Endangered: The Maui's Dolphin Quiz

Answer: New Zealand

Maui's dolphin can only be found in the North Island of New Zealand, on the west coast, though their range once reached all around the North Island in the 19th century. It is the only dolphin which can be found exclusively in New Zealand (as well as the dolphin they are a subspecies of).

They can be found in small pods (groups of dolphins) of about 1-5 dolphins close to the shore (about 9 kilometres or 5 nautical miles from the shore) where the water isn't too deep. During summer they may venture closer to shore.

Answer: Hector's dolphin

The Maui's dolphin was originally thought to be the Hector's dolphin itself. In 2002, Dr Alan Baker found differences in skeleton structure, colouration and genetics between the two, so Maui's dolphin was named a subspecies of the Hector's dolphin. The differences between the two are quite amazing considering how close their distribution range is to each other geographically. Sadly, the Hector's dolphin is listed as "Endangered" by the IUCN.

The other options are dolphin species, but the Maui's dolphin is not a subspecies any of them.

Answer: True

The Maui's dolphin is the smallest of the dolphins in the world. The females are the largest at just over 1 1/2 metres (1.7 metres or 5.6 feet) long and weighing about 50 kilograms (or 110 pounds). The males are smaller and lighter at about 1.2 metres (4 feet) and 40 kilograms (90 pounds). At this size they could squeeze in to an average bathtub!

Answer: Rounded dorsal fin

A feature unique just to the Maui's dolphin and Hector's dolphin is their well-rounded dorsal fin, which is black in colour. This fin is often compared to the ears of Mickey Mouse. While both the Hector's and Maui's dolphin have this feature, you can tell the difference between them by size (the Maui's is smaller).

The Maui's dolphin is grey, with a white underbelly and black markings. Their short snout is sloped gently and has distinctive markings of grey, black and white colouration.

Answer: Once every 2-4 years

Maui's dolphins have a very low reproductive rate, which hinders their ability to recover from deaths caused by humans. They only breed enough to replace natural deaths. Females give birth about every 2-4 years, with just a single calf per birth. These calves are quite big compared to the female, at about 50-60 centimetres (about 19-23 inches) long, while the female is about 1 1/2 metres (1.7 metres or 5.6 feet) long.

A single female will give birth to about four calves in its lifespan. Females reach sexual maturity at about 7-9 years old.

Their lifespan is about twenty years.

Answer: A word from the native indigenous group

The name "Maui's dolphin" is taken from the Mâori phrase "Te Ika-a-Mâui" ("the fish of Mâui"), their name for the North Island of New Zealand. This phrase comes from the story of Maui, who pulled the North Island along to its location with a canoe, or "waka". The Mâori word for the dolphin itself is "popoto". The dolphin's scientific name is the Cephalorhynchus hectori maui. Before discovering that it is a subspecies, it was named the North Island Hector's dolphin.

While there is a Hawaiian island called Maui, the other options were completely made up.

Answer: False

Maui's dolphins communicate with high frequency clicks. They are so high pitched the human ear can't even pick it up, let alone be damaged! This doesn't mean they aren't loud, however; the loudest reported sound created by a Maui's dolphin is 163 decibels. This is about as loud as a rock concert! They use echolocation, which means the noises bounce off underwater things, to communicate, as well as to feed.

Maui's dolphins spend most of their time feeding, but they also like to play around in the water by blowing bubbles, play-fighting, chasing each other and leaping out of the water. They also seem to enjoy playing with seaweed. Like other dolphins, the Maui's dolphin is very intelligent.

Answer: Seaweed

Maui's dolphins are carnivores, so no seaweed or other aquatic plants for them! Eating takes up most of their time. They make dives under water which last for about a minute and a half, hoping to catch maybe a squid or a small fish of some kind. They may also go a little deeper to the ocean floor and eat a cod or flatfish.

The water isn't too deep where they live, so it isn't too difficult for them to do so. Occasionally, they may eat closer to the surface of the water. They are an opportunistic feeder, which means they'll eat pretty much whenever the chance comes for them to do so.

Answer: True

The Maui's dolphin is the rarest dolphin in the world, listed as "Critically Endangered" by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List. A 2012 census showed that there were as little as 55 individuals left (not including dolphins under the age of one). In 2005, there was almost double that number, and in 1985 about 134, so their numbers are dwindling rapidly. They're listed as "Nationally Critical" by the Department of Conservation in the New Zealand Threat Classification System.

The Hector's dolphin, the next most endangered dolphin, has just over 7000 individuals, and the Baiji River dolphin is presumed extinct.

Answer: Getting caught in fishing nets

The Maui's dolphin can easily get caught in fishing nets (particularly nylon) which have been set to the spot, suffocating them and allowing them no escape, as well as being caught as bycatch. To help conservation efforts, a set net ban was put in place across the north-west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. This ban reached out to about 12.9 kilometres (or seven nautical miles) from the shore and excluded harbours. This was extended in 2012 to include Hawera, which is further south, and in this area it extended out to 3.7 kilometres (2 nautical miles). This does help conservation efforts indeed, but it still doesn't include the entire range of their distribution, which means they can still be caught in the nets outside of these banned areas.

While all of the other options have contributed to their deaths to some extent, getting caught in fishing nets is definitely the biggest killer of Maui's dolphins. Another major threat is inbreeding due to the small population of Maui's dolphins.