{"id":208644,"date":"2025-12-30T17:24:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T17:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/208644\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T17:24:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T17:24:09","slug":"hectors-or-maui-dolphin-one-of-the-worlds-rarest-smallest-dolphins-spotted-off-new-zealands-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/208644\/","title":{"rendered":"Hector’s Or Maui Dolphin? One Of The World’s Rarest, Smallest Dolphins Spotted Off New Zealand\u2019s Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"

The subtropical waters of New Zealand\u2019s Northland region may have had a rare treat recently, after reported sightings of what could be the rarest subspecies of the world\u2019s smallest marine dolphin<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The species in question is Hector\u2019s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori), which is split into two subspecies: the South Island Hector\u2019s dolphin (C. h. hectori) and the M\u0101ui dolphin (C. h. maui).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both are endemic to New Zealand, and both look pretty much identical. They\u2019re characteristically short and stocky compared to other dolphins at around 1.2 to 1.5 meters<\/a> (4 to 5 feet) long, have grey and white bodies with black markings, and a rounded, flat black dorsal fin that looks like one of Mickey Mouse\u2019s ears.<\/p>\n

Jochen Zaeschmar, a dolphin researcher from the Far Out Ocean Research Collective, spotted a lone individual that could be either one of the subspecies in the Bay of Islands last week, which was later seen again in the English Bay.<\/p>\n

The New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) is now asking locals in the area to keep an eye out for the dolphin<\/a> so that Zaeschmar can take a DNA sample from it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u24d8\u00a0IFLScience is not responsible for content shared from external sites.<\/p>\n

This is critical to finding out whether or not it\u2019s a Hector\u2019s or M\u0101ui dolphin that\u2019s been seen; while there are some physical differences between the two (M\u0101uis have a longer, wider snout, for example), it\u2019s incredibly difficult to separate them at a glance. DNA makes distinguishing between the two much simpler, as there are clear genetic differences.<\/p>\n

South Island Hector\u2019s dolphins are the most numerous of the two subspecies, with a population of around 15,000 adults<\/a>. As you might\u2019ve guessed from the name, they\u2019re found primarily around New Zealand\u2019s South Island. To see one so far north would be a rare spot, even if it\u2019s the more common subspecies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis would be just the second confirmed sighting of a Hector\u2019s in Northland in 100 years,\u201d explained DOC Marine Species Senior Advisor Kristina Hillock in a statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

M\u0101ui dolphins, on the other hand, are limited to the west coast of the North Island, more likely to be seen between Manukau Harbour and Port Waikato. They\u2019re also the rarer of the two, with only an estimated 54 adults remaining.<\/p>\n

Identifying which of the subspecies the recently spotted individual is isn\u2019t just for the sake of wanting to know; it\u2019s an important part of conservation monitoring. The overall species is considered endangered by the IUCN<\/a>, while within New Zealand, the South Island subspecies has a conservation status of nationally vulnerable, and the M\u0101ui dolphin nationally critical.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both subspecies are vulnerable to further decline as they have relatively short lifespans compared to other cetaceans, as well as reaching maturity late and having a low reproduction rate. Such factors make it slower and more difficult to build a population back up.<\/p>\n

Keeping an eye on them is key. If you happen to be in the area and spot something, the DOC has a message: If the dolphin has a rounded fin, call it in. You can find out more information on how to do so here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The subtropical waters of New Zealand\u2019s Northland region may have had a rare treat recently, after reported sightings…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":208645,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[111,139,69,147,406],"class_list":{"0":"post-208644","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-new-zealand","9":"tag-newzealand","10":"tag-nz","11":"tag-science","12":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208644","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208644\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}