’s dolphin get its name?
This animal is one of the most infrequent and smallest marine dolphins. Hector’s dolphin is named after Sir James Hector, a New Zealand scientist, who was the first to seriously explore the species. Sexes generally look alike, though males are usually shorter than females. Unlike other dolphins, this animal lacks a beak.
What does a dolphin look like as an adult?
Their distinctive gray, black, and white coloring changes as the dolphin ages from a newborn calf into an adult. As an adult, the sides of the head, tail, dorsal fin, and flippers are black; the throat, lower jaw, and belly are white; and most of the rest of the body is gray.