Meg's Sharebook 

About Maui's dolphin

• Distinctive grey, white and black markings and a short snout. Maui’s and Hector's are the only dolphins with a well-rounded black dorsal fin.
   
• Females grow to 1.7 metres long and weigh up to 50 kg. Males are slightly smaller and lighter.
   
• The dolphins are known to live up to 20 years.
   
• Females are not sexually mature until seven to nine years of age. They produce just one calf every two to four years, making population increase a very slow process.
   
• Like other dolphins, Maui’s use echolocation to find their food. They send out high frequency ‘clicks’ that bounce off surrounding objects and fish, giving the dolphins a detailed picture of their surroundings. This sonar is not used all the time, which may be why the dolphins get caught in nets.