Q. Can you tell us what makes Hector's dolphins unique?
A. For starters, I am the smallest oceanic dolphin in the WHOLE WORLD! At only 1.5m long most kids are taller than my total length. My rounded dorsal fin, which looks like one of Mickey Mouse's ears, sets me apart from most other dolphin species – except Maui's. Plus, we’re only found around New Zealand, like the Kiwi, so we're known as endemic taonga species.
Q. Are you related to the Maui Dolphins?
A. Oh yes, Maui's are my North Island cousins! We haven't lived together for like 16,000 years so now we look a little different. Maui dolphins have bigger skulls and snouts than us but it's still really hard to tell us apart - so scientists often have to test our DNA to find out. Our population is currently much larger than Maui's too as they only have 54 individuals, and there is estimated to be about 15,000 Hector’s.
Q. Where can we visit you?
A. You'll find groups of us navigating the coasts of the South Island. Some mill about on the East Coast near Marlborough Sounds and Otago Peninsula, others cruise around the West Coast over at Jackson Bay and Kahurangi point, and more just chill in the South Coast by Toestoes, Te Waewae Bay and Porpoise Bay! We like hanging out along the coastline, in water shallower than 100m so you've got a pretty good chance of seeing us from the shore.
Q. What's your favourite food?
A. I really like small red cod, flatfish (āhuru), stargazer, sprats and arrow squid.
Q. How do you communicate with each other?
A. Lots of people think we whistle like other dolphins, but that's too cliche. We slap the water with our tails, jump in the air, nudge each other, rake our teeth down each other's skin and make this really cool clicking noise that's so high-pitched, humans can't hear it unless it's been slowed down like 20x! The clicks also help us see, it's called echolocation, using sounds that bounce off solid things in the water to help us form a picture of our surroundings.
Q. What does it mean to be listed as Nationally Vulnerable?
A. This conservation status means we're facing a pretty high risk of extinction in the future. It's due to a combination of things – our population is also in a continual decline as we tend to get tangled up in fishing nets, hit by boats, and eat harmful pollutants. Often we get infected with nasty parasites which can reach us through tiny eggs which hide in cat poop!
In addition, the Hector's average lifespan is about 25 years and females have to get to 5- 9 years old before they can give birth. On top of that they can only have one calf about every 2-4 years. When raising young dolphins, the dads don't help so all the mums try and group together to look after the calves (baby dolphins) which need nursing until they're about 2 years old. All of these things combined mean even if these human threats went away, our population can only grow very slow.
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Download the Hector's Dolphin Card to print & display
Find more cards & other formats in this Google Drive folder.
Additional Learning Resources for kids
Envirohub Marlborough Conservation Kids Page & Activities: envirohub.co.nz
Science Learning Hub article on our Endemic Dolphins: sciencelearn.org.nz
Young Ocean Explorers 'Looking for a Tiny Dolphin': youngoceanexplorers.com
Sing along with Music with Michal - 'Kiwi of the Sea' - preview further below!
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