Hector's dolphin
Hector's dolphin, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand.
An overview
Hector's dolphins take their name from 19th century New Zealand zoologist, Sir James Hector, considered the founding father of Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum.
Their fragile status was first recognised by the New Zealand Government in 1999 when they were named a ‘threatened species’.
Today, Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori) are listed on the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Red List as ‘endangered’, and are among the most rare of the world’s 32 marine dolphin species.
Fewer and fewer
5 peer-reviewed scientific research papers about Hector’s and Maui’s conclude numbers are decreasing.
Scientists agree that Hector’s dolphin numbers were between 21,000 and 29,000 in the early 1970s, compared with an estimated 7000 today.
The internationally recognised IUCN has peer-reviewed the population information and uses this as the basis for classifying Hector’s as ‘endangered’.
Help the dolphins’ survival
You can help ensure the dolphins’ survival by visiting WWF-New Zealand’s "Stop Their Extinction" campaign website.
Today, Hector’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori) are listed on the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Red List as ‘endangered’, and are among the most rare of the world’s 32 marine dolphin species.
Fewer and fewer
5 peer-reviewed scientific research papers about Hector’s and Maui’s conclude numbers are decreasing.
Scientists agree that Hector’s dolphin numbers were between 21,000 and 29,000 in the early 1970s, compared with an estimated 7000 today.
The internationally recognised IUCN has peer-reviewed the population information and uses this as the basis for classifying Hector’s as ‘endangered’.
Help the dolphins’ survival
You can help ensure the dolphins’ survival by visiting WWF-New Zealand’s "Stop Their Extinction" campaign website.
Hector's dolphin
Dolphin fact sheets
Learn more about the Hector’s dolphins’ ecology, distribution and the threats they face by reading WWF-New Zealand’s Maui’s and Hector’s campaign fact sheets.
This footage of Hector's dolphins underwater was taken by a marine mammal scientist.