Have you heard of Pahu (Hector’s dolphin) or Popoto (Māui dolphin)?

These are the rarest dolphins in New Zealand, and the Māui dolphin is the rarest in the world!

There are only 48 Māui dolphins left. This means they are

…”nationally critical… with an immediate high risk of becoming extinct.”

 

Both of these NZ dolphins are not only rare but have the biggest brains of any dolphin in the world. In fact, in the entire animal kingdom, these two dolphins are the closest to humans in brain size compared to body size.

This means they are incredibly clever. They look after their sick, love to play and even meet up in social gatherings before the business of catching their meals for the day.

They know when another creature is in trouble and will go to help if they can – even humans. They are mammals like us and their young (calves) drink milk just like us, while they are taught by their mothers the good and bad things about where they live.

Even so, with loving, smart, caring mothers, time to play and living up to 25 years old, dolphins are dying in nets that are released like a wall in the ocean by fishing boats, called gill and set nets. There are also round nets that dolphins swim into chasing fish, but can’t swim backwards to get free again. They are hauled up with the catch of the day.

Learn more about the sanctuaries that are trying to protect these national treasures, and what you can do to help save the Hector’s and Māui dolphin, along with many more fascinating facts.

This is a perfect book for young dolphin lovers, school projects and the Children’s Non-Fiction section of all NZ libraries.

Author – Maria Gill

Illustrator – Marco Ivancic

Non-Fiction

Age – 7+

Find more books by Maria Gill here

(2024, Upstart Press, White Cloud Books, Aotearoa New Zealand, NZ Author, NZ Illustrator, Dolphins, Non-Fiction, Endangered, Critical, Pahu, Popoto, Hector’s Dolphin, Māui Dolphin, Science, Protection, Clever, Rare, High Risk)