Wholphin


A wholphin is an extremely rare cetacean hybrid born from a mating of a female common bottlenose dolphin with a male false killer whale. The name implies a hybrid of whale and dolphin, although taxonomically, both are within the "oceanic dolphin" family, which is within the "toothed whale" suborder. Wholphins have been born in captivity and also reported in the wild.

Examples

The first recorded wholphin was born in a Tokyo SeaWorld in 1981; he died after 200 days.
The first wholphin in the United States and the first to survive was Kekaimalu, born at Sea Life Park in Hawaii on May 15, 1985; her name means "from the peaceful ocean".
Kekaimalu proved fertile when she gave birth at a very young age. The calf died after a few days. In 1991, Kekaimalu gave birth again, to daughter Pohaikealoha. For two years, she cared for the calf, but did not nurse it; it was hand-reared by trainers. Pohaikealoha died at age 9. On December 23, 2004, Kekaimalu had her third calf, daughter Kawili Kai, sired by a male bottlenose. This calf did nurse and was very playful. Only months after birth, it was the size of a one-year-old bottlenose dolphin. All three calves were three-quarters bottlenose dolphin and one-quarter false killer whale., Kekaimalu and Kawili Kai remain in captivity in Sea Life Park.

Family tree