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Hectors Dolphin
Hectors Dolphin
Nicole Imada
Wing
20 February 2018
Hector’s dolphin
The ocean is a most tranquil natural landscape, though beneath, is bustling with activity.
The typical hearty Cephalorhynchus body shape is evident in this species. The head is blunt, the
dorsal fin is squat and rounded, and the flippers are curved at the tips. Hector’s dolphin is one of
the minutest toothed cetaceans in the world and is prevalent to New Zealand. This dolphin
received its name in honor of Sir James Hector, a Scottish scientist who labeled this dolphin for
the first time in the decade of 1870’s. Hector's dolphin is predominant to the coastal waters of
New Zealand, where it is threatened by fisheries bycatch, pollutants and boat disturbance. This
stunning, poorly known animal’s color design meticulously bear a resemblance to that of the
killer whale. Some of these entities have been kept in captivity, where they were lethargic and
seemed uncomfortable at first, but when their water was made to some extent cloudy, in
compliance to their habitation in the wild, they responded favorably, settling down and becoming
more receptive. A subtly shaded, crescent-shaped black band marks the head just behind the
blowhole. The throat and belly are creamy white, severed by dark-grey bands meeting between
the flippers. A white stripe extends from the belly onto each flank below the dorsal fin.
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She splashes out of the water in one clean leap. Her stocky body gracefully glides
through the air, showing off her very distinctive black, rounded dorsal fin, with a convex trailing
edge and undercut rear margin. Her overall appearance as she leaps is a very light grey, but
within closer inspection discloses a wide diversity of colors and shades. Her black mask
encircling her eyes catches the attention of many, creating a criminal appearance for such a small
innocent creature. As she splashes back down into the water a blue dorsal fin encircles her, one
of her greatest predators. She glides through the water at a quick tempo into a small enclosed
The “Hector’s Dolphin” happens to be one of the most endangered animals to exist today.
Hector’s dolphin is the smallest of dolphins. This species is sexually dimorphic, with males
being slightly shorter and lighter in weight than females. This dolphin has no discernable beak
therefore contributing to its size. The color of the Hector’s dolphin rang from black to creamy
white, extending all over its body. With its short stocky stature, the Hector’s dolphin adults reach
lengths of 1.5 m (females being slightly larger than males), and newborn calves are about sixty to
seventy centimeters long. The weight wavers around 40 and 60 kilograms, though weights of up
The Hector’s dolphin is found only in the inshore waters of Aotearoa/New Zealand. They
are found near the coast of the South Island though distribution can be sporadic.
Inhabitants are focused between Haast and Farewell Spit in the west, around Banks Peninsula in
the east, and Te Waewae Bay and Porpoise Bay/Te Whanaga Aihe in the south. On the occasion,
While all dolphins are carnivores, Hector’s dolphin’s diet correlates. These dolphins
prefer to hunt in pods up to 8 in shallow water. This species can be seen looking foro cod,
herring, squid, various fish and other small prey towards the shore. The Hector’s dolphin is
believed to be influenced on the size of their prey rather than the kind of prey. Like most
dolphins, Hector’s dolphins use echolocation to search for their food. Creating a detailed picture
of their surroundings, this species sends out a high frequency click that recoils off any
surrounding objects. This is not used at all times, possibly causing such a large percent of
Female hector’s reach sexual maturity between seven to nine years old. Males reach
sexual maturity at five to nine years old. Every two or three years females can produce one calf.
This makes population increase a very slow process. Most females may have only four or five
calves in their lifetime. In between November and mid-February, calving occurs frequently. The
calves tend to stay with their mothers for at most two years. The reproduction rate of Hector’s is
barely two percent each year. They can breed two to four times a year. Both male and female are
polygamous. Males only search for receptive females when mating and when they do, they court
them by performing jumps, executing chases, showing the belly and establishing physical
contact. In groups that have more members, tend to demonstrate these acts more frequently. In
the summer, mating tends to occur and within ten to twelve months, females give birth to the
calves.
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This species can form pods or “mini pods” which are composed of two up to ten entities.
These “mini pods” are known to form large temporal pods by associating with other “mini pods”.
Males and females have the liberty to transfer to other groups or pods. The Hector’s dolphin
species are slow swimmers compared to other species of dolphins. In the winter they move away
from the coast and in the spring, they migrate to other regions or yields back to the coasts where
The Hector’s dolphin is a highly threatened animal. Seven thousand, four hundred entities
have been estimated currently. This species has a status of “Endangered” in the red list of the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). That means they are in danger of
becoming extinct. The focal factors of this are Bycatch with gillnets, collisions with boats,
contamination of their habitat with chemicals produced by humans that accumulate in the body
of the dolphin and cause health problems and decrease fertility rates, loss of habitat as a result of
coastal development, and disturbance originated by boats that transport tourists. There are also
natural predators of this species including sharks and killer whales also known as orca. Though
man is the main source of the hector’s dolphins’ endangerment through inshore fishing, there are
Many activist organizations are working diligently to protect the remaining Hector’s
dolphin population. One organization that has actively been involved in protecting the hector’s
dolphin is The Department of Conservation. Their main focus is to protect and restore these
species. “We run programs to protect and restore our species, places and heritage, and provide
opportunities for people to engages with these treasures” Their works toward protecting and
restoring the hector’s dolphins have noticeably made a change in their society. The Marine
Mammals Protection Regulations were introduced in 1992 to control marine mammal tourism
activities. Set-net controls were introduced to Canterbury in 2002 and in west coast North Island
in 2003.DOC, in a joint initiative with the Ministry of Fisheries developed a Draft Threat
Management Plan released in 2007. View the Draft plan on the MPI website (external site).
Since then additional fisheries restrictions have been implemented along with four new marine
mammal sanctuaries and alterations to the Banks Peninsula marine mammal sanctuary.
Investigation and scientific studies continue to increase our knowledge about each sub-species’
ecology, preservation status, life history, and threats. Enhanced organization practices are
constantly being sought after for these dolphins in an effort to guarantee their survival into the
future.
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Leaping gracefully over and through the ocean, the hector’s dolphin is a small, wonderful
mammal. With the hector’s dolphin’s population dramatically declining due to human
population, preservation groups work together with scientific investigators to protect them and
avoid any further reduction in the population and/ or possible extinction. Preservation groups and
scientific investigators are not the only ones who can make a change. Through the educating of
the community, the effects of humans to the hector’s dolphin can be prevented, protecting the
population. Creating safe atmospheres for the hector’s dolphins will contribute to the
http://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/marine-mammals/dolphins/hectors-
"Endangered species relying on change in focus." New Zealand Herald [Auckland, New Zealand], 26
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A179392286/SCIC?u=hend78154&xid=c4828860. Accessed
7 Feb. 2018.
"Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori)." Encyclopedia of Endangered Species, vol. 1, Gale, 2009.
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2644710282/MSIC?u=hend78154&sid=MSIC&xid=bdb6
Rayment, W., Dawson, S., Slooten, L. and Childerhouse, S. (2006) Offshore distribution of
Hector's dolphin at Banks Peninsula. DOC Research and development Series 232.
Reeves, R.R., Dawson, S.M., Jefferson, T.A., Karczmarski, L., Laidre, K., O’Corry-Crowe, G., Rojas-
Bracho, L., Secchi, E.R., Slooten, E., Smith, B.D., Wang, J.Y. & Zhou, K. 2013.Cephalorhynchus
e.T4162A44199757.http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T4162A44199757.en.