10 Important Hector’s dolphin facts. Hector’s Dolphin Conservation Status and Threats. Fun Facts for Kids. This allows them to find out where it is located in terms of distance. Find out how to behave when sharing the water with Hector's.Department of Conservation | Te Papa Atawhai,https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/marine-mammals/dolphins/hectors-dolphin/.Only found in New Zealand’s waters, this distinctive grey dolphin with black and white markings and a round dorsal fin is the most easily recognised species of dolphin in New Zealand.Biodiversity inventory and monitoring toolbox,developed a Draft Threat Management Plan released in 2007.Read about the 2018/19 review of The Hector's and Māui dolphin Threat Management Plan.Abundance and distribution of WCSI Hector's dolphin,Hector's and Māui dolphin incident database,Hector's dolphin eco-tourism: Economic impact assessment, 2019, M.E Consulting (PDF, 645K),Review of "Hector's dolphin eco-tourism: Economic impact assessment", 2019, Kian Lee (PDF, 563K),Find out more about sharing our coasts with marine mammals.Carefully approach dolphins from their side and slightly to the rear.Operate your boat slowly and quietly at ‘no wake’ speed within 300 m.Don't approach a group of dolphins if three or more boats are already within 300 m of the group.Manoeuvre your boat carefully. Hector’s dolphins are typically sighted within about 20 nautical miles of the the coast and in water less than 328 feet deep. Hector’s dolphins mate in late spring and calves are born about a year later. The geographical range has been lessened to the point where gene flow and immigration may no longer be possible between Māui dolphin and Hector's dolphin.Potential interbreeding between Hector's and Māui dolphins could increase the numbers of dolphins in the Māui range and reduce the risk of inbreeding depression, but such interbreeding could eventually result in a hybridisation of the Māui back into the Hector's species and lead to a reclassification of Māui as again the North Island Hector's. This is coincident with the seperation of the North and South Islands of New Zealand at the end of the last,Hector's and Māui dolphin deaths occur as a direct result of commercial and recreational fishing due to entanglement or capture in.Deaths in fishing nets were previously considered to be the most serious threat (responsible for more than 95% of the human-caused deaths in Māui dolphins), with currently lower level threats including tourism, disease, and marine mining.The latest government-approved estimates of annual deaths in commercial gillnets (for the period from 2014/15 to 2016/17) was 19–93 South Island Hector's dolphins and 0.0–0.3 Māui dolphins annually.Additional protection was introduced in 2008, banning gill-netting within 4 nautical miles of the majority of the South Island's east and south coasts, out to 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) offshore off the South Island's west coast and extending the gillnet ban on the North Island's west coast to 7 nmi (13 km; 8.1 mi) offshore.

The playful dolphins reside in the coastal waters of New Zealand. Dolphins are highly social animals. The belly is also white with a stripe running up the sides from under the dorsal fin. at birth.Natural predators of Hector’s dolphin include sharks and killer whales.These marine mammals are known as conscious sleepers which means they are always aware of their need for oxygen and never fall completely asleep because they could drown if they don’t remain conscious.As a species dolphins are extremely intelligent and are able to perform acrobatic feats and complete complex tasks when properly trained. A white stripe extends from the belly onto each flank below the dorsal fin.At birth, Hector's dolphin calves have a total length of 60–80 cm (24–31 in) and weigh 8–10 kg (18–22 lb).Data from field studies, beachcast individuals, and dolphins caught in fishing nets have provided information on their life history and reproductive parameters.These combined life-history characteristics mean that, like many other cetaceans, Hector's dolphins are only capable of slow population growth. The South Island Hector’s dolphins are found in the waters around the South Island and consist of at least three genetically distinct, regional populations. They have stocky bodies and a uniquely prominent rounded dorsal fin. They will eat fish and squid and with collaborative efforts of hunting they can round up large amounts of food in very little time. Hector’s dolphin is a marine mammal which means it breathes air, gives birth to live children, produces milk and is a warm-blooded animal. Together with similar surveys and analyses of the east coast in 2013 and south coast in 2010, the estimated South Island population of Hector’s dolphin is now 14,849 (CV: 11% 95% CI 11 923-18 492), double the previous estimate from surveys conducted in the late 1990s – early 2000s.Find out more about our work with hector's dophins:Black Cat Cruises commissioned an economic impact assessment of Hector's dolphin eco-tourism at Banks Peninsula. They produce just one calf every two to three years, making population increase a very slow process.Most females only have four or five calves in a lifetime. Mature adults have a total length of 1.2–1.6 m (3 ft 11 in–5 ft 3 in) and weigh 40–60 kg (88–132 lb).The overall coloration appearance is pale grey, but closer inspection reveals a complex and elegant combination of colours. All of these small groups show a high level of sex segregation. Being related to other delphinid species, Hector's dolphins are slow swimmers, using the wave-like movement, or, otherwise, an undulating motion, while swimming. ; Slooten, E. (2009).Bräger, S., Harraway, J. and Manly, B.F.J. The Hector’s dolphins have a life span of about 20 years.Hector’s dolphins like to have company.