A hector’s dolphin are mammals they need air to breathe and their young suckle for milk dolphins are not porpoises .

The Hector’s dolphin was named after Sir James Hector. Sir James was the curator of the colonial museum in Wellington (now the museum of New Zealand - Te Papa). He examined the first specimen found of the dolphin. Sir James lived from 1834 to 1907. He was the most influential New Zealand scientist of his time. This means that he was really onto it when it came to science and was really into learning about nature .

The hector’s dolphin has several Maori names, such as upokohue and tukuperu,sadly none of these The hector’s dolphin has several Maori names, such as upokohue and tukuperu,sadly none of these names are widely used now.Tutunairekurrai is the most common of the names for hector’s dolphin.names are widely used now.Tutunairekurrai is the most common of the names for hector’s dolphin.It means special ocean dwellers some Maori people believed that the spirits of the dead would becomeIt means special ocean dwellers some Maori people believed that the spirits of the dead would becomeTutunairakurai.Tupoupou means to rise up vertically.perhaps this name arose from the dolphin’sTutunairakurai.Tupoupou means to rise up vertically.perhaps this name arose from the dolphin’shabit of spyhoppinghabit of spyhopping

Hector’s dolphin like to have company.they usually swim in groups of between 2-12 Hector’s dolphin like to have company.they usually swim in groups of between 2-12 dolphins . Hector’s dolphin tend to hang out in the same area for many years dolphins . Hector’s dolphin tend to hang out in the same area for many years and sometimes for life. They spend their days swimming along the coastlines, surfacingand sometimes for life. They spend their days swimming along the coastlines, surfacingto breathe ,diving to find food and to play .to breathe ,diving to find food and to play .

This Hector’s dolphins scientific name is “cephalorynchus hectori”This Hector’s dolphins scientific name is “cephalorynchus hectori”

This fish ”hectors dolphin”is very rare.But they get killed sometime This fish ”hectors dolphin”is very rare.But they get killed sometime s by whales or people but mainly People. Sometimes they are even s by whales or people but mainly People. Sometimes they are even stranded so they are stuck and soon they will die.stranded so they are stuck and soon they will die.Hector’s dolphin is a playful dolphin .They are usually fast Hector’s dolphin is a playful dolphin .They are usually fast sometimes slow.Hector’s dolphins can die from gillnets.Gillnets are sometimes slow.Hector’s dolphins can die from gillnets.Gillnets are long panel of diamond shaped meshes with small weights along the long panel of diamond shaped meshes with small weights along the bottom.So when Hector’s dolphin go into the net it can’t get out bottom.So when Hector’s dolphin go into the net it can’t get out and they will drown because of the weights and Hector’s dolphin and they will drown because of the weights and Hector’s dolphin needs to go up for air.needs to go up for air.

HOW YOU CAN TELL HOW OLD A DOLPHIN IS;

When a dolphin is born it has teeth and each 1 year it grows older.Then it grows a layer of this stuff you call hollow cones, and if you cut a tooth off a dolphin you can see how old thatdolphin is by counting the hollow cones but this hollow cone can also be called annual rings just like the one’s on trees.Each time when it grows a layer one will be dark and next year 1 will be light.

If you see a dolphin with white scars on their skin that means that,that dolphin has been attacked by a shark!And if it has dark grey ones it means that that dolphin has skin disease.

KEEPING WARM (EXTRA )

Water conducts heat more effectively than air.In baths at 20 celsius you would eventually die from

exposure.Marine mammals maintain a high body temperature of 36-37 celsius.So insulation is a real problem.Seals solve the problem with two layers of fantastic fur,the inner layer so dense than the skin never gets wet.Dolphins and whales use blubber , a dense oily fat layer just under

the skin,2-3 centimetres thick in hector dolphins and up to 50 centimetres thick in some whales.

Hector’s dolphins mature at about 8 years and they live around to 15-18 years to they die.

Hector’s dolphin spend most of their feeding time by chasing prey that live on or near the bottom of the ocean.Scientist have studied hard at the stomach

contents of dead dolphins.Conveniently,some hard parts of their prey,such as the air bones of fish and the breaks of squid,on the west coast diet of the Hector’s dolphin is the arrow squid,ahuru,hoki and hake.On the east coast they eat arrow squid,ahurusprat,stargazer,yellow eyed

mullet,sole and red cod.

The hector’s dolphin does not have a bottle shaped snout.the forehead of the hector’s dolphin of the hectors slopes down to the tip so that it does

not create a protruding like the bottle nose dolphin.

The calves are 50-60cms at the birth and they stay close to their mother at all times ,who provide them with milk and

protection until they are old enough to fend for themselves,usually at about 1year old.

Calves of hector’s dolphin are born they need company so the calves stay very close to their mother till their

old enough to protect themselves.

Hector’s dolphin die of people,gillnets,rubbish,shark or whales.

Hector’s dolphin mostly die because people throw rubbish into the sea .Or get caught in gillnets because

they need to come up for air but they can’t so then they die.

Females weighs 25-60kgs and 1.2 or 1.4 metres.

Males weigh 20-60 kgs and 1.2 or 1.4 metres.

But females always weigh10 kgs more than the male.

Hector’s dolphin can be found in the Hector’s dolphin can be found in the coast of New Zealand.coast of New Zealand.