wholphins

A wholphin is a rare hybrid marine mammal resulting from the crossbreeding of a female common dolphin and a male false killer whale. The first recorded and verifiable wholphin was born in captivity at Sea Life Park in Hawaii in 1985. This individual, named Kekaimalu, was a product of a female bottlenose dolphin and a male false killer whale, though false killer whales are technically toothed whales and not dolphins, leading to some debate on precise classification. However, the term "wholphin" has been adopted for these specific crosses.

Wholphins exhibit a unique blend of characteristics from both parent species. They typically have a dark gray color, similar to false killer whales, but with lighter undersides and a more robust build than common dolphins. Their blowholes are usually functional, though they sometimes have two, one of which may be less efficient. While Kekaimalu's coloration was more like that of her false killer whale father, she displayed behaviors more akin to her bottlenose dolphin mother, including a tendency to be more playful and interactive.

In the wild, wholphins are extremely rare, with only a few documented sightings. The vast majority of knowledge about wholphins comes from the captive individual in Hawaii. They appear to be fertile, and Kekaimalu herself has reportedly given birth, though the offspring did not survive long. The diet of wholphins in captivity consists of fish, similar to their parent species. Their existence highlights the potential for interspecies breeding within cetaceans, though it remains an exceptionally uncommon phenomenon.