Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus and is found only in New Zealand. At about 1.4 m in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans, and New Zealand's only endemic cetacean.
Hector’s dolphin was named after Sir James Hector (1834–1907). He was the curator of the Colonial Museum in Wellington (now the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa). He examined the first specimen found of the dolphin. The species was scientifically described by Belgian zoologist Pierre-Joseph van Beneden in 1881.
Maui's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori maui) is a subspecies of Hector's dolphin found off the northwest coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is the most endangered subspecies of marine mammal (other cetaceans with a similarly perilous conservation status inhabit rivers and estuaries only). There are approximately 55 Maui's dolphins remaining.
Māori names for Hector's and Maui's dolphin include Tutumairekurai, Tupoupou and Popoto.
| “ | ... thirty years ago there were over 26,000 Hector's and Maui's dolphins. Today, due to human activity, there is a struggling population of around 7,270 Hector's dolphins - and Maui's are the rarest marine dolphins in the world with around 110 left - WWF Apr. 2007 | ” |
Read more about Hector's Dolphin: Physical Description, Population and Distribution, Ecology and Life History, Conservation, Specimens