A wholphin(portmanteau of whale and dolphin) is an informal term used to refer to a number of rare cetaceanhybrids. Wholphins have been born in captivity and have also been reported in the wild.[1][2] The most well-observed wholphins are captive-born hybrids of false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) and common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus),[3] although other kinds of toothed whale hybrids have also been referred to by the term "wholphin"[4][5]
The name implies a hybrid of whale and dolphin, though taxonomically, both parents are in the oceanic dolphinfamily, which is in the toothed whale clade- some experts have discouraged the use of the term "Wholphin" for this reason.[5]
Wholphins also exhibit physical and behavioural characteristics intermediate between those of their parent species. While much larger than most dolphins, the wholphin becomes an exceptional example of hybrid vigour.[clarification needed]
Examples
A Wholphin
The first recorded wholphin was born in a Tokyo SeaWorld in 1981; he died after 200 days.[3][clarification needed]
Kekaimalu
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".[3] This type of hybrid was considered unexpected[by whom?] given the sometimes extreme size difference between a female common bottlenose dolphin (typically 2 meters long and 300 kilograms) and a male false killer whale (over 5 meters long and over 1,800 kg). Both false killer whales and bottlenose dolphins have 44 chromosomes, allowing them to produce fertile offspring.[6][7]
Kekaimalu proved fertile when she gave birth at a very young age. John Blanchard, a trainer at Sea Life Park, has said about Kekaimalu: [2]
“The wholphin was darker than the other dolphins, and her nose looked like it was chopped off… [she] represented an unusual example of hybridization between two species of dolphin with markedly different sizes and appearances.”
In 1991, Kekaimalu gave birth, to her daughter, Pohaikealoha, with an unknown, male dolphin. 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. The calf was nursed and was very playful. Only months after birth, it was the size of a one-year-old bottlenose dolphin.[8] All three calves were three-quarters bottlenose dolphin and one-quarter false killer whale.[9] Kekaimalu died on July 8, 2024 at the age of 39. [10] Kawili Kai remains in captivity in Sea Life Park.[11]
Wholphin behavior represents both parent species. They are intelligent, highly social, and can be trained to do complex tasks; shared traits of false killer whales and bottlenose dolphins alike. Captive wholphins have been observed to be playful and show a great deal of curiosity about their surroundings, the same as bottlenose dolphins. Despite being recorded in the wild, only a few confirmed sightings of wholphins have been seen in nature.[citation needed] Although natural sightings are improbable due to the differences in habitat preference and social structure between the parent species, this is not impossible.
Exterior and physical description
Wholphins also have mixed traits from their parents. They are mostly smaller in size compared to false killer whales, but larger than bottlenose dolphins. Their coloring is mostly a dark grey, with their body proportion and dental features falling between the two species (i.e., wholphins have more teeth than bottlenose dolphins but fewer than false killer whales on average).[14]
123West, Karen (May 18, 1986). "A Whale? A Dolphin? Yes, It's A Wholphin". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2013. Born at Sea Life Park on May 15, 1985, Keikaimalu was referred to as a wholphin by Sea Life Park's training staff.
↑Sean B. Carroll (September 13, 2010). "Remarkable creatures: Hybrids may thrive where parents fear to tread". New York Times. Retrieved September 14, 2010. The first captive wholphin, Kekaimalu, was born on May 15, 1985, to a female bottlenose dolphin named Punahele, who shared a pool with a male false killer whale named Tanui Hahai. The wholphin's size, color and shape are intermediate between the parent species. She has 66 teeth – intermediate between a bottlenose (88 teeth) and false killer whale (44 teeth)
