Photograph by James Shook, who retains copyright and releases the image under the Creative Commons Attribute

2.5 License.

HECTORS DOLPHIN
Cephalorhynchus hectori BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Hectors Dolphin
Hector's dolphin is endemic to the coastal waters of New Zealand.

Is one of the rarest and smallest of marine dolphins in the world.

Hectors dolphin was named after Sir James Hector, a Scottish geologist and naturalist.

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Anatomy
The sides and back of this dolphin are light grey.

The dorsal n, ippers and ukes are black.

A white stripe extends from the belly onto each ank below the dorsal n.

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Anatomy
Adults measure between 47 and 62 inches and weighs up to 110 lb.

Hectors dolphins can have as many as 31 conical teeth on both sides of the upper and lower jaws. Their teeth can be up to 13 mm in length and 3 mm in diameter.

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Habitat
This species is found around the majority of South New Zealand.

The total population around the South Island was estimated at about 7,000 individuals.

They are typically observed in water less than 90 meters deep and less than 1 km from the shoreline. BIOEXPEDITION.COM

Behavior
Hectors Dolphins live in ssion-fusion social groups from two to ten individuals.

Hector's dolphins emit sounds that are thought to be used for communication.

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Behavior
They tend to swim closer together when in close proximity to boats, which may be an indication of stress.

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Feeding
Feeding is a group activity, and prey includes small sh and arrow squid.

The Cephalorhynchus hectori undertake short dives for about 90 seconds to catch prey.

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Feeding
The largest prey item recovered from a Hectors dolphin stomach was an undigested red cod with a weight of one pound.

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Reproduction
Both sexes have multiple mates.

Females reach maturity at around 7 to 9 years of age, and males between 5 and 9 years.

Their gestation period is between 10 and 12 months.

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Reproduction
Calves are born in late spring to early summer.

Hectors dolphin calves have a total length of 22.6feet and weigh 1822 pounds.

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Threats
The commercial and recreational shers are the major threat to the survival of this species.

Habitat modication is another potential threat for the future.

Also collisions with ships are known to injure or kill Hectors dolphins.

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Threats
Noise produced by shipping may also be a disturbance to these cetaceans.

In New Zealand ve marine mammal sanctuaries were designated to provide protection from non-sheries related impacts.

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Credits
Animal Facts -BioExpedition.com Facebook.com/bioexpedition Twitter.com/bioexpedition Youtube.com/bioexpedition Pinterest.com/bioexpedition Dolphins-World.com
Copyright Bioexpedition.com 2012
Photograph by James Shook, who retains copyright and releases the image under the Creative Commons Attribute 2.5 License.