Hector's dolphin

헥터돌고래

One of the world's smallest dolphins, found only in coastal New Zealand waters. It has a rounded dorsal fin and a dark face mask, and reaches about 1.4 m. Gillnet fishing has cut its numbers sharply, and it is endangered.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Coast of New Zealand's South Island
Diet: Fish eater
Weight: about 50 kg
Length: about 1.4 m
Conservation status: Endangered (IUCN EN)
Habitat: coasts

Quick answers

Where does the Hector's dolphin live?

It lives in coasts of the Pacific Ocean. On the globe you can find it near Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

How big is the Hector's dolphin?

It grows to about 1.4 m and 50 kg.

What does the Hector's dolphin eat?

Its diet: fish eater.

Is the Hector's dolphin endangered?

It is listed as Endangered (IUCN EN).

Hector's dolphin is one of the smallest dolphins in the world and lives only in New Zealand. It is about 1.2 to 1.6 metres long and weighs 40 to 60 kilograms. It is stocky and grey, white and black, with a black mask around the eyes and a rounded dorsal fin that looks like a mouse's ear.

It is the only cetacean found nowhere else but New Zealand. It stays in shallow coastal waters around the South Island, in small groups, and lives about 20 years. The IUCN lists it as Endangered. Hector's dolphins live in small groups and talk with echolocation clicks.

Two kinds of Hector's dolphin

There are two subspecies. The South Island Hector's dolphin is more numerous. The Māui dolphin, found off the west coast of the North Island, is Critically Endangered, with very few left.

The scientific name honours James Hector, who directed the Colonial Museum in Wellington, now Te Papa. Māori names for the dolphin include Tutumairekurai and Upokohue. The South Island group lives mainly in shallow coastal water.

Why is it in danger?

The biggest threat is fishing nets. Dolphins get caught as bycatch in gillnets and trawls. Disease and low genetic variety also harm them.

New Zealand has set up marine protected areas and fishing rules to protect the dolphins, and these actions have helped, but numbers are still much lower than in the past. Its lifespan is about 20 years. Fewer nets in their waters would help the dolphins recover faster.

Fun facts

One of the smallest dolphins, it lives only in New Zealand and has a rounded fin like a mouse ear.
It is the only dolphin that lives only in New Zealand.
Its fin is round like a mouse's ear.
It uses clicks to find food and talk to others.