Maui’s DolphinSpecie’s name: Cephalorhynchus hectori maui

How is Maui’s dolphin different to the Hector’s Dolphin?

The Maui dolphins are the rarest and smallest group of subspecies dolphin throughout the world. Some of their differences are listed below:

-They have genetic differences. The Maui and Hector’s dolphin have never been found to

interbreed together. [1]

-They have skeletal differences. The skeleton of the Hector’s dolphin is larger than the Maui’s dolphin. Remember, that the Maui dolphins are the smallest subspecies of dolphin

in the world! [1]

-The Maui’s dolphin is a subspecies of the Hector’s dolphin, while the Hector’s dolphin is

the genus name for the dolphin. [2]

-Maui dolphins are endangered, while the Hector’s dolphin are considered safe. [1]

-They live in different habitats, and have developed very different structural and behavioural adaptations over the years. The Maui dolphins live around the North Island,

while hector’s dolphins live near the South island. [2]

The large differences between 2 species of dolphin over such a close distance geographically, has never been found before in any marine studies.

10 structural/behavioural adaptations

Structural adaptations: include all the physical features of an organism.

Behavioural adaptations: are what the organism does in order to survive, and how they communicate with others.

Listed below are some of the structural and behavioural adaptations of the Maui dolphin:

5 Structural Adaptations:

(i) The fin shape of the Maui’s dolphin’s tail helps to propel them through the water very quickly and efficiently. Their fins up and down, while other dolphin

tales move from side to side. [3]

(ii) The dolphins have quite a significant amount of fat and blubber that provide them with the insulation they need to survive in the cold waters. The Blubber also creates a nice streamlined shape for the Maui dolphin, so it can

move the the water more easily. [4]

(iii) Maui’s dolphins have very long noses, which assists them when they are hunting for

prey, or protecting themselves from predators. [3]

(iv) Maui dolphins have quite large brains in relation to the size of their bodies. When

they sleep, they only use part of their brain, so the other parts remain alert for danger. [3]

(v) The dolphins have very sharp and strong teeth with enables them to grasp tightly onto their prey, or attack predators.[4]

5 Behavioral adaptations

(i) Maui’s dolphin like working together as a group to find and kill prey. This is because they work stronger as a team, and the parents are very protective of their offspring. As a

result, they have developed this habit of staying in groups, overtime. [4]

(ii) The dolphins like to feed together in groups of approximately 5-8 dolphins. This is another habit that they have developed overtime. Like humans, they also have feelings

and they like having company and friends. [5]

(iii) Maui dolphin’s do not really like to communicate using whistling. Insetad, they communicate using shorts clicks. There has not been any scientific explanation to why

the Maui’s dolphins like to communicate this way, yet [5]

(iv) Maui’s dolphin have found to be very playful amongst one another. Examples of their playful behavior include chasing each other, blowing

bubbles, playing with seaweed. [5]

(v) They only stay in small pods of 1-5 dolphins, and refuse to include more, if others wish to join the group. This is because if the groups get too large, the competition for food amongst the group would be too

large, and fighting would occur often. [4]

The Maui dolphin’s habitat

The Maui’s dolphin are quite different from other dolphins from across the world. Instead of living in deep open areas, Maui dolphins tend to be found living in shallow waters close to the New Zealand shore. They can also sometimes be found in open oceans and coastal areas, but this is very rare. The Maui’s dolphins main habitat is located around the central

North Island of New Zealand, off the West Coast. [1][5]

As of 2001, the range known was between the Raglan Harbour and Kaipara Harbour, which are both located near the centre of the North Island. There have also been some very rare sightings towards the South Island and the very North of New Zealand, near Wellington and the Bay of Plenty. This indicates to us, that the habitat of the Maui’s dolphin has become more

widespread since 2001, and they are continuing to breed to expand their species. [1][4][5]

Bibliography:

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maui's_dolphin

[2]http://www.projectjonah.org.nz/Take+Action/Hectors++Mauis+Dolphins.html

[3] http://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/native-animals/marine-mammals/dolphins/mauis-dolphin/facts/

[4] http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_adaptations_of_a_Maui_dolphin

[5]http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/about/hectors_dolphin/mauis_dolphin/