The public are being asked to keep an eye out for M?ui's dolphins this summer and report any sightings to 0800 DOC HOT. Photo / Will Rayment
New Zealanders spending the summer on our coasts are asked to keep an eye out for the endangered Māui's dolphin, and report any sightings to the Department of Conservation on 0800 DOC HOT.
The dolphins live off the North Island's west coast, ranging from the Whanganui River mouth in the
Manawatu-Wanganui region, right up to Dargaville in Northland, meaning they may be visible to people in these areas and those in between this summer.
Conservationists are imploring the public to help determine the current distribution of the species, whilst possibly enabling DOC to collect a DNA sample. A method called DNA fingerprinting will then be used to distinguish individuals and where they have moved from and to, if they have been sighted before. DOC has built up a database of all Māui's dolphin sightings since 1970.
The dolphins are usually found in pods of several animals closer to the shore in the summer. They have been known to frequent waters shallower than 20 metres around river mouths, estuaries, and in harbours and shallow bays.
If a member of the public wants to distinguish the Māui's dolphin from other types of dolphin, Forest & Bird says the best way is to look for its "Mickey Mouse-type" rounded dorsal fin. Their bodies are coloured with a combination of grey, white and black markings, and they have a short snout.
