How many baby Hector’s dolphins are in a litter?
A Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) usually gives birth to around 1 babies.
Upon birth, they weight 1.7 kg (3.75 lbs) and measure 20 cm (0′ 8″). They are a member of the Delphinidae family (genus: Cephalorhynchus). An adult Hector’s dolphin grows up to a size of 87.5 cm (2′ 11″).
To have a reference: Humans obviously usually have a litter size of one ;). Their babies are in the womb of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks) and reach an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). They weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual, and reach an average age of 75 years.
Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus and, along with its subspecies Maui’s dolphin, is the only cetacean endemic to New Zealand. At approximately 1.4 m (4.6 ft) in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans.Two subspecies occur: C. h. hectori, the more numerous subspecies, is found around the South Island, and the critically endangered Maui’s dolphin (C. h. maui) is found off the northwestern coast of the North Island. Hector’s dolphin is the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin. Maui’s dolphin is one of the eight most endangered groups of cetaceans. A 2010/2011 survey of Maui’s dolphin by the New Zealand Department of Conservation estimated only 55 adults remain.Hector’s dolphin was named after Sir James Hector (1834–1907), who was the curator of the Colonial Museum in Wellington (now the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa). He examined the first specimen found of the dolphin. The species was scientifically described by Belgian zoologist Pierre-Joseph van Beneden in 1881.Māori names for Hector’s and Maui’s dolphin include tutumairekurai, tupoupou and popoto.
Other animals of the family Delphinidae
Hector’s dolphin is a member of the Delphinidae, as are these animals:
- Fraser’s dolphin with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Long-finned pilot whale with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Short-beaked common dolphin becoming 20 years old
- Killer whale with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Tucuxi weighting around 42.82 kilograms (94.4 lbs)
- Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Short-finned pilot whale becoming 63 years old
- Peale’s dolphin weighting around 120 kilograms (264.55 lbs)
- Commerson’s dolphin becoming 18 years old
- Dusky dolphin weighting around 127.25 kilograms (280.54 lbs)
Animals that share a litter size with Hector’s dolphin
Those animals also give birth to 1 babies at once:
- South American tapir
- Angolan free-tailed bat
- Wall-roosting mouse-eared bat
- Taphozous philippinensis
- Black flying fox
- Gould’s long-eared bat
- Grey seal
- Tenkile
- Muskox
- Sooty mangabey
Animals that get as old as a Hector’s dolphin
Other animals that usually reach the age of 20 years:
- Antilopine kangaroo with 16 years
- Buru babirusa with 24 years
- Guatemalan black howler with 20 years
- Patas monkey with 23.83 years
- Blackbuck with 20.25 years
- American marten with 19 years
- White-nosed coati with 17.67 years
- Keen’s myotis with 18.5 years
- Bontebok with 21.67 years
- Striped hyena with 24 years
Animals with the same weight as a Hector’s dolphin
What other animals weight around 50 kg (110.23 lbs)?
- Soemmerring’s gazelle usually reaching 41 kgs (90.39 lbs)
- Aardvark usually reaching 56.85 kgs (125.33 lbs)
- Urial usually reaching 51.8 kgs (114.2 lbs)
- Brown hyena usually reaching 43.4 kgs (95.68 lbs)
- Vicuña usually reaching 47.5 kgs (104.72 lbs)
- Fallow deer usually reaching 56.71 kgs (125.02 lbs)
- Bawean deer usually reaching 55 kgs (121.25 lbs)
- Bharal usually reaching 52.16 kgs (114.99 lbs)
- Chimpanzee usually reaching 45.03 kgs (99.27 lbs)
- Vaquita usually reaching 43.11 kgs (95.04 lbs)