Hector's Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) — Endangered

Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori), a small dolphin with a rounded dorsal fin. — Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori), New Zealand.
Image: Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

At a glance

IUCN category: EN · Endangered
Animal group: Mammals
Population trend: Decreasing
FaunaHub record reviewed: 2026-06-16
Checked against IUCN: Matches source — IUCN's 2013 global assessment of Cephalorhynchus hectori says EndangeredChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment

Conservation overview

Hector's dolphin is one of the smallest and rarest marine dolphins, found only around New Zealand. It is assessed as Endangered.

It has a distinctive rounded dorsal fin and lives close to shore.

Range & habitat

Coastal waters of New Zealand.

Major threats

Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.

Entanglement in fishing nets
A small, fragmented population
Disease and disturbance

Why it matters

A tiny coastal dolphin found nowhere else, Hector's dolphin is a flagship for making New Zealand's inshore fisheries dolphin-safe.

The Maui dolphin sub-population is assessed at even higher risk.

Gallery

A Hector's dolphin at the surface. — Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori).
Image: Siobhan Leachman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sources

Sources for Hector's Dolphin

IUCN Red List — look up Hector's Dolphin (authoritative status)
Animal Diversity Web

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you recognise Hector's dolphin?

It is very small, with a distinctive rounded, almost Mickey-Mouse-ear-shaped dorsal fin, and lives in shallow coastal waters around New Zealand.

Why is Hector's dolphin Endangered?

Published assessments cite entanglement in fishing nets above all, plus a small, fragmented population, disease, and disturbance. The Maui subspecies is even more imperilled. See the IUCN Red List.