Wholphins: The Rare Whale / Dolphin Hybrid

It happened quite by accident. In May of 1985 there was an amazing surprise born to an Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin, who lived at Hawaii Sea Life Park. She was they hybrid of her mother and a false killer whale. While there have been reports of such hybrids in the wild there had been no proof that such a pairing was even possible, till this time over twenty years ago.

Trainers were unprepared for Kekaimalu's arrival. She had been conceived when her parents were stars in one of the parks dolphin shows. No one expected that they would produce offspring, but they did.

The False Killer Whale

While this report sounds amazingly impossible, it isn't as hard to believe when you know the facts. First of all the False Killer Whale is different then the black and white version of the Killer Whale, or the Orca. Both the False Killer Whale and the Orca are members of the dolphin family and not actually whales, however the False Killer Whale is smaller in size.

The False Killer Whale grows to be about 12 to 15 feet and to weigh in at about 3000 to 3200 pounds. Kekaimalu's father was about 14 feet and 2000 pounds at the time of Kekaimalu's conception.

The Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin

Most of us think of the Bottlenose Dolphin when we think of dolphins. We are familiar with their bottlenosed face and their soft gray color. They are often part of dolphin shows and are seen as friendly and fun.

They grow anywhere from 6 to 13 feet and can weigh anywhere from about 330 pounds to 1300 pounds. At the time of Kekaimalu's conception her mom was about 6 feet and 400 pounds.

Kekaimalu

There is no other way to put it, but to call Kekaimalu a surprise, a gift, maybe even a miracle. When you think about her ancestry, she becomes extraordinary. She is a combination of her parents showing both the grays of her mother and the darker grays and blacks of her father. While larger then her mom, she remains smaller then her dad. She has 66 teeth whereas a Bottlenose dolphin has 88 and a False Killer Whale has 44.

At a very young age Kekaimalu surprised everyone again when she gave birth to a calf. It had been assumed that due to her hybrid background that she would be infertile. Young and unable to care for her calf it didn't live long.

However in 1991 Kekaimalu gave birth again. This time to a happy, healthy calf who became known as Pohaikealoha. Pohaikealoha was not nursed by her mother, but bonded with her well. They spent the first two years of the young calf's life together. Pohaikealoha died at age 9, most likely due to complications with genetic hybridization.

December 23, 2004 brought a gift for the park. Kekaimalu had a third calf, fathered by a Bottlenose Dolphin. This calf has bonded with her mother extremely well and has nursed normally. To this day, this calf is healthy and happy. She looks much like other Bottlenose Dolphins, however at five months of age she was the same size as Bottlenose Dolphins one year olds.

Wholphins

Being the only two known wholphins of our time, it is hard to say that they have much standing in the world. As with other hybrids there are many questions as to whether or not these accidents should be allowed to take place and what they really mean for the animal kingdom.

While there have been many rumors that Wholphins have been seen in the wild, there has been no evidence to suggest that this is true. If it is, does it mean something? Could these amazing creatures help us to understand the link that connects us all?